The Fishery in PB - One More Time

It's Ed (from Yuma) again, this time having a dinner with Tina at The Fishery in Pacific Beach. You're invited to join them. Kirk and Cathy will happily share meals with you at the blog as well, just not today.

I have no memory of my first visit to The Fishery on Cass Street in Pacific Beach, but I know the restaurant opened back when I was a denizen of PB in the late 90s.  In 2009, I posted about a couple of meals Tina and I had at the restaurant. Unfortunately we hadn't been back since.

The exterior of the restaurant has not changed as far as I can tell:

And the interior still has hard wooden tables, wooden walls, a fish counter, and very little noise abatement, making the restaurant occasionally LOUD on the busy Saturday night when we visited. Soon after we arrived, Nate, a professional and helpful server, brought us menus and a wine list. He answered our questions, and when asked for help choosing a wine, he suggested the Lagar de Cervera, Albariño, 2011, from the Rias Biaxas region of coastal Galicia in Spain.:

It was good, beginning with clean flavors of tart apple, opening up with a more generous mouth feel and depth and complexity of flavor, and concluding with a smooth and lingering finish. It also complemented the seafood we ordered .

Our meal began with some slices of good but not outstanding bread alongside a whipped lightly herbed butter:

The white bread had a nice crust but isn't especially memorable. The brown bread was in the style of a German bauernbrot, slightly nutty with a mild taste of rye flour –kindof like pumpernickel but neither as dense nor intense.

A good-sized bowl of clams cooked in a spicy white Bordeaux wine reduction showed up next.:

The clams were small and slightly chewy though they were flavorful, garlicky, and fresh. The salty and strong flavored broth was great for dipping the little clams and the crunchy slices of  garlic bread.

We had each ordered a soup. The clam chowder was nothing exceptional, containing few clams or potatoes; however, it was very well balanced, smooth, and creamy:

The very fishy seafood soup was more interesting and complex.: 

Throughout the soup, chunks of various fishes, large pieces of tomato, and abundant celery, onion, and green pepper slices provided texture as well as flavor. We agreed it was outstanding:

Tina's entrée was macadamia encrusted Alaskan halibut.:

The perfectly cooked piece of halibut rested on a soft fluffy bed of buttery mashed Yukon potatoes. The fish was topped with fresh frisee and slices of red pear.:

Circling the plate was a spicy purée of chilies and red stone fruit. The sweet spicy flavors were accented by the small pickled red chile slices.

I chose the fresh local sea bass – which I thought was perfectly cooked to just beyond rare:

While the same buttery mashed potatoes underlay the fresh filet, it was topped with a tart apple slaw and accompanied by grilled and charred baby brussel sprout halves and tasty mustard vinaigrette. Where Tina's fish’s flavors had been lit up by sweet spicy accents, my naturally sweet sea bass was contrasted with tangy slaw and vinaigrette. We both love our entrées.

Overall, Tina and I were delighted with the meal. Sometimes it was a little too noisy for us to easily carry on a conversation, but the service and the food and the overall experience left us feeling full and happy. Though not cheap, we felt the dinner was a reasonable value:

The Fishery, 5040 Cass St, San Diego 92109, 858-272-9985  

Comments

[caninecologne]

Very nice post Ed! This is where my husband and I went for our wedding anniversary lunch back in July. We enjoyed our meal there very much.

[Cathy]

What a really nice dinner with great photos. I'm hungry now. Thanks for sharing.

[Tartinestotikis.wordpress.com]

I like that place but just feel that it's a little bit expensive for what it is. I see that your entrees were $30 and $34 and that is really on the upper range of the scale for San Diego, and too expensive in my view considering the informal setting, so I rarely go there anymore. The food is good though, and the fish quality outstanding. Their fish counter is great.

[Ed (from Yuma)]

Thanks, cc & Cathy. We had a good time.

I agree, T to t, that the Fishery is spendy. In addition, Fishery's clam chowder was just OK and the steamed clams not nearly as good as the steamed mussels with linguica. I think Wine Vault is generally a better value.

But stuck here in the desert, I have serious seafood cravings, and I don't know of a better place for good fishy cuisine in SD for less money. I would sure like to find one, so please let me know what your favs are.

[Tartinestotikis.wordpress.com]

There is the Hake in La Jolla. Caveat - I've only been once but it seemed a better value with most dishes around $25 and generously-sized appetizers. Shameless plug: http://tartinestotikis.wordpress.com/2013/09/10/lunch-at-the-hake/
Even George's Ocean Terrace is less expensive and you get the amazing view.

[Ed (from Yuma)]

I appreciate the suggestions. I have read good things about Hake. I must confess, it's been years since I was at George's - which has fallen off my radar screen. I also remember when the Fishery wasn't in its current price range; in fact, I'm sure I never paid $30+ for an entree before. Anyway, thanks for the ideas and the link - nice post.