THE FISH MARKET

The Fish Market  750 North Harbor Drive (619) 232-3474

The Fish Market is a California based chain that opened its first restaurant in Palo Alto, back in 1976.  The flagship North Harbor Drive branch opend its doors in 1989, and includes a sushi bar, The Front Oyster Bar, and Top Of The Market.  On my most recent visit I spotted an empty seat at the oyster bar and jumped on it.

The oyster bar was packed even on a Wednesday night, so I was pleased to have the last open seat.  A chalk board lists the oyster bar specialties for the evening.

My seat was right next to the ice bin where all the fresh shellfish are kept, providing me with the opportunity to ogle at will.

I was quickly served The Fish Market's signature sour dough bread and butter.

Having sampled some very nice oysters last week at Oceanaire Seafood Room's oyster bar, I decided to see how the specimens at The Fish Market stacked up.  I ordered six Canadian Malpeques ($10.70), and six of the Oregon Netarts ($8.95).  The oyster bar chef, Juan Rodriguez began shucking at an impressive rate.

Juan quickly assembled my oysters on a tray of ice with lemon wedges, fresh grated horseradish, and cocktail sauce.  Cocktail sauce goes great with bread, but in my opinion, masks the flavor of a good oyster.

 

In the photograph the Malpeques are towards the back with the Netarts in the front.  I started with the Malpeques.  Keeping to form they hit me up front with that signature jolt of salt, followed by a clean taste, and finishing up with a mild bitterness.  They were fantastic, and to my palate were as good as the specimens from Oceanaire last week.  The big suprise was the Netarts.  First off they were huge, (although Juan told me they were even bigger last week, wow).

Those of you that read my review of Oceanaire Seafood Room know I prefer larger oysters, and on that account, the Netarts were on the money.  Upon sampling the plump Netarts, I found the flavor sweet and mildly briny, with a very clean finish.  These oysters were fabulous, big and ultra fresh, with excellent texture and flavor.  I may have found a new favorite.  As a point of interest, Oceanaire tends to have a larger selection of oyster varieties, but the quality and freshness of The Fish Markets offerings on this visit were easily on a par with Oceanaire's.

Having knocked back a dozen oysters I realized, man, those made me hungry.  It was time to get serious about ordering more food.  I placed simultaneous orders for a Dungeness Crab Cocktail ($9.75), and the Ahi Sashimi ($10.45).  The crab cocktail was the first to arrive.

The Dungeness crab meat was sweet and fresh.  The Fish Market's cocktail sauce had a nice balance of sweetness with some heat provided by the fresh ground horseradish.  As I ate down deeper, however, the crab meat became watery.  Because of this the crab cocktail was a mixed bag.  The top half was great, the bottom half sub par.

Next came the Ahi Sashimi.

I ate the sashimi with just a squeeze of lemon, avoiding the pseudo wasabi which would have overpowered the delicate flavor of the fish.  The ahi tasted very fresh, and had a nice texture.  My only complaint was that some of the pieces were sliced too thin.  These are visable around the outside perimeter of the plate.

I had been watching Juan working with a sauce pan of steamed mussels on the stove top that really caught my attention when he set it aflame.  He was proud of the resulting broth and wanted me to try some.  Juan didn't have to twist my arm, just bring me more bread to sop it up with please.

The broth had gained depth and flavor from the mussels that had been steamed in it.  I thoroughly enjoyed soaking it up with my second portion of bread.  It was a nice gesture by Juan to include me in on this tasty diversion.

As I was finishing up the broth, my entree selection of Charbroiled Fresh Hawaiian Tombo ($19.75) arrived.

The Tombo had been briefly seared on each side over a mesquite wood fire, leaving the center rare.  The outcome was excellent.  The flavor was fresh, and the texture was quite pleasing.  The fish was complimented nicely by the soy-mustard dipping sauce which accompanied the dish.  I would definately order this again.

The Fish Market on North Harbor Drive has a gorgeous location with sweeping waterfront views.  Having visited the main dining room on numerous occasions, I have found the service can be problematic especially at full capacity.  You can avoid this by sitting at their Front Oyster Bar.  Juan Rodriguez is pobably the hardest working employee on site.  He makes sure your dining experience runs like clockwork.  The fresh seafood products are well prepared, and the bar's ambience is lively.  If you have not visited The Fish Market's oyster bar, I suggest you give it a try.

Comments

[Chubbypanda]

Wow Cap'n,

This is the first time in a bit where my mouth has literally watered while I was reading a food review. I think it's oyster time!

- Chubbypanda

[Cathy]

Hi CJ-

Love the photos and am now sooo hungry for oysters and mussles. Its difficult for females to sit alone at an oyster bar though...but I will be trying this location soon.

-C

[Captain Jack]

Hi CP,
Glad you enjoyed it. It is oyster time indeed.

Hey Cathy,
Oysters and mussels, nice combo. Take some good photos and post on mmm-yoso if you go. Good to see you have the posts rolling.

[Term Paper]

The Fish Market is a California based chain that opened its first restaurant in Palo Alto, back in 1976. The flagship North Harbor Drive branch opend its doors in 1989, and includes a sushi bar, The Front Oyster Bar, and Top Of The Market,this market May be No.1 market of California.

[Rerto Jordans]

I'm glad to be of your space. The pictures are good-looking, and writing is very good!

[viagra online]

you can find the best seafood soup ever in the fish market, they have some great chefs in there, the food is delicious as well as healthy!