Salinas Valley Fish House Restaurant Review

I am in the town of Salinas, California. On Thursday, I felt like dining at a fine restaurant in downtown and possibly doing some wine tasting….maybe. Salinas is just outside of Monterey with a modest population of fewer than 150,000. With the nickname “the Salad Bowl”, Salinas is known for its agricultural farming fields and grape vineyards.

In Salinas there is an array of fine restaurants all centrally located within a quarter mile of each other. On Main and Gabilan is a restaurant called, Salinas Valley Fish House which is locally known for its oak barbecued pit smoked oysters and fried calamari. The vintage interior of the restaurant gives a comfortable inviting feel.

The layout is small, but not crowded. And, a fish house would not be complete without marine taxidermy displays. There are plenty for the eye to see. Equipped with a full size bar, one my be inclined to enjoy a drink as you wait for an open table or sit and enjoy drinks with conversation.

Upon seating, the waitress handed me a menu, but also gave me a verbal list of the specials. I was impressed of her knowledge of the varity of meals. Some of the specials were the Ahi Tuna seared with wasabi with a teriyaki sauce, the halibut picatta, barbecued onoh, crab cakes with pasta, barbecued salmon, filet mignon with shrimp scampi, and lamp chops with a red wine reduction sauce. Without looking at the menu, I decided upon starting with the baby-leaf salad with avocado-vinaigrette dressing and the lamb chops with the wine reduction on the side as my main dish.

With a price tag of $39, the rack of lamb was exquisite and well worth it to say the least. It comes with garlic mash, fresh vegetables, and a side of red wine reduction sauce for the lamb chops, which is an excellent compliment of flavor. The portions are plenty with eight small mouth-watering lamb chops to ensure you aren’t begging for more. I had ordered it at medium, but I recommend ordering this dish at medium-rare, because lamb chops are typically a dry meat.

From a local winery, I enjoyed a glass of a 2006 Hahn Meritage red wine from Hahn Estates Winery. The Hahn Meritage is a Bordeaux style wine with a blend of Merlot with layers of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. Together these blends of grapes deliver to make the perfect accompaniment with lamb chops. This Merlot blend is also bold, but delicate in flavor with the perfect balance of tannins that makes this the perfect pairing match for any red meat, or even with fish.

Since this is a seafood restaurant, I couldn’t recommend the dinning experience if I did not order a seafood dish. In conjunction with the lamb, I also ordered the Fresh Halibut. It is pan fried prepared in olive oil with a picatta sauce consisting of white wine, lemon juice, and capers. This was also served with pasta and fresh vegetables. The halibut was very pleasing in taste. The texture of the fish was flaky and yet delicate. As a fish lover, this was most enjoyable.

To finish evening, I had the Crème brûlée for desert. This creamy custard desert was topped with a blowtorched caramelized topping that is always a delight if prepared correctly. It’s the perfect balance of vanilla and caramel in one dish. I had started on my second glass of Meritage, and was a treat to accompany both the brûlée and the wine as a desert combination.

Next to my table, I had spoken to a local couple whom visit this restaurant on a monthly basis, and declare this is their favorite seafood restaurant. From my experience, I can see why.

For visitors to the Salinas area that are looking for a great seafood restaurant, I highly recommend the Salinas Valley Fish House. The service is great, the waiters and waitresses were friendly, all the food was excellent, and the restaurant is clean.