It was a dark and stormy night . . .. Actually, it was. Saturday, 11 August. Rain, lightning. But our group of five was happily indoors, quite dry (until the martinis and wine arrived). Our appetizers were the ubiquitous fried calamari, Dungeness crab cakes, and seared scallops with polenta. While ubiquitous, the calamari were among the best we've had, and the scallops were very nicely done, with the polenta a nice touch. My wife and I lived in Seattle for a time and frequently partook of the joys of Dungeness crab which we regard as slightly superior to the eastern blue crab. The crab cakes here, 1700 miles east, were outstanding, as was the sauce. (A quibble: it's advertised as fresh, but it can't be at this time of year.) The Caesar salad is advertised as assertively garlicly, which is precisely the way I like it. The table bread was certainly edible, but many restaurants have better. Now for the entrees: three people got the shellfish saffron risotto, of which I had a taste. It was very good, but short of the pinnacle of the risotto art achieved by Pazzaluna in St Paul. Another had the Dungeness cioppino. She was too busy slurping the broth, her head almost in the bowl, to comment. Actions spoke louder than words. My entree was roasted monkfish with chorizo. A nicely sized piece of a fish not frequently found on local menus, very tasty. Alas, perhaps since I didn't get a dessert, my memory of the others' comments on the final course has vanished. The service was a bit slow but didn't descend to the level of serious annoyance. The server did seem rather humorless but certainly not unfriendly. The ambience is very pleasant. Notwithstanding its Wayzata location, I detected no pretension whatever on the part of either patrons or staff. In fact, on this hot, humid, and stormy evening, many were wearing shorts including the author of these words. For the seafood lover, this is a very good destination in the Metro area to satisfy such a craving.
Pros: Aquatic provender
Cons: Nothing serious
more