A restaurant owner once told me that if his place only served the things they actually did really well, the menu would be half the size. Why, I wondered, did they serve the rest? The answer was, “If I don’t have a burger on my menu and I have a party of ten come in with one guy who really wants a burger, I lose the whole party. The burger I serve may not be great, and that guy may not come back, but the other nine who order what I do well? I’ll see them again.”
Thus there’s a tendency to touch all the bases – steakhouses have a lone chicken entrée, something vegetarian that is probably all the side orders tossed together, a piece of fish that was frozen when the chef was a small child. It’s there, but they don’t really expect you’ll order it.
A few places buck the trend, and one is the Fish Shop, which opened in Hermosa a few months ago. The people at this offshoot of a San Diego café are specialists. The only things they serve that don’t live underwater are the vegetables that accompany the seafood items and the chocolate chip cookies that are offered for dessert, and I don’t think either counts against their ideological purity.
There is frequently a line to order here, for two reasons – first, the place has been popular since the day it opened, and second, their ordering system is very complex. The complete menu on the wall can’t be seen until you’re at the counter, so people discover new items and change their mind while they’re at the register. Many wines are offered, but there is no wine list – the selection changes frequently, and apparently the idea of listing the selection on a chalkboard where people in line could see it has never occurred to anybody. Regulars take this in stride, but newcomers are inclined to wonder if there isn’t a better way to do this. (Hint: yes.)
Once you figure out what you want and order, it’s straightforward: take your number and head for your table. We had ordered a cup of fish stew and lobster lumpia for starters, and they arrived after a short delay. The lumpia (eggrolls by another name) were very tasty, made with shredded lobster rather than big chunks, mixed in with green onion and other vegetables. There was a dash of spice in them to make things interesting, and if that wasn’t sufficient, some sweet hot sauce on the side, with rice to cool things down if that got overbearing.
The “cup” of fish stew was actually a full-sized bowl of spicy Manhattan-style chowder, a tomato-based broth with bay leaf, red pepper, and other spices along with a lot of fish. I slightly prefer their chowder, which is rich and buttery and among the best I’ve had in the South Bay.
Main courses here have a lot of choices – select the fish you like; the seasoning or marinade that fits your tastes; whether it should be grilled or fried; and whether you want it as a taco, salad, sandwich, or on a plate with sides. It’s a lot of choices, and if you can’t find a combination that sounds good, you probably don’t like fish. My wife selected a plate of fresh local halibut grilled with garlic butter, with onion rings and vegetables on the side. On this trip I decided to share hers and try more sides, a crab cocktail and a specialty called “Fish Shop shrimp.”
Her halibut arrived perfectly grilled and smoky, with a light dusting of parsley on top. The garlic butter was a hint of accent, an overtone that didn’t obscure the taste of good fish, and a lemon wedge was provided on the side in case it was desired. Everything on the plate was a celebration of simple good flavors, and it was an excellent meal.
The crab cocktail and shrimp were both spicier than I expected. The cocktail sauce had a healthy dose of horseradish, slightly more than my wife liked- she gave up on it after a few bites. I kept eating because I enjoy spicy seafood, and the layer of salad topped by crab and that sauce was invigorating. The shrimp was slightly milder and more complex, sautéed in a sweet Thai-style sauce spiked with both red and black pepper. A creamy dressing on the side provided both variety and some relief when the heat got cumulative, and it was a delightful snack. Though I had ordered only a pair of appetizers for dinner, it was quite enough because the portions were so generous, and we took some fish stew home. (It was still good the next day, though slightly hotter.)
Our food bill for two was $56, and four glasses of wine brought the bill to $88 – a bit higher than the other counter-service fish places around town, but the portions and quality here are a cut above. There‘s a reason The Fish Shop has such a diehard following – they’re specialists, and they’re very good at what they do.
The Fish Shop is at 719 Pier in Hermosa, near the corner of Sepulveda. Open daily 11 a.m. -11 p.m., parking lot, wheelchair access good, wine and beer served. Menu at thefishshophermosabeach.com, phone 310-372-3480.
