Best Seafood Restaurant

PAUL BERSEBACH, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Halibut Fish & Chips are served at The Black Marlin in Tustin.

1. The Black Marlin

560 El Camino Real, Tustin; 714-929-7427; blackmarlinrestaurant.com

Located in the historic Tustin Garage, The Black Marlin strives to provide guests with good oldfashioned, full-service treatment. It also prides itself on being part of the neighborhood.

“We’re not big. We’re not a chain. We focus more on the community,” said Matt Luckey, general manager.

The restaurant features full dinner, lunch and Sunday brunch menus. Dinners feature signature seafood dishes prepared by executive chef Alfonso Gonzales.

An example is the seared scallops on a bed of roasted brussel sprouts, potato hash, dried cherries and bacon with a Cajun beurre blanc sauce. Luckey said you can get seared scallops at a lot of restaurants, but you won’t find one with Gonzales’ flavor profile.

Recipes and preparations for dishes such as halibut and sea bass can change every two to three days, Luckey added.

There are also seafood salads, soups and chowders. Also chicken, prime and short rib entrees, although that’s missing the point.

The bar features a wide array of handcrafted cocktails. The whiskey selection is impressive, and gaining a reputation among aficionados, with limited release tastes and flights. You can even score a rare taste of Pappy Van Winkle usually.

The restaurant also stages live music on Sunday afternoons. — Greg Mellen

2. King’s Fish House

Huntington Beach, Laguna Hills, Orange; kingsfishhouse.com

King’s FIsh House bills itself as “the house that seafood built.” The foundation of that reputation relies on being able to ensure freshness and quality. And that comes in part from King’s owning its own distributor: King’s Seafood Delivery.

“KSD works directly with fisheries around the globe and it’s located right here in Orange County — right up the street from our Costa Mesa Home Office,” said Heath Bumgardner, vice president of operations.

King’s purchases more than four million oysters per year, 10 varieties of which can be found at the raw bar, along with other chilled shellfish. It also assures King’s can serve seasonal dishes such as Alaskan halibut, Columbia River king salmon and Chilean sea bass from the Ross Sea.

King’s offers a happy hour weekdays with fish tacos, oyster shooters and spicy tuna rolls.

The bar features handmade cocktails and “bartender’s choice” drinks.

3. Water Grill

3300 Bristol St, Costa Mesa; 949-208-7060; watergrill.com

Prominent among the upper-tier eateries in Costa Mesa’s theater district is the Water Grill, part of the King’s Seafood Company. Prominent, in part, because it sits right on the corner of Anton Boulevard and Bristol Street.

An institution among Los Angeles foodies, the Water Grill was an eagerly awaited addition to the dining scene when it opened in the OC in 2016. It has been a hit ever since

With access to the parent company’s distributor, Water Grill offers a raw bar that features 16 kinds of freshly shucked oysters from the East and West coasts, with the opportunity to mix and match favorites.

There are also six varieties of chilled shellfish, from clams to lobster and urchin. Or try any of 10 shellfish platters.

The dinner menu ranges from varieties of whole fish dinners, to seasonal fish, such as halibut done five ways, a variety of fish entrees and even steak for the red-blooded eater.