23 Restaurants from California
Aqua
252, California Street, San Francisco, CA 94111, (415) 956-9662
www.aqua-sf.com
About This Restaurant
An elegant two Michelin stars restaurant established in 1991 that is unashamedly upmarket and promises four star cooking. Sophisticated and innovative, Aqua offers what it says is world-class contemporary seafood menu. Adjectives used by diners include: flawless, spectacular and superior. Quality doesn't come cheap: $75 for a three-course menu, $105 for a seven course tasting menu. Four stars on Google.They say...
A sophisticated fine-dining experience that blends innovative, world-class cooking with the highest standards in quality and service, Aqua is upscale and elegant, unpretentious and animated. Located in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling Financial District on California Street between Battery and Front, Aqua easily qualifies as one of the most beautiful restaurants in the Bay Area.We say...
Surveyed 31/12/2009
No doubt this restaurant ticks all the boxes - two Michelin stars, beautiful building, exquisitely furnished and top-notch cooking. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to make acknowledgement of seafood being a fast diminishing resource. Bluefin tuna is on the menu which is unacceptable whichever population it is from, unless it is farmed from the egg and even then it's wasteful on feed. Monkfish is a fish to avoid and albacore tuna can be - it depends how it was caught. Octopus, skate and shrimps are also, as far as Seafood Watch is concerned, not ideal candidates for the cooking pot. There is no mention anywhere on the online menu about how the restaurant sources it seafood. A lack of information combined with an apparently poor choice of fish in some cases, means Aqua doesn't score well - five Red Fish. Currently this is not a restaurant we would choose to visit but diners must make up their own mind.Read more
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Cafe Fina
Fisherman's Wharf, 47, Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey, CA 93940, (831) 372-5200
www.cafefina.com
About This Restaurant
A slightly grander and more sophisticated version of its older sister, Domenico's, next door. Spectacular setting overlooking the harbor offering fresh local seafood complemented by organic vegetables grown on owner Dominic's ranch. Dominic is the son of a Sicilian fisherman who fished seasonally in Californian waters for sardines, then moved north to Alaska for the salmon before chasing tuna in South American waters. The restaurateur spent many summers as a teenager on fishing boats and therefore knows the importance of fresh fish. Two fish courses: about $30. Five stars on Google.Read more
They say...
Specialising in Monterey Italian Seafood, Dominic Mercurio welcomes you to Fisherman's Wharf to taste a variety of cuisines including fresh seafood from the Monterey Bay........Cafe Fina, located on the Fisherman’s Wharf in scenic Monterey, California, is a full-service fine dining establishment.We say...
Surveyed 19/12/2009
The Mercurio family is steeped in Californian fishing history reflected in a gallery of photographs in the restaurant depicting generations of Monterey fishermen. Despite the rich traditions and Dominic's lifelong connection to the industry, there is a surprising lack of information about his seafood on the site. The restaurant promises wild, sustainable, local and Alaskan seafood so we find it strange there is no more detail about its fish sourcing policy. We have to assume the 'snapper'on the menu is red snapper which is on Seafood Watch fish to avoid list. Similarly, the Maine lobster is probably not the best choice. Cafe Fina doesn't score as well as it should - 0.5 Blue Fish - because of a lack of more precise information which is easily remedied and we look forward to hearing more from them in the future.Read more
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Catch
1910, Ocean Way, Santa Monica, CA 90405-1083, 310-581-7714
http://www.catchsantamonica.com/
About This Restaurant
Located in the Case del Mar hotel which looks out over a beautiful sandy Pacific beach, Catch claims to be inspired by Southern Californian living. The centrepiece of this fine dining seafood and sushi restaurant is a mother of peal sushi bar. It is not cheap, and while some feel the prices are fair others have said that it is too expensive- one reviewer complained about the price of the ‘extras’ (teas, coffees and side dishes). Average price $30-$50 3.5 stars on Google.They say...
We've created a whole new way to 'seefood'. Our Executive Chef, Michael Reardon, is always reinventing the fresh ingredients that coastal living has in abundance. He has created an amazing menu of Land and Sea offerings like Kurobuto Pork Loin and Crispy Skate Wing. Michaels signature sushi and crudo dishes are a divine exploration into raw cuisine.We say...
Surveyed 31/12/2009
As you would expect from a restaurant set inside a luxury hotel, Catch offers southern California-style fine dining with prices to match.The hotels is on the beach and the restaurant offers fantasic views of Santa Monica Bay. Executive chef Michael Reardon is "forever inspired by the fresh ingredients that coastal living has in abudance". Some of those ingredients include bluefin tuna, bigeye and Atlantic cod - three fish which appear on the IUCN list - so they may not be quite so abundant in future. The menu also offers albarcore, monkfish, freshwater eel and red snapper all of which are on the Seafood Watch list of fish to avoid. We couldn't find any trace of a sustainability policy on the online menu so this restaurant is awarded five red Fish which means it is not a restaurant we could eat in but you must make up your own mind.Read more
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Domenico's on the Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf, 50, Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey, CA 93940, (831) 372-3655
www.domenicosmonterey.com
About This Restaurant
Owned by Dominic Mercurio, the restaurant has been around for 30 years occupying a space on Monterey's famous Fisherman's Wharf with a view of the harbor. It offers traditional Italian cuisine featuring 'wild sustainable local and Alaskan seafood delivered fresh daily'. There is a fish market and deli next door featuring oysters on the half shell, clam chowder or chili in a bread .bowl. Six oysters: $10.95' Two fish courses: about $30. Four stars on Google.They say...
A local favorite for almost thirty years, Domenico’s on the Wharf offers traditional Italian cuisine featuring wild, sustainable, local and Alaskan seafood delivered fresh daily.We say...
Surveyed 19/12/2009
As with its sister restaurant, Cafe Fina, Domenico's suffers in our review from a lack of information. They tell us all species of fish are named on the menu and they always say where the fish were caught, which conflicts with the menu we saw online. Mr Mercurio tells us he sources his seafood sustainably and has a boat to plate traceability scheme. We are sure that he has but when we asked for more detail, none was forthcoming. Hence the one Blue Fish score when he clearly should be scoring much higher.Read more
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Fandango
223, 17th Street, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, (831)-372-3456
www.fandangorestaurant.com
About This Restaurant
Owned by Pierre Bain and his wife whose family have run the Grand Hôtel Bain at Comp-sur-Artuby in the south of France since 1737. The Bains took over the restaurant, set in a converted house on the Monterey Peninsula, in 1986. They built an upstairs dining room with its own kitchen and then built a private dining room on an outside patio. The restaurant now has no less than five private dining rooms. Not surprisingly, considering the family's Gallic origins, the restaurant offers Mediterranean and European cuisine with seafood playing a significant role. Two fish courses: about $30 Four stars on Gogle.Read more
They say...
Life at Fandango—like the dance it was named for—continues to be sometimes fast and often furious. But most important, it's always fun.We say...
Surveyed 19/12/2009
Fandango is not a specialist seafood restaurant but the menu does contain a variety of fish dishes. We have given the restaurant some credit for its carefully-selected Loch Duart salmon - even though the Seafood Watch Guide says all Atlantic salmon is "fish to avoid" - and credit for the fact that it gets its halibut from recognised and managed fisheries in the Canadian Pacific. Fandango has also signed up to Seafood Watch's pledge which demonstrates it is serious about obtaining its fish in a responsible mannner. But it does lose marks for failing to name every species on the menu, for not saying clearly on its online menu whether its fish is wild or farmed and for not saying in each case where the fish were caught. Even so, Fandango earns a two Blue Fish rating and we are confident it will do even better in future.Read more
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Farallon
450, Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 956-6969
www.farallonrestaurant.com/
About This Restaurant
A beautifully designed and stylish restaurant, located near the Union Square, and named after the island off the Californian coast much favoured by great white sharks. The restaurant has an underwater 'fantasy' adventure theme and consists of an oyster bar, jelly bar complete with jelly fish tentacles, a nautilus room, pool room and wine hold. The restaurant is a collaboration between chef Mark Franz and restaurateur and designer Pat Kuleto. It is a fine dining venture and therefore doesn't come cheap. Two fish courses: about $75. Four stars on Google.Read more
They say...
One of the most architecturally significant buildings in the Union Square area built in 1924 for the Elk's Club. Pat Kuleto recognizes that design is powerful: "From the moment you walk in, the way a restaurant looks, smells and feels significantly affects your mood and influences your enjoyment. Design indelibly colors your entire dining experience. You consume the design with every bite of the food."We say...
Surveyed 30/12/2009
The restaurant says it works closely with Seafood Watch and CleanFish which is greatly to its credit. Chef Simas Ryan tells us he closely questions his suppliers and demands that they are able to tell him exactly where and how fish were caught. "For the last 3 years as chef of Farallon, it has been my mission to work closely with the Seafood Watch when deciding my menu," he says. This restaurant is clearly making a serious effort to source its seafood responsibily and thoroughly deserves its 2.5 Blue Fish rating.Read more
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Fish
350, Harbor Drive, Sausalito, CA 94965, (415) 331-3474
www.331fish.com
About This Restaurant
Opened in 2004 and co-owned by Bill Foss and Kenny Belov, Fish sits directly on the Sausalito waterfront with views of the harbour and marina. Informal dining is possibly the best description of what the restaurant offers with diners seated outside on patio picnic tables when the weather is kind. It is also quirky - diners have to queue to order and then try and find somewhere to sit. It is also cash only - but there is an ATM inside the restaurant! Fish is passionately devoted to the sustainability cause and has led a campaign to get farmed salmon off restaurant menus with considerable success. They hosted a fish n'flicks night with a screening of The End of the LIne. Fish and chips: $22; crab roll: $25; tuna salad sandwich: $13. 3.5 stars on Google.Read more
They say...
Why Do People Come to Fish. Restaurant? Well there are many, many reasons. But number one, as we hope everyone knows by now, is our passion for the Oceans and Rivers Sustainability. We do our darnedest to create the most inventive and great tasting dishes you'll love with a limited and ever depleting amount of proteins (Fish) available. It matters to us that we know where our Fish are coming from and the manner in which they are caught.We say...
Surveyed 08/02/2010
Bill Foss and Kenny Belov are true advocates for seafood sustainability and have made it one of the main selling points for their restaurant. They argue passionately against farmed salmon because of the damage the farms cause to the marine environment and have persuaded many restaurateurs in the Bay area to take it off the menu. They have started their own sustainable hook-and-line wholesale fish company and buy only from boats and skippers they know and make a point of going onboard themselves to satisy themselves about the capture methods used. They boast that every fish they serve can be traced back to the boat that caught it. Fish has already gone further than most with sustainability and should be honoured as true pathfinders. They certainly have our support and we look forward to visiting. A very serious Four Blue Fish restaurant.Read more
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Fish and Farm
339, Taylor Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 474 3474
www.fishandfarmsf.com
About This Restaurant
Fish and Farm serve local American seafood and artisan meats. The restaurant is said to have a warm ‘neighbourhood’ feel, with booth seating, bell shaped lanterns and a marble topped bar. Executive chef Chad Newton joined the establishment in 2009. He makes his own pasties, pastas, cheeses and bread and claims to use only organic and local produce. There have been complaints that there is only a limited vegetarian choice. $41.95 for a prix fixe special menu, entrees range from $16-$26. 4 star Google rating.Read more
They say...
Fish and Farm goes above and beyond to support local farmers and fisherman by sourcing most fish, meat, and produce from within a 100 mile radius. Dishes are classic and familiar, comprised of exclusive, high quality foods such as Monterey Bay sardines and squid, house-made pasta, and Berkshire pork.We say...
Surveyed 05/01/2010
Chef Chad Newton has only recently taken over the kitchen so it would be unfair to make snap judgements - particularly as the restaurant's website wasn't co-operating. However, with restaurateurs Frank Klein and John Duggan, he plans to offer new American seafood and artisan meats. The new chef has one eye on the chilly economic climate and is offering American 'comfort ' food which he describes as simple fare at a bargain price. He has already launched industrial nights from tues-sat with draft beers for $2 and cocktails for $5. The restaurant has a policy of trying to source produce within 100 miles of the restaurant as part of its think local policy with maybe the Loch Duart salmon - from 3000 miles away in Scotland - as the exception to the rule. Not so much fish on menu or maybe we just couldn't see it on the website but they do seem to have good policies and we particularly like the Monterey Bay species and the line-caught swordfish. A one Blue Fish restaurant that we confidently expect to do better.Read more
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Harbor's Edge
1380, Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92117, (619) 291-2900
www.starwoodhotels.com
About This Restaurant
Located in the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina across the road from the airport, this restaurant has gorgeous views of the Marina. It is not primarily a seafood restaurant, serving contemporary American cuisine - steak, poultry and seafood There are very few reviews of this restaurant online as of yet, and no Google rating but we have read that people enjoy the casual atmosphere inspired by the furniture and decor. Three course meal at a fixed price of $30.They say...
The Harbor's Edge Restaurant focuses on sourcing sustainable fish and shellfish for all its menu items. Some product is sustainably farmed in naturally raised Aquafarms, while others are local Pacific wild. We have made a concerted effort to continuously search for these sources that have no negative impact on the environment or the natural habitat of the species and/or related species.We say...
Surveyed 12/01/2010
Hotel dining room in the Sheraton at the edge of San Diego Bay which is quite difficult to judge because there isn't a great deal of fish on the menu. It does include salmon, yellowfin tuna and chilean sea bass. The restaurant tells us it doesn't serve farmed fish but then talks about produce from sustainable aquafarms so all a little confusing. The restaurant clearly does have a sustainability policy and specialises in locally caught Pacific species. We have given the restaurant a 2.5 Blue Fish rating for the effort it is making.Read more
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Mori Sushi
11500, West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064, (310) 479-3939
www.morisushi.org
About This Restaurant
Traditional Japanese sushi restaurant opened in 2000 by chef/patron Mori Onodera. Japanese-born, he studied sushi arts in Tokyo before heading to the US in 1985. He worked at three Japanese restaurants before opening his own. The restaurant has simple décor and does not pretend to be elegant, but instead focuses on the food. Mori has earned rave reviews and in 2008 picked up a Michelin star. Sushi lunch special: $17; sushi deluxe: $20; sashimi deluxe: $23. Average spend per person $100. 3.5 stars on Google.Read more
They say...
Mori Sushi is a sushi restaurant. We do not buy any ingredients besides fish and vegetables. All dishes are prepared using either fish or vegetables. The non-sushi dishes are fish-based, but not entirely traditional in their preparation. We hope you enjoy the variety of the fishes.We say...
Surveyed 31/12/2009
Clearly a very popular restaurant which earns lavish praise and now has a coveted Michelin star but as with so many sushi restaurants there is no hint of a sustainability policy. Bluefin tuna is almost de rigeur in sushi restaurants despite its plight. Bigeye, red snapper and freshwater eel also feature - all of which are on the Seafood Watch fish to avoid list. The bigeye may be just ok if it is line-caught in US waters but there is no indication of this on the online menu. Until the restaurant tells its customers more detail about its choice of fish, where they come from and how they are caught, it carries a five Red Fish score.Read more
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