Dining Out

Mary Furr

Huntington Beach had no place to go but up -- that is up Main Street

from the pier to Olive Avenue. First Inka Grill opened at Walnut Avenue

across from the post office, and then a little over a month ago came

Spiral, a great new sushi restaurant in the Spanish-style Almeria Plaza

building.

It’s a new concept for Huntington Beach with an East Coast “big city”

feel. It’s independently owned by a Chinese partnership from New York,

according to Anna Lempriere, on of the three managers.

Spiral has a high ceiling with a flowing silver spiral with tiny

lights over a minimalist decor and a color scheme of silver and gray. A

long banquette and a 20-stool sushi bar line the deep storefront. It’s a

sophisticated 21st century decor designed by architect Marcus Kemmerer of

RHA Architects.

From the a la carte menu on a recent visit I chose the grilled Thai

Chicken (lunch: $8.95, dinner: $14.95) in a tasty peanut sauce with

coconut rice and a wonderful salsa of ripe mango. The miso soup brought

by server Noosin had cubes of tofu and strands of dark seaweed in a clear

broth. A small blue china bowl contained mixed greens of spinach, oak and

red leaf with an excellent ginger dressing -- just zesty enough. Flavors

in everything here are blended, teasing new tastes from seasonal fresh

fruits and vegetables.

The herb-crusted king salmon (lunch, $9.95, dinner: $16) as prepared

by Chef Trevor Hailwood from New Zealand, is two inches of tender flesh

in a crisp, light coat that flakes in pale pink slivers -- a

well-prepared, melt-in-the-mouth entree. It’s served with spunky mixed

salad and a mound of white sticky rice.

The big white plates are pictures themselves. The tender soy-marinated

pan-seared filet mignon (dinner: $19) in a lee kem kee oyster sauce is

crossed with transparent onion strands with a salad bowl draped with

slender over-the-edge carrot threads. It resembles a splashy, modern

painting. The steak is firm but tender and laid atop a thick slice of bok

choy. The entrees are as beautifully presented as the striking decor.

Sushi chef Andy Wang sent over a complimentary grand opening sample of

his creations -- a red tuna slice and shrimp on squares of sticky rice

with dabs of hot wasabi and ginger pieces on the side.

A tempting dessert ($6) is spiralmisu, a hard dark chocolate tubelike

coating around two layers of cognac-soaked cake topped with a big scoop

of ice cream-like marscarpone Italian cheese all sprinkled with cocoa

powder. Simpler is an apple-almond tart -- a small almond crust with

apple slices and a scoop of marscapone, not too sweet but oh so

satisfying.

According to Lempriere, Spiral Sushi plans to add a 5 to 7 p.m. happy

hour in the next few weeks. They plan to keep the Spiral staff small and

well informed about the many unusual dishes.

With its cooked-to-order approach, Spiral Sushi is not the place for a

quick lunch or dinner. But if it’s exciting food you’re looking for, it

can be a step up the culinary ladder for Huntington Beach.

FYI

Spiral Sushi Restaurant

Where: Plaza Almeria, 301 Main St.

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. lunch; 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. dailyPhone:

(714) 374-8885* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you

have comments or suggestions for her, call (562) 493-5062.