Restaurant Review:

After the third post my friend had put on her Facebook page, which described the latest and greatest piece of Wildfish’s fantastic menu we were eating, I realized she was using the site not as a social marketing tool, but as a way to make all of her friends jealous.

Seeing some of the comments later, she achieved that goal. The remarks from friends ranged from feigned indignation to mock threats.

I probably would have been typing right along with them if she hadn’t invited me along for dinner.

Though Wildfish was part of a chain, you would hardly know it by the care and meticulous attention Executive Chefs Arturo Briones and John Carver have paid to the menu.

The attention to detail was refreshing. I noticed from the appetizers to the desserts a genuine effort to make each dish unique in some way.

That was evident in the first dish of the night, the crispy cashew calamari. Most calamari is fried and served by itself with lemon and low-grade tartar sauce. This was cooked in a wok, placed on a bed of Asian slaw, mixed with shredded carrots, daikon, cashews and white crispy noodles.

There was a touch of red pepper to give the dish a little spice, as well as a sweet-and-spicy sauce to dip in and though I liked the sauce, for me it was unnecessary.

I felt the same way about the chive remoulade that came with the crab cakes. The crab cakes looked like a macaroon cookie, though this was more coveted to me than any dessert.

The all-lump crab cake had a nice consistency throughout and the chive remoulade was good, but again the dish stood well on its own. I was feeling guilty leaving such a quality sauce alone and found myself sneaking dabs of it on the bread that was served.

At the suggestion of our host, who was infinitely more acquainted with the menu than the two of us, the three of us sampled the soft-shell crab and lobster bisque.

My prior encounters with soft-shell crab did not go so well, but this blue crab was nice and crunchy without being chewy.

The bisque was incredible. It was so creamy and the cognac identifiable, but the several large pieces of Maine lobster were what won me over. The amounts of lobster were more than generous and I was getting meat in every third spoonful.

Another item that impressed me was the Fuji apple and green bean salad. The salad came with something called razz-cherries. The hybrid fruit is found in lower Washington State and Northern Oregon and produced a candied flavor. The sesame-ginger vinaigrette balanced out the perfect summer salad.

The entrees were just as solid. The ahi was a very tender piece of fish, but firm enough that it didn’t collapse when it was cut into. The Chilean sea bass was incredible. This fish was steamed throughout the cooking process then mixed with a soy-sherry broth and steamed spinach.

The fish was delicate and flavorful and the sauce just brought out the fish’s taste rather than hiding it. It was a great way to prepare this fish.

While fish dominate the menu, there were four red-meat selections. There are an 8- and 12-ounce filet mignon, a New York Strip and a bone-in-rib-eye.

All of the meats are center cuts, aged for 28 days and are all grain fed. The quality of the meat was evident and it had a nice consistency.

While the sides are separate, I would recommend the two I tried. The scalloped potatoes are a mountain of spuds that come in a small casserole dish.

The crunchiness from the top of the potatoes protects a cheesy tenderness that lay beneath.

The macaroni and cheese with truffles was a delicious delicacy. The dish has a couple of different types of cheese, and the truffle oil and shaved truffles add to the dish.

Do not leave without trying the pineapple upside down cake. It was a dessert worth saving room for but with all the quality appetizers and entrees, it will no doubt be a hard goal to accomplish.

Wildfish

Address: 1370 Bison Ave., Newport Beach

Phone: (949) 720-9925

Website: www.eddiev.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Specialty dish: Chilean sea bass

Alcohol served: full bar

Entrée price range: $23.95 to $38.95

Family friendly: some children’s items on request

Credit cards accepted: American Express, MasterCard and Visa

Rating: *** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at Nolimepublishing@aol.com or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.