RESTAURANT REVIEW:

The reputation that J. King Neptune’s has gotten over the years is not a fair one at all, and my hope is that I can change it in some small way.

Walk into the restaurant and the first thing you see is a bar, usually filled with regulars. The dining room is off to the left side and not a focal point of the establishment at all.

That is a shame because the food is worth coming in and wading past the barflies. Of course, picking the right time to come in makes a big difference. Stay away from weekend nights after 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoons, when the bar is either hosting a local musician or has the football crowd whooping and hollering.

The restaurant, which is family-owned and has the former owner as the chef, has recently been upgraded. The booths have been reupholstered, and the area has a cleaner look than it did in the past.

When Juan Alvarez is behind the bar, and that seems like all the time, make sure you order one of his specialty drinks. Alvarez, the son of the owner, is actually a nationally renowned bartender and has won awards for some of his creations. His Orange Julies was made at a bartending competition in Cuba, where Alvarez was representing the United States.

I had heard about his Orange Julies and it was the first thing I ordered. It is patterned after the Orange Julius and tastes just like the drink that I used to get as a kid at the stand in the Glendale Galleria on shopping trips with my mother.

The drink has Stoli Vanil, St. Germain, Gioia Luisa orangecello, triple sec, orange juice, whipped cream and nutmeg. It is an incredible drink and, with no heavy alcohol taste, I could have had several of them.

We ordered calamari as an appetizer and were fully expecting the breaded, deep-fried variety for the price ($7.95) they charged.

So it was an incredible surprise at what came to the table. The calamari was hardly breaded at all and was pan-fried, not deep-fried. It was tender, with not a hint of a rubbery texture. It was easily the best calamari appetizer I have ever had. Even the one sauce that came with it, a tarter sauce with dill, was unusual.

The clam chowder I had was a bit disappointing. It was bland and pasty with not a lot of clams in it. The two seafood restaurants down the street make a better chowder.

Our fish, however, was quite good. My guest had the seared Ahi tuna and I chose the Mahi Mahi. I wanted it blackened, which they will do, but unfortunately, my waiter was paying too much attention to the game and reversed the order, blackening the Ahi instead of my fish.

The Mahi was good, though, the way it was cooked. I liked the Ahi, though my guest was not really sold on a blackened style of a fish that is supposed to be just seared.

I would like to try the surf and turf combinations, as there are several. The New York steak or filet mignon comes with crab legs, lobster, prawns or fried shrimp.

The edges are a bit rough at the restaurant, but it is worth a couple of mistakes. The food is some of the best in the area.

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