Dennis S.
Yelp
As all Oceanaires, it's a beautiful cool blue setting. Getting there, in and out of the crazy busy madhouse that was $15 hotel valet parking on a Saturday evening, did remind me that there's a better and much more peaceful seafood dinner to be had across town at Trulucks.
Decent cocktail program and wine by the glass, though a French chardonnay option for less than $50 a glass would be appreciated.
Tempura shrimp was an excellent appetizer, a healthy pile, generous for two people to share, with a nice hit of spice from the glaze.
Good selection of half shell oysters. Properly cleaned, shucked and presented.
Really appreciated the educated and friendly wait staff throughout the evening; for example, when I said we'd like the best of 3 different PEI oysters offered, the waiter asked if we prefer small or large, briny, etc, to make sure we got the ones we'd most enjoy.
Clam chowder was a big bowl, much more than a cup, and very thick and rich. Really nicely done, certainly recommended, although very filling; you may want a lighter main after.
The big disappointment was halibut dynamite. What looked to be a beautiful piece of fish was seriously overcooked. If there's one thing I'd expect from a high end seafood house, it would be that they would know how to properly cook seafood.
The "dynamite" was a topping of almost cloyingly sweet crabmeat with not a hint of heat. While I appreciated the thin ribbons of tabasco on the plate, they didn't do anything to spice up the dish. I'd skip their dynamite presentation in the future.
The hash browns side was enormous, plenty for a table of 4. It was mostly undercooked, with just a little crispy edge on one side. "Ala oceanaire", which sounded appealing, gave the hash browns a little ball of bacon shoved on one corner of the plate, and nothing else of note. The dish gave the impression that the kitchen was rushing through the orders.
So the staff, the setting and the starters were all really nicely done, but the main course was a real disappointment. So 4 stars for the things they executed well, but I don't feel like we'd rush back.
Sticky toffee pudding for dessert was a huge piece, more than enough for two, and nicely presented, with the toffee sauce and whipped cream on the side.