Don’t expect to see kitschy plastic crabs, a Styrofoam ship's anchor or paper-mâché Mako shark wrapped in fish netting hanging from the ceiling when you walk into Coast Global Seafood. The waiters don’t sing and there's nary a string of Christmas lights in sight. It’s a serene, upscale restaurant that’s global in more ways than one.
“Our technique is French but we don’t lock ourselves into the solid French flavors. There’s a little bit of Italian, there’s a little bit of American, a little bit of Asian … we’re bringing in different influences from everywhere,” said Executive Chef Josh Perkins about his culinary approach.
From the glass jellyfish lights to the faux coral sculpture created out of Birch tree wood at Coast’s entryway, this seafood restaurant doesn’t need a cloudy lobster tank to convince you its edible treasures from the sea are fresh.
“The artist worked on the chandelier at his house for almost a month, came in right before we opened and put all the fishing lures on the lines so it actually feels when you’re in the restaurant that you’re by the sea and by the ocean,” said General Manager Michael Bratcher.
You can’t really feel like you’re by the ocean if the fish doesn’t measure up in quality. Flown in daily from all over the world, diners can nosh on roasted black grouper in from Hawaii, swordfish from Honolulu, oysters from Maine or Long Island skate wing roasted and served on a bed of spinach, mango-jalapeño salad and guajillo-lime broth.
Perkins has an Italian sensibility to his skills in the kitchen. As a rule he never puts more than three main components to a plate. His holy trinity ensures the protein shines as the savory star of the dish.
“We like to let the ingredients speak for themselves, very light sauces that are time consuming but simple, translucently simple,” said Perkins.
The simplicity at Coast Global Seafood extends to prices as well. Enjoy a ‘Weekday Excursion’ for just under $30. That means you can order an appetizer (spinach Rockefeller dip), an entrée (try the skate wing!) and a dessert (mixed berry cobbler, where have you hidden all this time?).
Chef Perkins aims to lure diners back for more by customizing meals per request.
“You can get the fish cooked anyway you want. Simply grilled is one of our favorite menus from all of our customers," said Bratcher of Coast's approach to pleasing guests.
There's no need to sink to a diva's level and special order, although it's a nice option. Just order off the menu and everything should come out swimmingly.
We netted a few of Coast's recipes during our visit -- check out a couple of the recipes shown here.
