I’m always looking for restaurants to visit and help economically during these challenging times so we headed to Joe’s Crab Shack as its outdoor patio finally reopened. We had 5 p.m. Open Table reservations but waited 30 minutes and later saw on my email that my reservation was cancelled at 5:57 p.m. after we were seated.
On arrival, we noticed that the host and manager weren’t keeping track of who had reservations and who placed their names on the waitlist. One woman who had reservations had been waiting over an hour and had not been called to be seated.
After nudging, we were finally seated at our table of choice. We were initially led to a table that wasn’t next to the marina so we requested to sit at one which had recently been vacated. We watched as the busboy slowly cleaned off the table. It took at least a good 5-8 minutes, demonstrating he had no sense of urgency despite a huge line of people outside waiting.
Once we were seated, there was some confusion as to who was serving us. Initially, we were approached by Stephanie who took our drink order. Then we were approached by Troy who said he was our server.
Once Stephanie was identified as our actual server, we ordered a cup of each of the clam chowder and seafood gumbo. Between the two, the chowder was the clear winner. It was creamy, thick and flavorful. The gumbo had a nice savory flavor, but it was more of a broth and not as rich, complex or dense like the chowder.
After 19 minutes, my husband’s entree of red fish arrived. I was given a plate which was not my order. I sent it back untouched. I had asked for the shrimp sample which included 6 breaded shrimp, shrimp scampi, grilled shrimp skewers, seasonal vegetables and crispy French fries substituted by me for the rice. I was initially served the shrimp trio which was a plate of crispy, coconut and fried shrimp as well as fries. It was a plate of artery clogging fried food.
When my real order arrived, the crispy fries were missing and some stale, crunchy, undercooked rice was on my plate.
When I requested the correct substitution, the runner assigned to our table brought cold, stale fries. Stephanie made it right by bringing piping hot, crispy fries.
For the sake of clarity, our actual server, Stephanie, was super helpful. However, the rest of the service staff needs help and perhaps a tutorial. The hostess stand needs at least 2 other people on busy weekend evenings. They should be trained to understand that reservations should take precedence over walk-ins. The phone should never ring 10-20 times without somebody picking up. There should be sufficient and well-trained busboys and runners who know what orders belong to which tables for the outdoor patio and adjoining tent.
Also, the bartender should be well-versed in the drink lingo and understand that a martini “up” no vermouth with a lemon twist is a martini not a 2 ounce glass of no ice room temperature vodka. We want to be helpful and eat at local restaurants to help them stay in business but the upcharge of the alcohol is nearly criminal (see receipt) and the staff needs to be replaced or be admonished for their failings.
We are very fond of Stephanie and the cooks did a nice job on our dinner, but the host, manager, bartender and singular busboy have all failed to meet the expectations of a $110 meal. I doubt we’ll be returning though the view from the outdoor patio was quite pretty. However, the overall service and value of the restaurant aren’t compelling enough to make the investment in time and money. The receipt didn’t even have our correct server’s name. This restaurant gets an F in my book.
After a long work week, we were torn on whether to stay in on a Friday night and order delivery from one of our standbys, The Original Thai BBQ restaurant on Venice, or head out and experience a change of scenery. We opted for the latter but chose a place close by in downtown Culver City. A new restaurant opened fairly recently called Amacita. It sits where the former BacoShop had its two year residency. Over the last fifteen years, the space has had several other iterations including Santa Maria BBQ and coincidentally a different Thai BBQ restaurant.
When we arrived, the restaurant was full including its bar area. In the few times we ate at that location, we had never seen it at full capacity so that was a good omen. We ordered beer and wine and were served a basket of super crispy and addictive tortilla chips which was another point in the restaurant’s favor. Luckily, a table for two was leaving so we were seated inside fairly quickly.
We started with two crispy fried golden tacos with chicken which had the same crispy texture as the chips. It came with a huge dollop of crema, a pile of red cabbage and salsa. The chicken was perfectly moist and savory and each taco definitely had a generous helping of meat.
Next to arrive was the McGrath charcoal grilled baby corn with queso fresco and morita crema. The corn was smoky and the sauce added a layer of creaminess and tanginess. It was quite unique as they were petite baby corn and not the usual plate of corn kernels or an actual corn on the cob giving it a much more refined presentation.
Our last starter dish to arrive was a bowl of Weiser tiny russet potatoes with arbol chile cream, manchego, bacon and chives. That was the dish that made me do a double take and pay attention. All the flavors blended perfectly well and the texture of the potatoes weren’t too creamy but weren’t too roughly chopped either. It was somewhere in the middle so that you could taste the chunks of potato with the bites of bacon and chives subtly blending in.
Sadly, there was at least a 20 minute delay in between the starters and the main dishes so that was disappointing.
My husband ordered the mesquite grilled arbor shrimp in country Rhodes blistered tomatoes and tomatillo. It was delicious, savory, smoky and tender all at once with a subtle hint of tanginess.
I ordered the Peads & Barnett pork collar pibil with roasted pineapple and salsa verde. Sadly, it was inferior in comparison to the quality of the preceding dishes. The pork was dry and lacking in flavor. Unlike the three other dishes we ordered which had depth and complexity, the chunks of pork didn’t absorb any of the seasonings or the flavor of the sauces on top and around it. Somehow there was a strange delineation and separation which is indicative of the parts being cooked separately. Perhaps the pork should be marinaded in a lemon, lime or even grapefruit base to tenderize the meat and give it a bit more acidity in flavor. A bit of black pepper would also give it more depth.
Luckily, I mentioned my dissatisfaction to our busboy who must have said something to the manager as it was removed from our bill.
In addition, to apologize for the long delay, we were given a beautifully refreshing dessert on the house. It was a berry granita with peaches and cream which was a delicious way to end our Tex-Mex experience.
All in all, aside from a few hiccups which management acknowledged and corrected, it was a great dinner at Ama-cita. The presentation and flavors were polished and the vibe of the restaurant is a fantastic addition to bustling downtown Culver City. We will be back!
Ama-cita
9552 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA
https://www.ama-cita.com
I had been wanting to try this casual eats for some time. It’s not quite in downtown Culver City so it’s away from the madness and perhaps that was my hesitation previously. However, on Good Friday, after a long, exhausting week, we just wanted to go somewhere and have some decent, reasonably priced food without any effort of getting dressed up.
Seasalt Fish Grill is located in a building with adjacent free parking. You walk up to the counter, order and they give you a number to place on your table. It’s beer, wine, sake and shoji only. They have a TV where you can watch whatever sports event is in season. The seating is casual and comfortable. The restaurant is not very big but it didn’t seem to be very busy on a Friday night.
We ordered the seaweed salad, half spicy tuna, half salmon poke bowl with mango, corn, avocado, the North Shore shrimp which came with rice, red onions and pickled cucumber and the fish and chips with garlic Parmesan fries.
The poke bowl was the winner though some bites of the fish were tough but overall the flavor combination was varied and enjoyable. The seaweed salad was solid and had remnants of sesame flavor.
The North Shore shrimp had the shell on the breading which was unexpected, and it tasted sweet, unlike the three plates of garlic shrimp we had at Giovannis’s Shrimp Truck on the North Shore of Oahu. The pickled cucumber countered the sweetness of the plate.
The fish and chips were okay. The breading didn’t attach to the fish in 2 of the 3 fish sticks and the garlic Parmesan flavor didn’t absorb into the fries.
Overall, for the quality of the food, we would give it 3 stars. The location, convenience, casualness and service, we would give a 4. I wouldn’t go out of my way to dine here and for casual seafood eats, I would choose California Fish grill but if you’re in the area, about to watch a show at Kirk Douglas and don’t want to spend a lot of money, Sea Salt Fish Grill would be a solid option.
Seasalt Fish Grill
9901 Washington Blvd, Ste. 101
Culver City, CA 90232
https://seasaltfishgrill.com/culvercity/index.html
Grace Gambin
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