Taps Fish House and Brewery
101 E Imperial Hwy
Brea
714-257-0101
Taps is a nice, though pricey, seafood restuarant in downtown Brea. This place gets very crowded on weekends. I would make reservations unless you like waiting for an hour before eating.
Pictured are the calamari fritti, $8.95. I liked this appetizer. The calamari was lightly batter and crispy. But most importantly it was fresh. God I hate chewy, old calamari. I would order this again and it's a fair price for the quality and quanity you get.
The next picture is the warm crab and aritichoke dip. A good amount of crab along with the creamy, cheesy aritichoke dip made this a good and tasty appetizer.
What I didn't like was the Seared Hawaiian Ahi Tuna, $25.95. Seared Hawaiian Ahi Tuna dusted with sansho pepper and served over soba noodles with roasted shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy in a ginger ponzu broth. This is much different than how I like ahi tuna, lightly seasoned and charbroiled. The ahi tuna was overcooked and dry, even with the broth. I felt I was eating cup o noodles with fresh ahi. It may appeal to others but I didn't care for this dish.
Service is good, even when it's busy. Our server was nice and friendly and we didn't lack for anything during our meal.
I wouldn't rush back to Taps. I think the food is just ok and also overpriced. I wish they would cook their fish a different way. None of this elaborate stuff but simple seasoning and charbroiling. KISS it. Keep it simple stupid.
