Ann's Fish Market

Ann's Fish Market
20220 Avalon Blvd Ste E
Carson
310-719-8737

If you ever have a craving for fried seafood, just drive to Avalon Blvd., in Carson!! Within a mile stretch on Avalon Blvd., is three you buy, they fry, seafood restaurants. The New Diner has reviewed the other two; Family Fish Market, and Louisiana Hometown Seafood, and last, but not least, Ann's Fish Market.

Ann's Fish Market is located the furthest south on Avalon, in a small, but very busy, shopping center, at the corner of Avalon and Del Amo Bvld. Ann's is a small store with a huge display case, stocked with fish, in the front. There are three small tables, so this is mainly a to go place.




I got the dinner combo, $7.99, 3 piece fish, perch, and 10 piece medium shrimp with double hush puppies. I wanted to try a different fish, than my usual red snapper, so I got perch. I first asked for buffalo, but the owner said buffalo has a lot of bones and I quickly changed my mind. The corn meal batter was great!! A light, yet firm texture and perfectly seasoned. My favorite batter, out of all the fried seafood places I've tried. The perch was nicely cooked, had the same type of texture and flavor like catfish.

The shrimp was butterflied and then coated with the same great batter. The shrimp was nicely cooked, fresh, and tasty. I may get an order of jumbo shrimp the next time I go.

The hush puppies were nicely fried, with a nice crispy outside and a soft moist inside. A good example of hush puppies.

My one complaint is the small amount of tartar sauce for such a big order. One tiny container of tartar sauce and hot sauce for three big pieces of fish and ten shrimp? Come on, give out at least 2-3. Though he willing gave me an extra container.

Service is pretty good. The owner is a very nice and patient man. He answered a lot of my questions about Ann's. He brought Ann's from the original owners about four years ago.

Since Ann's is mainly to go, I didn't get napkins with my order. When I asked for napkins, he gave me two small napkins. I mean, either buy bigger napkins or give me more napkins.

I really like Ann's and would go back first. If I had to rank the fried seafood in Carson, it would be Ann's, then Louisiana Hometown Seafood, and finally Family Fish Market.

Jack Shrimp-Closed

Jack Shrimp 2400 W Coast Hwy Ste M Newport Beach 949-650-5577 Jack Shrimp-a New Orleans/Cajun style restaurant in Newport Beach, has been on my list of places to try for a long time. I was joined by a very nice woman, who had been to the Jack Shrimp in Irvine that closed down and wanted to see if the Newport Beach location was as good and a man who had never been to Jack Shrimp. Half portion of JACKshrimp, $13. This is what they are known for, shell on gulf shrimp in a savory spicy sauce. They give you a ton of french bread to dip up the left over sauce. There are five shrimp in the half order. I assume the shrimp are from the Gulf of Mexico, but wherever they are from, the shrimp was cooked perfectly, tender, sweet, and delicious. Now the spicy savory sauce. This was pretty good. The sauce starts off nice and clean with a slightly sweet taste, but then the spices hit you. It doesn't overwhelm you, but you know it's there. There is some butter, rosemary, chili powder, paprika, and coriander in this sauce. I liked the sauce, but wasn't in awe of the sauce. I did think the price was a bit high for the amount of shrimp. But, if they are from the Gulf of Mexico, I can understand why it is priced so high. Jammin Jambalaya, $13, andouille sausage, chicken breast, onions and green bell peppers over rice. You have a choice of rice or pasta, but the server never asked. But, I prefer jambalaya with rice, not pasta. This was a good dish, but the portion size is very small and not a good value for the price. The andouille sausage was a bit bland. I like more flavor in my andouille sausage. The chicken breast was well cooked, good flavor and not dry at all. But, there was barely any rice; the rice was long grain rice and well cooked. The bell peppers weren't that fresh, a very very bitter taste to them. Also, the portion size was very small for the $13 price tag. Service was good. The server was nice and friendly. We didn't lack for refills on drinks and our orders came out quickly. But, she did forget to ask if I wanted rice or pasta, with my jambalaya. Not that big of a deal, but something I wanted to point out. I liked Jack Shrimp, but I wasn't overwhelmed by Jack Shrimp. I'm glad I went, but I wouldn't rush back. This is more of a restaurant, that if you're in the area, you would go, but it's not a destination restaurant.

Pomona Fish Market

Pomona Fish Market
295 S Park Ave
Pomona
909-622-8693

I've must have passed by Pomona Fish Market a thousand times and never stopped in. But, I decided to finally go into this long time fish market. This is the typical, you buy they fry fish market.



Lunch special, four fish, three shrimp, fries, and soda, $6.48. I got red snapper for the fish and it was very good. The batter is very light cornmeal batter, that was cripsy and kept the fish, very moist and tender. I was impressed, but the batter is a bit salty.

The tartar sauce for the fish was nice and tangy, but for four good sized pieces of fish, there was a tiny container of tartar sauce. Come on, don't be so cheap, use a larger container or give two containers of tartar sauce.

The same batter covered the very small shrimp, which was a bit dry and not that flavorful. Instead of cocktail sauce, they gave straight hot sauce. I would much prefer cocktail sauce.

The fries were undercooked and a waste.



Jumbo shrimp, $5.50, for five jumbo shrimps. In contrast to the very small sized shrimp, that came with the lunch special, the jumbo shrimp were very big. They had the same light cornmeal batter, but was also more flavorful, tender, and sweet.

Service is ok. The lady, who I believe is the owner, isn't too friendly, she's all business.

I would go back to Pomona Fish Market, but I think I would only order the fish and jumbo shrimp, and would stay away from those smaller sized shrimp. David Allen reviewed Pomona Fish Market and provides some great history. Did you know the Pomona Fish Market has been in business since at least 1937?

Louisiana Hometown Seafood-Closed

Louisiana Hometown Seafood 17944 Avalon Blvd Carson 310-538-5889 I had planned to go back to Family Fish Market but on my way there, I saw Louisiana Hometown Seafood and decided to try it. I'm glad I did because Louisiana Hometown Seafood, was great. Mainly a take out restaurant, but there are about three tables inside. On the white board, they have their daily specials, so I got the #5 Daily special; $11, 3 piece of red snapper and four jumbo shrimp, with fries, hush puppies and cole slaw. The red snapper was coated with a nice cornmeal batter and was nice a crispy. The fish was tender, moist and flavorful. Some cornmeal batter can be salty but this was perfect. The shrimp was so good, coated with the same cornmeal batter and fresh and tender. To my surprise the hush puppies was great!! After you bite into the crispy outside, you get a nice moist flavorful inside but then a late hit of spice. It maybe a bit spicy for me, but it was great. Maybe the best hush puppies I've had. Service is good. The owner and his wife are nice people and friendly. When I asked for more tartar sauce, he gave me a whole bottle, not one of those small containers. I would go back to Louisiana Hometown Seafood, anything. It is so much better than Family Fish Market.

Carnaby St Fish & Chips

Carnaby St Fish & Chips
1627 N Hacienda Blvd
La Puente
626-918-9223

I was really hoping to find a fish and chips place, that is as good as my favorite fish and chips place; England Fish and Chips, but closer to me, than Long Beach. So I was looking forward to trying Carnaby St Fish & Chips in La Puente and seeing how they compare to England Fish and Chips.

Located in a huge shopping center, Carnaby St Fish & Chips, is a hole in the wall, restaurant. They are frying the fish right in front of you.




Lunch special; one piece fish, three pieces of shrimp, three pieces of zucchini, and fried rice; $5.25. I thought this was a great deal.

The fish is cod, always the best fish to use for fried fish. But the batter was too heavy because this wasn't crunchy or crispy, it was soggy and greasy. Maybe they need to turn up the heat in those fryers. I did think the cod was good, cut thinner than England but about the same weight.

The shrimp had the same batter as the fish. The batter didn't even stick to the shrimp, they fell apart after a bite. The shrimp was fine.

I didn't touch the zucchini, which also had the same batter as the fish and shrimp.

The fried rice was cooked to order and had some eggs, celery, and a tangy taste to it. I didn't really care for it, but I wouldn't it was included in the price.

Service is below average. When I walked to the counter, they didn't bother to greet me. They were cooking something else. The lady who took my order was just going through the motions. When I got my food, they didn't bother to say thank you or have a nice day.

I wasn't impressed at all with Carnaby St Fish & Chips. The fish, while cooked to order was soggy and greasy. They do have good prices but if the food isn't good, why bother going back?

La Villa Basque-Closed

La Villa Basque 2801 Leonis Blvd. Vernon 323-583-1696 Vernon, a city that used to have the Vernon Tigers, of the old Pacific Coast League. Don't know about the Vernon Tigers? Maybe you heard of the Hollywood Stars, who played at Gilmore Field? Well, the Vernon Tigers are their "grandfather." Follow me now. The Vernon Tigers started in 1909 and stayed until 1912, moving to Venice for the 1912 and 1914 seasons. But then moved back to Vernon until 1925, when they moved to San Fransisco, to become the Mission Reds. The Reds would spend twelve seasons in San Fransisco, before coming back to Los Angeles, to become the Hollywood Stars!!! Why did Vernon, a very small city, even back then, get a PCL team? They were not a "dry" town, meaning they served alcohol. Why did Venice get the Tigers for two seasons, you got it, Venice was able to serve alcohol. Anyways, in keeping with my theme of reviewing restaurants in new cities, I go to La Villa Basque, for their $11 lobster roll and whole lobster. Yes, that's right a whole Maine lobster for $11. During the month of September, La Villa Basque has a lobster special. They bring in live lobster from back east and sells them for a great price. La Villa Basque is an interesting restaurant. I walked in and the dining room is closed. But the bar is fairly busy. I sit down, order a drink and then order a lobster roll. Lobster roll, $11. I tried the lobster roll first. The lobster was in a hot dog bun, that was almost burnt. Not a good start. But the lobster, mostly tail meat, was pretty tasty, it was mostly lobster tail, mixed with some mayo. The lobster was well cooked, not tough or chewy. I loved the wasbi aioli, which added a nice kick to the lobster roll. That kick worked well with the coolness of the mayo. But I really came here for the whole lobster, $11. But this wasn't the whole lobster, I was expecting. I wasn't expecting to get down and dirty, cracking lobster and everything. From the pictures of the lobsters served before, the lobsters were prepared, much differently the the just plain steamed. I thought the lobsters were prepared Basque style but they are just steamed. The lobster was pretty good, but served luke warm. They need to turn up the warmer, because eating luke warm lobster isn't my thing. But, the lobster was tender and well cooked. Service at the bar was pretty good. I would not go back to La Villa Basque for the lobster special. The lobster special isn't anything special. It's the samething as Quality Seafood, for a few bucks less.

Northridge Fish & Chips

Northridge Fish & Chips
10336 Reseda Blvd
Northridge
818-360-3474

So, I've broken my streak of reviewing restaurants in new cities, by going Northridge. That reminds me, the Valley is part of LA. There is no city named Northridge or Sherman Oaks or Van Nuys; they are all govern by the city of Los Angeles, the correct name for them are communities. So that brings up the question, should I do reviews of in different communities of the Valley? I'm not going to make a big effort, since the Valley is pretty far from me, but if I'm in the area, I may make an effort to go to different communities in the Valley. I think I'm missing Granada Hills, Porter Ranch, Valley Village, North Hills, and West Hills. But those last three communities are snobs, who broke away from Van Nuys and Woodland Hills.

I heard about Northridge Fish and Chips and figured I would give them a try. What is funny, is that I have past this location all the time but never stopped in. So I figured it was time.

I know for some people, fish and chips, are a combo. But I don't eat fries that much and I could care less about them. Give me the fish. If the fish is great and the fries are bad, will that stop me from going to a fish and chips restaurant? Of course not.




Two piece fish only, $1.90 each. The fish is pollock and are cooked to order. They have a nice, light, crunchy batter. Pollock isn't as good as cod but this pollock was good, light flakey, and good flavor. A good sized portion and well worth the price.

Service is good. The owner was the only person working and he was nice. He greeted me when I walked in, always a good start. He said he would be there in a minute, he was frying up some fish. The fish, are cooked to order, so expect a wait. But they are worth it.

Northridge Fish and Chips is a no frills restaurant. The fish is served on paper plates. There is nothing fancy about it. But the fish and chips and service was so much better the fish and chips at Henry's Hat, and for a hell of a lot, less money!!!

I would go back to Northridge Fish and Chips anytime. Good quality fish, good prices and good service.

Family Fish Market

Family Fish Market
18503 Avalon Blvd
Carson
310-515-5352

Right behind R & R Soul Food, is Family Fish Market. This is the type of place that sells fresh fish and will also fry the fish for you. There was a steady stream of customers when I was there.



I thought the jumbo shrimp with fries and hush puppies, $7, sounded good, so I got an order. I saw the man take and weigh five fresh jumbo shrimp from the display case, which was refrigerated. Next the shrimp were peeled and deveined, then dipped in a cornmeal batter.

Family Fish Market, does not have any tables, so I went across the street to Home Depot Center and found a bench and ate. When I opened up my tray, I thought they forgot the shrimp, there was a massive amount of fries and a few hush puppies.

But I searched around and found the five shrimp, which were a very good size. I did like the crunchy batter, but the shrimp was overcooked-very tough and chewy. It seemed as though the shrimp had spent about 2-3 extra minutes in the fryer. This may have been good but it missed the mark.

But what got me was the small sized containers of tartar sauce and hot sauce. They gave me one of each and expect that to last for five jumbo shrimp? Luckily, since I saw the small sized containers, I knew I had to ask for more.

The fries were well cooked, soft on the inside and a bit crisp on the outside.

The hush puppies were good, so crisp on the outside and so flavorful on the inside.

If they would have cooked the shrimp as well as they did the fries and hush puppies, this would have been a great meal and deal. $7 is a steal.

Service is pretty good.

I would go back to Family Fish Market but I would stay away from the shrimp and of course, ask for more tartar and hot sauce.

Arthur Treacher's/Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs-Closed

Arthur Treacher's/Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs
5050 W Rosecrans Ave
Hawthorne
310-355-1048

If you're from Maryland, like I am, Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips is an old school, fast food fish and chips place. They had very good fish and chips, using cod but then switched to a cheaper fish; pollock and combined with changing tastes, some locations started to close down. But they reinvented themselves and are now franchised along with Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs. Still based back east. But they made it out to LA!! When I heard they opened an Arthur Treacher's in Hawthorne, I knew I had to go.




My standard bearer for fish and chips is England Fish and Chips, in Long Beach.

Fish and chips, $5.99. Two pieces of pollock, fries, cole slaw and hush puppies. This was a huge amount of food and well worth the price. The pollock was fried with a nice golden brown batter. The pollock was nice and flakey and tender. The batter was light and crunchy. I still prefer cod but the way Arthur Treacher's fried up their pollock was damn good. An extra piece of fish is $1.99, but has to be ordered with an entree but I think it is a fair price and I would pay it.

The tartar sauce was great! Much tangier than other tartar sauce I've had.

The hushpuppies were very good too. Fried just right, with a light crunchy outside and nice flavorful cornmeal inside.

The fries were a bit undercooked, if I asked for well done fries, they would have been perfect. Crinkle cut fries and a large portion.

I didn't care for the coleslaw, that was drowned in mayo. But with so much food, who can finish it all?



Since the last Nathan's on Pico, closed, I figured I should try a Nathan's regular hot dog, $2.99. The hot dogs are served plain and their is a condiment table, with spicy mustard, raw onions, and that red onion sauce.

The hot dog was pretty good. Nice snap and well cooked. The bun held up pretty well, when I put mustard and onions on the hot dog, but wasn't toasted.

Service was very good. The young lady who took my order was nice and friendly.

I only wished this was closer combination of Arthur Treacher's and Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, was closer to me. Maybe it was a great trip down memory lane but I really did enjoy the fish and chips at Arthur Treacher's, I think it was even better than what I remembered them!!

Papachino's Grill & Green's

Papachino's Grill & Green's
14501 Ramona Ave
Chino
909-393-9904

Readers of The New Diner, may wonder how I pick out about restaurants, that I have reviewed. Mostly it's word of mouth, other food bloggers I follow, even if some are MIA, and writers like David Allen.

I never know that Papachino's Grill & Green's was even opened. I don't go to that area of Chino Hills that often. But when I saw David Allen's review, I figured I would give them a try.



Grilled mahi mahi, with mild chipotle sauce, with mac and cheese and rice pilaf, $8.99. The mahi mahi was seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper but I thought it wasn't well seasoned, very bland. But I think they do that on purpose because they think their mild chipotle sauce will cover up the lack of seasoning. The fish itself was fresh, flakey, and had a nice texture. But the lack of seasoning really hurt this fish.

The mac and cheese, was really shells and cheese. I loved the very creamy cheese sauce-well mixed, good flavor but there wasn't enough of it. There were shells that had barely any cheese sauce on them.

The rice pilaf was served warm, but had a good flavor. It would be better if served hot.




I have to try the fish and chips, with cole slaw, $7.99. I was impressed. The fish is white roughy, which I never heard of, but it was pretty good. It's not cod, which makes the best fish and chips. But pretty good. The white roughy isn't as dense as cod but had a nice texture and flavor. The beer batter was very crunchy. I would say batter to fish ratio was about 90% fish to 10% batter. The tartar sauce is on the table with the free chips and salsa. So you can get as much as you want!! Nice tangy tartar sauce, that I just found out is made from scratch.

I found out that white roughy is considered by the FDA to be a misleading name for basa fish which is the official name of the fish. Basa fish is a catfish like fish.

Service is great. From the moment I walked into Papachino's, everybody was nice and friendly. Papachino is order at the counter and your food is brought to you. The cashier was helpful and nice. I found some tables outside, on their patio. I went inside to get water and free chips and salsa. The servers, would hold open the door for me. One even said sorry when the door closed in front of me but the interesting thing was; I wasn't close enough to the door for her to open the door for me. So, I wasn't upset at all. But it does show how friendly the servers are. While sitting down, I was greeted by a nice server and he asked if I needed anything!

When my food was brought to my table, that server was great; answering my question about the fish and chips and nicely telling me, she would bring silverware for me. Then about five minutes later, another server came up and said she will bring me silverware, I told her thanks but I've already got some. But, again, that shows how great the service is at Papachino's. Finally, I asked another server for a box and he came out quickly with a box. Then he said thank you and have a good night. I had interaction with 5-6 servers and all were great. Nice, friendly, helpful. I don't get that kind of service from restaurants that charge $50 a plate for entrees.

I would go back to Papachino's any time. Great prices, nothing over $10 and good sized portions. But more importantly great service. Seriously, many servers that I've dealt with, could come to Papachino's and learn about good service.

Brits Fish & Chips-Closed

Brits Fish & Chips
1770 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena
626-720-3778

My favorite fish and chips restaurant in the LA area is, England Fish and Chips, nobody comes close to the great prices, great pieces of fried cod, and service.

I heard about Brits a few months back but I didn't really make an effort in trying Britt's. Why? I saw Brits menu and price for fish and chips and the last time I paid that much, I had terrible fish and chips at Henry's Hat, not to mention bad service.

Anyways, I was back in the Pasadena area and decided what the hell, and tried Brits.




The fish and chips, $10.95, comes with peas and a side salad. I didn't take a picture of the salad. It was your regular salad from a bag; iceberg lettuce, carrots, etc. The salad was fresh.

The fish was actually pretty good. I had heard they use haddock, a lower quality fish than cod. But the menu said cod, I asked the bartender if it was cod, and got a yes. When I broke the piece in two, I could tell it was cod. So Britts gets some points there.

The batter was a lighter batter than I'm used. It wasn't super crunchy, more crispy. It was also a bit saltier than I like it.

But the cod itself was pretty good. Nice and firm fish, I'm guessing they use fresh, not frozen cod. A good example of what fish and chips should be.

The fries are steak fries that are nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Pretty good. But when I order fish and chips, I don't care about the fries.

An extra piece of fish is $4.95. I think I would pass on an extra piece at that price. The fish is good but nothing will beat the price and value of the fish at England Fish and Chips.

But with that said, the $10.95 price at Brits is not only a good value but the fish is good too.

Service was good. There are two parts to Brits, the bar area and a dining area. I walked into the dining area but I wanted my order to go. The bartender greeted me, when he saw me. He could have asked if I needed a menu but no biggie since I already knew what I wanted. I walked over to the bar and placed my order.

I would go back to Brits for the fish and chips.

Pee & Gee Fish Market-Closed

Pee & Gee Fish Market
1002 E Pacific Coast Hwy
Long Beach
562-591-0395

While going through my pictures, I found that I did not write a review of Pee & Gee Fish Market. I'm pretty sure I went to Pee & Gee in May of 2008, right before going to Gallaghers.

Pee & Gee is located where Louisiana Fried Chicken and LBQ used to be, both have now closed.



My favorite my favorite at fish and chips place in Long Beach is, England Fish and Chips. Pee & Gee has a great lunch special, that is served all day. Three pieces of fish and 5 pieces of shrimp, fries, and a 12oz soda, for $6.95. The best thing is you get to choose what kind of fish they fry. They have red snapper, catfish, whiting, and sole. All fish and shrimp are fried to order.

I got the red snapper, which was fried using a cornmeal breading. Very crunchy and the fish was flavorful. I think the amount of fish, an fairly expensive fish, red snapper, was pretty good. I think all three pieces added up to a pound.

The shrimp were a bit small and had the same crunch cornmeal breading. Good but nothing outstanding.

Service is OK. Nothing great nor nothing bad about it.

Pee & Gee is a nice place but nothing special but the price. A good value but there is nothing outstanding about the food. I wouldn't rush back to Pee & Gee but if I were in the area and hungry, I would consider eating there again. But really my first choice would be England Fish and Chips.

Little London Fish & Chips-Closed

Little London Fish & Chips
19 S Garfield Ave Ste A
Alhambra
626-282-4477

In my quest to find good fish and chips, I have searched far and wide. I found my favorite at England Fish and Chips in Long Beach. I passed by Little London Fish & Chips recently and thought I would give it a try. New London isn't too far from, New England Fish & Chips.

It's funny but I must have passed by New London so many times, since I've gone to Cuban Bistro, 38 Degree Ale House, and Tony Roma's, but I've never noticed it until last weekend.




I don't need the fries so I ordered two pieces of fish, $1.01 each, and two pieces of shrimp, .65 cents each. The fish are pollock, not as good as cod but it can be good if done right. Little London isn't good. The fish is just frozen pieces of fish. Nothing is fresh. There is so much batter on the fish, you need a microscope to find the fish. I would bet the ratio was 70% batter to 30% fish, unreal!!! The batter was thick, heavy, crunchy and greasy. They need to turn up the temp on that fryer.

The shrimp was butterflied and had a nice batter. But the shrimp didn't taste fresh, as if had been in the freezer too long. I wasn't impressed at all.

Service was good. Nice and friendly people.

To call Little London, a fish and chips place, would be a mistake. It is more of a general restaurant. They have a ton of sandwiches and even an "Oriental" menu that includes teriyaki. The owners are Koreans and are planning some new changes. They need to change the name because their fish and chips just aren't cutting it.

There is no reason for me to go back to Little London Fish & Chips, again.

The Catch-Closed

The Catch 2100 E. Katella Ave. Anaheim 714-935-0101 What used to be an Anaheim Stadium tradition has returned! The Catch, used to be across State College Blvd, from Anaheim Stadium. With Anaheim whoring itself to the Mouse, the city torn down the old location, in order to build condos. The new location for the catch is the street level of a condo complex, that is now renting, because of the housing market crash. I wanted to try The Catch's happy hour, before thinking of going back for dinner. They have $6 specials for happy hour, including calamari. So I got the calamari. The calamari was a tale of two batches, in one plate. One side was nice fresh calamari, fried in a light batter, that was cripsy and wonderful. The other side had the same crispy batter but the calamari was just a mushy mess!!! Not impressed but for $6, it wasn't that big of a deal. Service was interesting. The first server, was a nice, friendly server who was very attentive. For some reason the server was sent home, maybe because it was slow, at the time but got busy by the time I left. The second server was below average. She didn't come around that often and the worst, she asked if I needed change!!! She didn't even look inside that thing they put the bill in. Very rude. What was also rude was the hostess or somebody. I was meeting about ten other people and found the perfect spot for us, a corner area by the bar. I sat down and all of a sudden this bitch with glasses, comes and places a reserved sign at the other end of the table. She never looked at me, never said anything to me, until I ask what was going on. She said we are reserving that for 3-4 people. I said what about my group. What a stupid bitch. I would never go back to this crappy place again. The service is terrible, the food is terrible, the entire experience was terrible. I don't see this new edition of The Catch lasting too long.

Berth 55 Fish Market and Seafood Deli

Berth 55 Fish Market and Seafood Deli
555 Pico Ave
Long Beach
562-435-8366

I had been meaning to go to Berth 55 but just really didn't have the chance. But I thought I would take advantage of no traffic during the Thanksgiving weekend and gave Berth 55 a try. I know I have been in Long Beach a lot recently but I was having dinner with the hottie at Lucille's BBQ and then trying Buono's Authentic Pizzaria that she told me recommended, and since Berth 55 closes at 6pm everyday, it would be tough to make it there before they close during a non holiday week.

When I'm having fried fish and shrimp, I am always comparing places to England Fish and Chips. Berth is more like Fisherman's Outlet and Pan-Pacific Restaurant where they sell fresh seafood and fried seafood items. At Berth's they will cook fresh seafood for you, at a price, about $2 more than the raw price.

Anyways I got the fish and shrimp plate, $7.10, that came with fries. They use a good quality fish, red snapper but the portions are small, I bet both pieces didn't weigh half of the cod from England Fish and Chips. The fish was warm, not hot, so it was sitting under a warming lamp. England Fish and Chips are cooked to order. The batter had a decent crunch but nothing good. The red snapper was pretty moist and flavorful.

The plate came with five small pieces of shrimp. The shrimp were warm, again not cooking to order but sitting under heat lamps.

Service is good. The guy at the register is nice and helpful.

Compared to England Fish and Chips, Berth 55 doesn't compare. Compared to Pan-Pacific Restaurant and Fisherman's Outlet, Berth 55 is about the same; decent prices, small portion, food that sits under heat lamps. I wouldn't make a special trip to any of them and would pick another place before going back. But if I was in the area, I may go back.

Boiling Crab- Garden Grove

Boiling Crab- Garden Grove
13892 Brookhurst St.
Garden Grove
714-636-4885

I've been to the Boiling Crab in Alhambra and wanted to see if there is any difference with their location in Garden Grove. I got there at 5pm Sunday. The wait for my large group, was almost two hours!!!! You can see the huge line in the first picture. But some people didn't want to wait, so we got seated in a little over an hour.

I wanted some appetizers and got the fried shrimp basket, $8.99. The shrimp was nicely fried in corn meal and good sized shrimp. As good as the Alhambra location.

The day I went, they were out of blue and dungeness crabs!!! But I have never had the King Crab legs at The Boiling Crab, so I got an order of King Crab legs. The King Crab legs were priced at $14.99 per pound. My order was 1.3lbs. I got the mild lemon butter seasoning. The king crab legs were good but not as fresh as I thought they would be. They were a bit tough and chewy. The seasoning wasn't that good either. It seems as though the seasonings were just sitting around for too long in a pot. Something was missing with the seafood at this location.

Service was very good. They were nice and friendly and we got served quickly.

I'm not sure what the problem is with the Garden Grove location. They get a ton of turnover, so there is no reason for the seafood not to be fresh.

The prices for the seafood were a bit cheaper at the Garden Grove location, but that could be a matter of supply. I went to the Alhambra location back in June and the prices of seafood could have been higher back in June.

I would think twice about coming back to the Garden Grove location. It didn't live up to the high standards that I've come to expect from The Boiling Crab.

New England Fish & Chips & Chinese Food

New England Fish & Chips & Chinese Food
1705 W Main St
Alhambra
626-576-2082

Just east of Fosselman's Ice Cream Co is England Fish and Chips & Chinese Food, a very interesting combination.

Now I compare every fish and chips place to England Fish and Chips in Long Beach, since England Fish and Chips is awesome.

New England Fish & Chips & Chinese Food comes pretty close to England Fish and Chips' quality and price but still falls short.

I got the 2 piece fish and chips, $4.15, and a jumbo shrimp, $1.60. All fried items are cooked to order. The fish is pollock. The fish isn't crunchy, either the oil isn't hot enough or the batter is terrible. The fish was nice and flakey but I think cod is still better. This isn't bad but it's not as great as England Fish and Chips.

The shrimp was big, still didn't have much of a crunch, and was flavorful.

The fries are better than England's but I barely touch the fries.

One thing though, they give you thimble sized tartar sauce containers. They are so small, after eating half of the fish, you're completely empty of tartar sauce.

Service is good. The old man doesn't smile but he is nice and very polite. This isn't the fault of New England, but there was this family who allowed their two kids to yell, scream, and run around the entire restaurant. Hey stupid people, a restaurant isn't your baby sitting service. Take care of your kids and teach them how to behave in publc.

If I was in the area, I would go back to New England Fish & Chips & Chinese Food but I wouldn't make an extra trip out. If I had to choose, I would drive down to Long Beach and get England Fish and Chips. I may try their Chinese food and judging from the prices and portion, it maybe worth a trip soon.

The Boiling Crab- Alhambra-Moved

The Boiling Crab- Alhambra
742 W Valley Blvd.
Alhambra
626-576-9368

Much like The Boat House, The Boiling Crab is another no frills, Asian meets Canjun seafood place. Your table cloth is butcher block paper, your napkins are from paper towels. This isn't the place for those pretentious jerk people of Orang Curtain or the Worst Side. You order from seafood by the pound, with prices depending on the supply of seafood.

Fried shrimp, $8.99. This was great. Cornmeal batter covering sweet tender shrimp. This was awesome. Hot out of the fryer and crunchy, a steal for the amount and quality of shrimp. A great appetizer.

Shrimp, $9.99/lb. These are peel and eat shrimp with the heads on. The shrimp was tender and so fresh it must have been swimming earlier that morning. We got mild Cajun seasoning. Not spicy at all but tons of flavor.

Dungenous crab, $13.99/lb. All the seasonings were added to the dungenous crab. Lemon pepper, cajun, and garlic butter combined to make this a very flavorful, though over powered by the garlic seasoning. The crab was sweet and tender and there were a ton of crab!!

Blue crab, $7.99. Lemmon pepper seasoning added to the flavor of the blue crab. The crab was great. I like the taste and flavor of blue crab over dungeness crab.

Service was very good. But The Boiling Crab gets very crowded, you're so close to the next time, they might as well be part of your group. But the food comes out quickly, drinks are refilled quickly and the food is great. All in all a great time. But be prepared to wait for an hour or more for a table and they don't take reservations.

What is the difference between The Boiling Crab and The Boat House? Prices are going to vary due to supply. But I think the seafood is fresher at The Boiling Crab since they go through so much seafood. The Boat House seafood is fresh but The Boiling Crab tastes as though the seafood was swimming in the ocean just that morning. I wouldn't be disappointed if I had to go to The Boathouse but my first choice would be The Boiling Crab.