CALIFORNIA FISH GRILL
When my friend Laura and I were on our way to see a show in Thousand Oaks last week, we decided to grab an early dinner. So I asked another pal, Jodi, who knows restaurants in that area, and she recommended California Fish Grill (CFG.) She thought she was telling me something new, but the funny thing is that Mr. X and I have been picking-up meals from closer locations of that chain for years! He loves their salmon and we both enjoy their side dishes. But I had never actually sat in one of their several casual eateries before last week, on Jodi’s suggestion. And let me tell you, the place was packed!
The friendly exterior. Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one of the menu, at the top of this page.
Now, before you start scratching your head about why I would love a fish place when I don’t eat that entity, they also have chicken and shrimp, two of my favorite meal staples. And Laura had never been there before; I knew she would love their delish fare, so I wanted to introduce her to it.
Everything is great here, but I have to tell you, the only two words I heard out of Laura for the next few hours was, “Brussels sprouts!” When I asked for her opinions for this review, she declared, “Brussels sprouts for the win!” I was so proud because I’m the one who raved about them to her to begin with!
I had never even noticed that they have “starters” there before, but now I did, so we began with the breaded shrimp, which we agreed was “delicious.” It was a fun discovery for me.
Then we moved on to the Shrimp and Avocado Caesar Salad, which I had never had before, either. What a day of firsts for me, right? I had never seen a Caesar like this anywhere before, and let me tell you—it really works! It was exactly what it says it is: a big Caesar salad topped with a few slices of avocado and plenty of generous grilled shrimp. Laura loved that the shrimp was “seasoned perfectly” and grilled, (as opposed to the limp, cold shrimp you find on the salads at other places,) making it “extra flavorful.” I appreciated that the dressing was already on it, and very light. The big, crunchy croutons were a bonus.
We ordered this for the two of us, but three people could have easily shared it all. And we also loved the plates! Photo by Karen Salkin.
After sharing those two dishes, I was already full, but Laura was more than happy to get to her entree.
She went with the Salmon and Swai Combo, which is a special one because they are deemed to be CFG’s two customer favorites. Swai, which is a white fish, was new to Laura, so she said she “just had to get it here,” telling me, “I love the name—it sounds like a cool fish.” She really enjoyed it.
I actually have a secret about the swai–I have eaten CFG’s swai before! I can’t stand any fish except for swordfish and wahoo, (which are both extremely hard to find these days,) because they don’t taste fishy. But when I picked-up food from a CFG location closer to me last year, they had erroneously given me swai instead of shrimp. (After all, they both begin with “S.”) Mr. X tried it and said I might be okay with it, so I took the tiniest bite I could. And he was correct. I would still never order it voluntarily, but at least it’s a third fish to, very occasionally, put in my rotation.
Mr. X had recommended the very popular Atlantic salmon to Laura, who agreed that it was “delicious and perfectly cooked.” We did an “add-on” of a shrimp skewer to her entree, for me. (I guess my theme that day was “Shrimp!”) That’s a great way to get to try more dishes there.
Close-up of our starters–breaded shrimp and Brussels sprouts. Photo by Karen Salkin.
Each entree comes with two basic sides, or for a few dollars more, you can choose the premium sides, which we were more attracted to. We both enjoyed their Fire Roasted Street Corn. The Grilled Asparagus, which only I tried, had a lime vinaigrette on it, and I hate lime, so they didn’t work for me, taste-wise. But I was impressed with the size of them—there was a trio of giant stalks to the order. Laura went with the basic Kale Slaw, and said, “It’s so good.” She told me that was curious about it because she never had coleslaw with kale before. And she declared it to be “a winner.”
But the star of the show was… the Brussels Sprouts, of course—Laura and I both agreed that these are “the best Brussels Sprouts ever!” I don’t actually know what CFG does to them, outside of the delish balsamic glaze, but they appear to be grilled and perhaps sprinkled with garlic. I may not know their recipe, but I do know that they’re perfect.
All the entrees come with a choice of a plethora of sauces. Mr. X always likes their garlic butter, and Laura went nuts over my perennial favorite, the cajun, saying it “has so much flavor.” One interesting thing is that at my other regular locations, I always get red salsa, but they didn’t have that choice in Thousand Oaks; cocktail sauce is here instead. (I really wanted to get to the bottom of it, but they were so busy that I didn’t want to bother anyone.)
The sodas. Photo by Karen Salkin.
I usually wouldn’t even mention the soda, but CFG’s fountain drinks are so interesting that I must; I had never even heard of the three we sampled! Laura, who is always my beverage expert, tried the most unusual one—Black Cherry…with tarragon! How unusual. And she loved it! She also had a few sips of the Pineapple Cream Soda, and liked it, offering that it’s “very pineapple-y.” (Duh.) I went with the Vanilla Cream Soda, which of course I have heard of, but this one is made with agave instead of regular sugar, but it tasted the same, which is good.
In addition to the food being perfect, the personnel, led by manager Luis, could not have been nicer or more accommodating. No matter what I asked for, it was in my hand in a nano-second! And I noticed them all quietly bussing the tables constantly. No one had to wait even a second for them to do that.
Some of CFG’s lovely personnel. Photo by Karen Salkin.
Now Laura can’t wait to have this experience again. I’ve had the food at a quartet of CFG locations—Thousand Oaks, Culver City, Burbank, and North Hollywood—and the best news is that the great flavors are consistent throughout! As an owner of a different multiple-location eatery once told me, the dishes taste different at all the places because of the different chefs. But that adage is not so at CFG. Everything Mr. X and I have tried from the various locations tastes exactly the same, in a great way!
And there’s more good news—all the CTGs are in big outdoor shopping centers, so parking could not be easier. And free!
California Fish Grill
401 N. Moorpark, Thousand Oaks
805-510-7877 www.cafishgrill.com
