Fish City Grill (La Centerra)
This is one of my hang outs. On any given weekday during the school year you can find me and my girls recapping the day’s events at Fish City Grill over a plate of oyster nachos, the restaurant’s signature dish. A tip for my geographically challenged friends, the restaurant is located in the back of La Centerra across from the parking garage.
As is becoming my review style, Rhys and I arrived in the 2 o’clock hour and within a few minutes found ourselves the only customers in the restaurant. This is how I like it. That way no one gives us crazy looks because we’re photographing the food. And it gives me the opportunity to ask questions of the staff and management (about the menu).
Food:
Fish City Grill has daily blackboard specials. I’ve tried a number of them over the years and I’ve never been disappointed. In fact, I have never had a bad plate at this restaurant and for a person who jumps around the menu as much as I’m known to—that is quite a compliment. The seafood is fresh and cooked to perfection. I cannot think of anything to critique about this place, but I admit I am not trying very hard.
The food here is so good I’ll just let the pictures do the talking for a while. Below are pictures of the Oyster Nachos, Fish Tacos (that the manager sent over to us—to support this little blog), My son’s bacon cheeseburger, and a Caesar salad.
This fresh take on the nacho "concept" is such a crowd pleaser that they'll just let you try one-- because they know you'll buy an order after one bite.
This is the obligatory cheesburger shot. Rhys has asked if he can start a food blog of his own, just about his LOVE for burgers (stay tuned).
Fish Tacos. When I bit into this I was taken aback by the burst of flavor. I've had them before but being a bit of a seafood purist, I usually like to see the seafood full on and therefore avoid wraps of any kind. Having said that, these are the best fish tacos I've eaten. It is something to be said about super-fresh ingredients. The flavors dance on your tongue.
My lonely ceasar salad--it was left to it's own devices when the fish tacos arrived--but it found its way into my to-go bag and shall rise again for dinner.
Atmosphere/Hospitality:
For a restaurant that shares a parking lot with pretentious incarnate, Perry’s, Fish City Grill laughs in the face of excess for the fun of it. The atmosphere is laid back with a very slight New Orleans flair, but the food will sit you straight up in your seat. Another advantage this restaurant has over anything else in La Centerra is superior customer service. The wait staff and management actually care if you are enjoying yourself and satisfied with whatever you have selected. Some people may not put much stock in that, but I have eaten at greatly chef’d (when this appears in the dictionary I better be credited with its creation) restaurants with ridiculously awful customer service--and I appreciate good customer service when I find it. I should also mention that this restaurant is as known for its community involvement as it is for the wonderful food they serve up daily. While we were there the manager, Corey Linebery, was being honored with a plaque by an area children’s charity. He was nice enough to pose for another picture for me. I hope you will all support the Fish City Grill—there’s really good food in it for you. 
A little background, when I was pregnant, nearly a decade ago I had two cravings—bacon (which was weird for a vegetarian, as I was at the time), and Ambrosia bakery cake squares. If I were ever profiled on Food Networks “Best thing I’ve ever tasted” these cake squares would BE my list. I only got three because I didn't trust myself to share them. They are magnificent. I originally wrote three lines descibing the taste but erased them—becasue they teetered on being explicit. The sheer beauty of making something, seemingly so mundane—exquisite and extraordinary is the true mark of greatness….maybe even genius.
