THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED RM

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED RM Restaurant Review:

Rick Moonen left Oceana in 2002 to create his own seafood shrine, still doing his best to serve only sustainably harvested fish (that means some of it is farmed). Seafood calls for a delicate balancing act; the chef needs to allow the discreet tastes of fish and shellfish to come through while still throwing some flavorful bones to the diner. Moonen's kitchen, run by co-executive chefs Anthony Amoroso and Matthew Accarrino, largely walks that tightrope with confidence. A filet of firm, meaty Pacific sturgeon (farmed in northern California), ringed by a vibrant green circle of parsley purée, is a dish that continues to be prepared as you eat it. When you pierce the crowning poached egg with your fork, the yolk bursts and runs down to mix with a gribiche and capers, forming a rich yet subtle sauce. Lobster, so often roasted to rubberiness, is butter-poached so the meat is sweet and tender. Sometimes things get a little shaky: Exactingly cooked scallops languish on a plate with an unexciting accompaniment of rice beans, made yellow with saffron. Dessert can be a well-constructed confection like the layers of rhubarb, panna cotta and sorbets in the frozen tangerine soufflé, or a well-chosen variety of artisanal cheeses accompanied by dried figs and nutty breads. Ask for a seat in the rear skylighted dining room, the front dining area is a dark tube of a space, the lit turquoise wall creating the effect of being on a galleon in Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride---but some swashbucklers might like that.