EatingOUT: 

Big Fish Grill (4117 Highway One) sure lives up to its name. To start with, it’s a big restaurant—seating 250 people. That means that waiting time to be seated should be brief. There’s a big parking lot, and there are no meters to worry about.

A restaurant of this size could be overwhelming, but the seating is in a variety of different sized booths, eliminating noise and allowing you to talk with your dining partners without shouting. There are large paper rolls, which are used for tablecloths that make for a fun crab-house look. Indulge your inner child (or bring along a more-than-welcomed real one— there’s a menu for the small fry) and use the provided crayons to turn your table cover into a masterpiece. Wood paneling makes the perfect place to hang trophy-sized (big) fish and gives the dining room lots of color and visual interest.

Our server, Laura, impressed Susan and me when she wrote her name upside down on the tablecloth. She impressed us even more with her attentiveness and knowledge about Big Fish and it’s extensive (big) menu. She has worked there most of the seven years that the restaurant has been open.

This is definitely the place for the seafood lover. Although there are ample meat dishes available, emphasis is on seafood. There’s a "Big Fish Board" listing all the numerous daily specials available. But don’t strain your eyes—you’ll be given a printed version. Laura told us that there is nothing frozen on the menu. Everything is fresh. That’s music to a fish lover’s ears. All of the salad dressings and side dishes are fresh made in house.

That said, it was on to the menu. Big choices. The Big Fish Board specials of the day listed no fewer than twelve appetizers and another twelve main courses. Then there’s the regular menu with another dozen entrée choices and a variety of salads and sandwiches. We were floundering.

While trying to make up our minds, we sampled the chef’s complimentary treat—a smoked tuna dip with a variety of crackers. It whetted our appetites for more. For appetizers, Susan decided to have the shrimp and vegetable spring rolls and I picked the fried lobster wontons. We are such wise women. There were four generous sized hand rolled spring rolls served piping hot with a wonderful Hawaiian dipping sauce. They were bursting with shrimp and tasted even better than they looked. My lobster wontons were five (big) triangles stuffed with a mousse-like lobster filling that didn’t skimp on the lobster, served with a seaweed salad and a spicy-sweet chili sauce. My lips haven’t smacked so much since Susan and I were brand new to each other!

Bring on the main course! But where to start? Laura to the rescue. She recommended the potato crusted rockfish and I bit. She guided Susan to the pan blackened catfish. She told us that Big Fish was famous for their Mashers. And rightly so. Susan’s catfish came with these and they were a smooth, garlicky delight. The catfish itself was a credit to the chef.

So many times when a blackened fish is ordered it arrives smothered in such a strong, thick mass of blackening that the fish is lost. Here the fish is perfectly blackened, not cremated, and retains its nutty flavor. A fruit salsa of mango, pineapple, papaya, onion, and cucumbers was a novel and wonderful addition. Spinach in a butter bath made for an excellent side dish.

The rockfish was two crisp slabs nestled in a flavorful potato crusting. Moist, flaky and tender, the fish was served over saffron rice and topped with a savory tomato and lobster sauce. The best rockfish I’ve had in ages. Whoever thought you could sing the praises of succotash? Well, I’m ready to lift my voice. This dish of baby limas and young corn kernels swimming in cream sauce was so good that I’ll never think of succotash as bland again.

Being full did not stop us from dessert. (They’re all homemade.) Susan ordered the warm pecan apple cobbler with cinnamon ice cream. Heaps of pecans and apples topped a (big) scoop of cinnamon ice cream. It was like eating a great sticky bun without all the mess. I jumped at the chance to order bread pudding with Sabayon sauce. I had no idea what Sabayon sauce was and was delighted to learn it’s sinfully rich with egg yolks, vanilla, sugar and cream. The pudding was made with thick slices of apple and chunks of homemade bread. It rocks. I have to say these were the biggest desserts we’ve ever tried to tackle, and while we did a pretty good job we still had to leave some.