Flying Fish

My college roommate Melissa was visiting so we headed to Carmel to make the most of a relaxing weekend. Making the trip, most recently, from Minneapolis (before that, Columbus), it made sense to prioritize a seafood feast on the Cali coast. We opted for Flying Fish, a local favorite right off Ocean Ave. The ambiance was ship-like: wood-paneled walls with wine barrel bar; green copper fish dotting the walls intermittently, not overdone; low ceilings with more used-wood character. Benches for seats of more light wood and glass buoys hung from fisherman's rope netting lent to the natural wooden boat feel.

The owner, sipping sake as he asked us to wait to be seated for nearly an hour, was hilarious and patient. His small restaurant was clearly doing well and he was celebrating. The menu was a collection of irresistible seafood options, but the specials—abalone with pine nut rice and lobster tail with curry rice—had my mouth watering. Convinced this might be the best place to try abalone, I went for it, joking with the waiter about a discount on its exorbitant price tag. At 9:30, the restaurant was still bustling and the waiters and owner kept us laughing and enjoying the close atmosphere.

My abalone was delicious. Its texture, a cross, in my mind, between a large oyster, calamari steak and thinly-pounded veal, was both melt-in-your mouth buttery and shellfish chewy. Beurre Blanc sauce with plenty of lemon gave a jaw-ringing tang to the sweet, almost velvety breaded abalone. Each steak was about 2.5" in diameter, farmed locally versus the huge 5" steaks often seen off the Monterey coast. The size lent itself well to extra breading and sauce per square inch of steak. While this was clearly the highlight of the plate, I must say the pine nut rice was pretty interesting too. Somehow the rice was sweet, almost as if it was cooked in coconut milk, then topped with sauteed pine nuts for that burnt and buttery flavor.
Melissa ordered the peppered rare Ahi, a treat atop angelhair pasta. The Ahi was seared with just enough pepper to add flavor without overpowering the sweet fish. The pasta was submerged in sesame-soy and mustard sauce, a light, sweet and salty broth reminding me of pho. The fusion of California simplicity and freshness with Japanese simplicity and freshness was impressive and really different.

On Yelp, most references were to the interesting appetizer, crispy Japanese crackers with sweet tomato salsa. This was good but not why I would return. Between the cozy atmosphere, the welcoming spirit, and the attention to detail on each dish, it's my top seafood reco in Carmel.