Oceanaire Seafood Room

Kirsten Henri boards the elegant Oceanaire Seafood Room and finds the meal has a tough time living up to its surroundings.

It’s hard to be enthusiastic about a $35.95, very dry whole branzino surrounded by a wan ratatouille, except to say our server’s superior tableside filleting skills convinced me she missed her true calling as a surgeon. Hawaiian marlin took advantage of its macho, steaky flesh and was prepared in appropriately macho fashion: coated with pepper, topped with a scoop of blue cheese butter and resting on sweet onion confit. It might’ve been more appealing had any moistness in its flesh not been thoroughly grilled into submission.

Hawaiian tombo sashimi—served on an 18-inch-long pontoon of a plate with a squiggle of wasabi paste, soy sauce and a seaweed salad—was designed to impress with its exotic name and over-the-top presentation. The mild flavor of the tombo (which is in actuality not-very-exotic albacore tuna) failed to justify the massive plate or the $34.95 price tag.

Ahoy, Pricey! [Philadelphia Weekly]
Oceanaire Seafood Room [Official Site]