“We’ve been biking for hours and we’re not even in Redondo Beach yet,” my pal Lucky whined. “Don’t worry, we’ll be at the Redondo Beach pier in less than five minutes,” I tried to reassure her. “Are you kidding me? I bet you it’ll take longer than that,” she challenged. “You’re on. What’s the bet?”
“If I’m right, you owe me a seafood dinner,” she retorted, her eyes glazed over as if she were already ready to sit down to that dinner.
Nine minutes later, I was trying to convince her that she had sabotaged me by slowing down the pace. But to no avail. Both she and I knew that I had lost another bet.
She had had some great clam chowder in Half Moon Bay one time, but didn’t know exactly where she had it several years ago. So we drove aimlessly for a few minutes, trying to find any sort of ‘restaurant row.’ Starving and lost, we pulled into a small parking lot to try to get our bearings. Tired of driving around, we decided to stop into a tiny little shack of a restaurant called the Flying Fish Grill. Little did we know that we had found what Lucky would later call “The best Seafood restaurant I’ve ever been to… with you.”
Located on the southwest corner of Main St. and the 92 Highway, this unassuming restaurant serves a wide variety of delicious morsels from the sea at affordable prices. What this no frills place lacks in ambiance, it more than makes up for in taste. A variety of grilled fish selections are offered, including seabass, salmon, and mahi-mahi ($9.95). With each selection comes two sides from an interesting list: French fries, polenta fries, yam fries, sliced tomatoes, grilled vegetables (which at the moment was zucchini), or rice. Within minutes, an ample serving of mahi-mahi was delivered to our table along with a side of rice and sweet yam fries . I wanted to try polenta fries, but that would have been too many fries. It would have to wait until the next visit. As I cut a piece off from with my fork, I could tell that the firm yet flaky flesh was a quality piece of fish cooked. But just to make sure, I took a bite- the grilled flavor with a hint of lemon confirmed that it was not only a fresh piece, but that the person at the grill was a pro. I had sides of teriyaki sauce and tartar sauce at my disposal, but the fish was so tasty, it didn’t need any accoutrements to enhance it. Instead, I used the teriyaki sauce for my yam fries, which were crispy and sweet. The rice, cooked in a chicken broth base, was subtly flavored, complementing the fish nicely.
The last time Lucky had eaten at Half Moon Bay, she had clam chowder. Holding to tradition, she decided to order New England clam chowder in a bread bowl ($5.95). Unfortunately, they were fresh out of bread bowls, but they served it in a bowl with a generous portion of sourdough on the side. The chowder was hearty and hot, perfect fare for the gloomy summer fog draped over the bay. With chunks of potatoes and plenty of clams, the sin of not having a bread bowl was easily forgiven. Each spoonful, whether eaten alone or with the sourdough, hit the spot, clinging to your ribs like glue.
Either I ate too much of her clam chowder or she was especially famished, but Lucky also ordered a Grande Fish Taco ($3.45). I was not particularly looking forward to a fish taco here because I’ve been spoiled by San Diego fish tacos. I considered myself a connoisseur with extremely high standards for what a fish taco should taste like. “Surely you jest,” you might be saying. But if you have never had fish tacos from Mexico or San Diego, you just wouldn’t understand. And so, I was already thinking of what could be wrong with the fish taco before it even reached the table: Too much cabbage; not enough thousand island sauce; the batter on the fish isn’t light or crispy enough; the corn tortilla is too dry.
“You HAVE to try this,” Lucky said, offering the taco to me. “Nah, I’m not that hungry anymore. Besides, it’s probably not like San Diego fish ta-” Lucky shoved the taco into my mouth and suddenly I was transported back to San Diego, with its warm sun, blue skies, and cool breeze. They even got the batter right, a cross between tempura and fish and chips’ fish batter. And they had the wedge of lime, not lemon, that should accompany every fish taco. It was such a piece of work that another fish taco was ordered.
While the Flying Fish Grill may be off the Parnassus and Mission Bay maps, it is a nice place to visit on the weekend when you might get the urge to drive along the beautiful coast or if you just have a hankering for fish tacos. If the place is too crowded (seats about 30, so it can fill up at a moment’s notice) or want to have a picnic on the beach, use their walk-up take-out window. A word of caution: you may find yourself craving their fish tacos!
Flying Fish Grill
Southwest Corner of Main St. and Highway 92
Half Moon Bay 94019
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