Restaurant Review: Fish City Grill

I recently discovered that I am with child. Naturally the first things I was desperately craving were steamed crab legs. You see, crab legs and I go way back. Or at least, seafood and I go way back. Apparently when I was quite a young baby, long before I should have been eating shellfish, my family went to Steak and Ale (a restaurant chain that has been replaced, sadly, with Texas Roadhouse all across America), where my mother ordered surf and turf. She offered me a bite of her lobster tail, and I proceeded to eat the entire thing. Since then, I have been able to consume a record amount of crab legs in one sitting, something that has made my Cajun-descended husband very proud.

Which brings me to my point. In the throes of an early pregnancy craving, I demanded that Norris take me immediately to the nearest pound of steamed Alaskan crab, and he delivered by taking me to a restaurant that was both atmospheric and full of genuine, hearty seafood fare.

I was initially apprehensive about going to a nice* seafood place for lunch, especially since I was wearing day-old hair and my muddy Chacos. But when we walked in the door of Fish City Grill (on 15^th street in Edmond), my fears were immediately alleviated. The interior of the restaurant is like an upscale sports bar. Deep booths and tvs, and a nice big bar. I was instantly put at ease, and began to anticipate the kind of great food that can only be found in these types of hip but unprepossessing places.

The menu was diverse, with everything from clams to catfish, and with a variety of takes on each type. There were Cajun-themed dishes and traditional, coastal-style items. Even the mac and cheese has a fresh seafood twist. We tried the shrimp po’ boy (something my Cajun-descended husband has been searching for in this city for years) and the New England crab boil platter (yes, I ordered a platter at lunch. They respect me there now.). Both of these dishes were satisfying and flavorful, and despite the huge nature of my platter, I took a couple bites of Norris’s po’ boy as well.

Look at all that delicious shrimp!

Let me start by saying I know very little about po’boys, but after tasting this one, I think I am a convert. The roll it was served on was crusty and warm, providing the perfect structure to the simple ingredients inside. There was just the right amount of sauce, a spicy, tangy sort of mayo/ketchup/horseradish mix. The shrimp was firm and tender, not gummy or rubbery at all, and nicely breaded and seasoned. Perfectly fried. Delectable. There may have been some lettuce or something, but it was irrelevant. Everything else about this sandwich was so delicious it rendered other dressings unnecessary. The po’ boy can be ordered in several varieties, including clam and catfish, though Norris assured me that shrimp is definitely the way to go.

Then came my platter. I don’t want to think about how many crabs had to die to create this eating experience, because there was  a lot of crab legs, accompanied by several links of spicy Cajun sausage, and the obligatory boiled red potato and half ear of corn on the cob. Neither of which I got to, because I stuffed myself on crab meat. The legs were perfectly boiled and not too spicy. Part of what I love about eating crab legs is the activity of cracking them open, and I have eaten at places where the boil was so spicy that my hands were stinging by the time I finished my meal. Not so here. Again, the meat inside the claws was tender, and when dipped in the side of melted butter, sublime. The sausage was a little too spicy for me (I am a notorious spice weenie) but was delicious nonetheless, and a surprisingly excellent complement to the richness of the crabmeat.(Look to the collage at right to see my step-by-step crab leg cracking. This is why I love crab legs!)

All in all, this was a dining experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. I can’t wait to go back and order more deliciousness from this hidden, under the sea treasure in the middle of Edmond.

*Here, any seafood place that isn't made of boat wreckage and a tin roof is considered nice.