Enterprise Fish Company - Santa Barbara
After my experience at Brophy Bros. last Wednesday, I seriously craved some more fresh oysters. I ended up at Enterprise Fish Co., one of the first restaurants you come across on State Street walking from Stearns Wharf. The place was packed—an impressive feat considering the restaurant's size.
The focus of the room at Enterprise is its centrally located open kitchen. A spinning mesquite grill takes care of all fish and meat entrees; I also saw a cook grilling up some sliced pineapple. The decor is shore chic, but do take note of the hanging chalkboards around the room that advertise the day's freshly caught fish. The night I visited there were no less than six selections.
The wine and beer lists are decent; if you're not looking for a particular wine, stick to beer. On to the food.
To satisfy my oyster craving, I ordered the night's oyster selection. I was disappointed to learn, though, that Enterprise only had Hama Hama oysters—which are fantastic, but readily available in Los Angeles. To advertise so many freshly caught local fish and then ship oysters from Washington was a shame, but it wouldn't surprise me if the place sold out of fresh oysters earlier that evening. Nevertheless, these were on par with the Hama Hama oysters I've tried in LA, but not Santa Barbara oysters.
Fried clams arrived with a tasty lemon aioli-like tartar sauce and the requisite cocktail sauce. The dish arrived piping hot, and the lightly breaded clams were crisp and well-cooked.
The best dishes I had at Enterprise, however, were the two tuna appetizers. Ahi 'poki' tuna [sic] featured large chunks of raw tuna tossed with caramelized onion, seaweed, white and black sesame seeds, sesame oil and soy sauce over a bed of lettuce. These generously-sized blocks of tuna dissolved in the mouth like cream cheese. Tuna tartare was equally elegant, with a wasabi cream drizzle and pieces of shredded pickled ginger atop the tartare and the ubiquitous fried wonton crisps on the side.
Service here was more professional and upscale than at Brophy's. Waitstaff all used proper corporate restaurant terminology, which made service superlative, if a bit clinical. There wasn't necessarily the warm, friendly feel I had at Brophy's, but overall service and table maintenance was much improved at Enterprise. While I'm never one to compare apples to oranges, my back to back visits to these two restaurants made comparison inevitable in my head.
The focus of the room at Enterprise is its centrally located open kitchen. A spinning mesquite grill takes care of all fish and meat entrees; I also saw a cook grilling up some sliced pineapple. The decor is shore chic, but do take note of the hanging chalkboards around the room that advertise the day's freshly caught fish. The night I visited there were no less than six selections.
The wine and beer lists are decent; if you're not looking for a particular wine, stick to beer. On to the food.
To satisfy my oyster craving, I ordered the night's oyster selection. I was disappointed to learn, though, that Enterprise only had Hama Hama oysters—which are fantastic, but readily available in Los Angeles. To advertise so many freshly caught local fish and then ship oysters from Washington was a shame, but it wouldn't surprise me if the place sold out of fresh oysters earlier that evening. Nevertheless, these were on par with the Hama Hama oysters I've tried in LA, but not Santa Barbara oysters.
Fried clams arrived with a tasty lemon aioli-like tartar sauce and the requisite cocktail sauce. The dish arrived piping hot, and the lightly breaded clams were crisp and well-cooked.
The best dishes I had at Enterprise, however, were the two tuna appetizers. Ahi 'poki' tuna [sic] featured large chunks of raw tuna tossed with caramelized onion, seaweed, white and black sesame seeds, sesame oil and soy sauce over a bed of lettuce. These generously-sized blocks of tuna dissolved in the mouth like cream cheese. Tuna tartare was equally elegant, with a wasabi cream drizzle and pieces of shredded pickled ginger atop the tartare and the ubiquitous fried wonton crisps on the side.
Service here was more professional and upscale than at Brophy's. Waitstaff all used proper corporate restaurant terminology, which made service superlative, if a bit clinical. There wasn't necessarily the warm, friendly feel I had at Brophy's, but overall service and table maintenance was much improved at Enterprise. While I'm never one to compare apples to oranges, my back to back visits to these two restaurants made comparison inevitable in my head.
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