Surfside

I have no idea why it took us so long to make it to Surfside. I read about it ages ago and it seemed like a place we'd like: casual, beach vibe, fresh seafood, and margaritas! I'm blaming some of our delay on the fact that it is way the eff in Glover Park and we never find ourselves there now that the Social Safeway is closed for a makeover. I have a feeling we'll be finding excuses to go to Glover Park from now on.

Surfside's beach casual vibe can make you forget winter all together. It is laid back and strangely reminiscent of a Wahoo's Fish Tacos (that reference probably was lost on most of our readership but it is the best analogy I have). You write your order on paper slips and hand it to the cashier. You are then given a buzzer that signals when your food is ready. There is a bar at the rear of the restaurant that serves beer, margaritas, and frozen drinks, and I hear they have a great roof deck for warm days.

B ordered the Negril fish tacos which featured huge chunks of grilled fish and all the usual suspects of any good fish taco.

I tried the Nevis shrimp tacos (two grilled shrimp tacos with yellow rice, pineapple jalapeno salsa, guacamole and lime sour cream - hold the cilantro por favor). Simply amazing. The lime sour cream combined with the pineapple salsa was to die for. They didn't skimp on the shrimp either. The only drawback was that the tortillas were so packed full of ingredients that they fell apart instantly. A knife and fork saved the day and I wasted no time polishing off the whole dish. It was that good.

If you like seafood tacos, get ye to Surfside now. Since Glover Park is in a Metro deadzone, it is great that they have free parking in the back lot. A minor quibble is that they charge $3.95 for chips and salsa, and they aren't heads and shoulders better than the free chips and salsa you get at most Mexican restaurants.

After all of the snow and darkness, Surfside was just the right cure for the winter doldrums. As we watched the final evening of the Winter Olympics on Surfside's TV, the snow and ice of Vancouver seemed like light years away.

Second Thoughts From B

Woah, dude, what a tubular joint we've found! When you're jonesing for some bodacious grub, catch a wave to Surfside, bra.

Nothing makes me channel my inner Spicoli like a good fish taco. I don't know what it is, but it seems synonymous with a laid back surf town vibe and cool ocean breeze. And just like some of my other culinary favorites, I usually can't resist ordering fish tacos when they are on the menu, especially when I'm so far away from the beach.

Now if the surfer-friendly environment at Surfside was its only redeeming quality, I might still seek it out for a little taste of home in the middle of our next winter blast. But what made our trip such a revelation was the food. Regular readers are used to us (or tired of us) writing wistfully of our favorite West Coast dishes and comparing them so favorably to their East Coast interpretations. How many times have we said that the Mexican food/sushi/Chinese food was good for DC but back in California...

As a demonstation that we're at least as "fair and balanced" as Fox News, I'm about to commit West Coast sacrilege. With all due respect to L.A., San Diego, and Hawaii, these were the best fish tacos I've ever had. There's no "but" coming, no qualifying statement. They were simply the best. Perfectly cooked, high-quality pieces of fish. Perfect proportion of cabbage and sauce. Just enough kick to make it interesting. I loved it.

So, there, I said it. And I wouldn't be surprised if I'll be disowned or not allowed back home again. But if that's the case, I've now got a little piece of home in Glover Park.

(And to all my friends back West shaking their heads and saying, "Oh yeah, I bet you've never been to..." Probably not, but I look forward to your attempts to prove me wrong.)