Downtown restaurant reigns supreme

By Chris Ledermuller
Daily Forty-Niner

If you like fish, King's Fish House on Pine Avenue in downtown Long Beach provides fish-lovers with a great meal. If you do not like fish, King's is also a great place to enjoy a meal.

Everything about King's reminds diners that seafood is the main attraction, even though the actual restaurant does not have a discernible theme. Fortunately, there is no gimmicky setting, so the waiters are not dressed up as pirates and the dining room does not look like an aquarium.

King's also makes the décor neutral of any regional bias. King's does not look like anything out of New England, the South or the Pacific. This gives equal weight to all the fish dishes and encourages experimentation, rather than persuading diners to order lobster over other dishes if King's had a New England appearance a la the Red Lobster chain. The dark, neutral atmosphere works very well.

The menu is very broad. Just about anything living in water and not an endangered species seems to be on the menu. The fish can be fried, grilled, charbroiled, steamed, blackened, served on a salad, simmered in soup, mixed in with pasta or made into a sandwich. Bubba in "Forrest Gump" can finish the description, though King's serves up more than just shrimp.

King's has two categories of appetizers: "jump starts" and oysters. The "jump starts" are mostly fish dishes, like ceviche and steamed mussels and clams, but there are a few TGI Friday's-esque items available, namely the buffalo wings and grilled artichoke with mayonnaise dip.

The oysters are near the appetizers, but can be eaten as meals themselves. But just saying "oysters" is an oversimplification. Not only are oysters available, but King's groups them by region, followed by genus and species. Oysters can also be cooked to the diners' request, or not cooked at all.

The entrees all have generous portions of fish and most come with a cup soup or salad and two side orders, ranging from vegetables to baked potatoes to homemade macaroni and cheese. The fried items like fish and chips and calamari are the cheapest entrees, from $12.50 to $16.95 per dish. Healthier, moreflavorful charbroiled and grilled items are more expensive, within the $14.95 to $19.95 range. The extra price is worth it, as the chefs are able to bring out a natural flavor without the fish tasting or smelling like a dock.

King's also has daily specials of fresh fish just trucked in. Choices are posted on the menu.

King's is first and foremost a fish house, but buried somewhere on the menu are non-piscatorial items, like hamburgers, roasted chicken and steak.

The only other non-fish items are the desserts, so any rumors of King's service a garlic shrimp cheesecake are false. The selection is limited and predictable, but the sweetness hits the spot after a big dinner. The treats that contain fruit, like the fruit crisp and the apple tart, are recommended.

What truly helps the overall dining experience is King's helpful, cheery service staff. The pepper mill-wielding waitresses are very friendly and attentive, and when they are unavailable, other servers will quickly pick up the slack.

King's is what a fish restaurant should be. A visit is recommended.

RESTAURANT INFO

King's Fish House
100 West Broadway
(at Pine) Downtown

Hours: Sunday and Monday 11:15 a.m. – 9 p.m.;
Tuesday-Thursday
11:15 a.m. – 10 p.m.;
Friday and Saturday
11:15 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover accepted

Beer, wine and liquor (in on-site bar) served

Rating is a 5 out of 5