2020 update – Ocean Market Grill has closed.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that eating seafood at a restaurant was an expensive outing. Typically you found fresh seafood in swanky restaurants with a comprehensive list of adult beverages. Fortunately, casual seafood restaurants with attractive price points are becoming prevalent. The latest is Ocean Market Grill in Torrance.
Located in the Village Del Amo Center on Torrance Blvd., Ocean Market Grill occupies the space where The Counter resided. The property went through a full remodel which included a brand new immaculate stainless steel kitchen.
The menu is quite extensive: entrees, sides, vegetables, salads, potatoes/fries and rice. When you order an entree, you get to select the platform (plate, wrap, tacos or po boy). There are nine different types of seafood that you can select for your entree, type of seasoning (garlic butter, salt & pepper or blackened) and a side (vegetables, salad, rice or potatoes).
Ocean Market Grill has a “handy menu” that removes a lot of the guesswork. For example, they have information about the taste and the texture of each fish. In some cases, they also provide the nutritional benefits or interesting facts about the species.
Smog City: Little Bo Pils
Self Serve Stubborn Soda Fountain
I was happy to see that they have craft beers on tap. When I was there, they had offerings from Lagunitas, Smog City, Pizza Port, Made West and others. A selection of white and red wine is available as well. I was impressed that they had Stubborn Soda as their fountain soda vendor. Stubborn Soda is known for using fair trade cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
Kale Salad with Quinoa
I was quite pleased with the kale salad. I seldom order kale salads and I was surprised that I liked this enough that I would order it again. Other ingredients included quinoa, red grapes and diced red peppers. What made this exceptional was their honey vinaigrette.
Poke tacos with a side of napa cabbage salad
Poke Tacos is a fun appetizer that pairs nicely with beer. Sushi grade ahi is the base for the poke. They are stuffed into shells that are made from fried wonton skins (if you haven’t tried this before, this is a great flavor combination). Spicy sauce is drizzled on the top of the mini tacos and they are layered with fresh microgreens.
Lobster Grilled Cheese mixed with arugula pesto with a side of charred broccolini
The best was saved for last – it was their signature Lobster Grilled Cheese. Sourdough bread is expertly grilled so that it is crisp and not soggy. The filling consists of chopped lobster mixed with arugula pesto. This has quickly become one of my favorite grilled cheese sandwiches.
Happy Hour is on Mondays through Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – customers receive 50% off beer, wine and appetizers. On Tuesday, they feature Taco Tuesday – $2 tacos and $2 beer – all day.
Ocean Market Grill also has a location in Long Beach and they are preparing to open another in El Segundo.
Ocean Market Grill is an excellent restaurant for tasty casual dining. While this isn’t known as a vegetarian restaurant, there are plenty of quality choices for non-meat eaters. When I return, I’m looking forward to trying their crab cakes and their fish and chips.
Ocean Market Grill, 21209 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA
oceanmarketgrill.com