Oxnard: a city about 60-90 miles north away from LA where your 106FM plays country music and tractors are their BMW’s. (Just kidding if you’re from Oxnard)

I was a bit shocked when I came up to Oxnard on a brief business trip. What am I going to eat in this “middle of no where?” Supposedly this seafood restaurant is THE place to go in Oxnard. Even citysearch gave it the highest review.

Lets start with the positives. The service was GREAT. The owners were so much nicer than most restaurant owners in LA. (or perhaps it was due to recent management change in 12/06) The cashier gave me a complimentary drink since I was an out-of-towner and even gave me a 1/2 off deal on my clam chowder cup since it was slightly raining outside.

Now the “needs improvement” part: Being in the “countryside” has its downfalls. First, halibut smelled like they JUST caught it from the ocean — that strong seeeaaa smell. It might have been better if they included some lemon to the dish. However, as they promise, it was deep fried to a PERFECT crisp. I found clam chowder to be a bit salty… but they were quite generous with their ingredients!

Just because it’s out of major city doesn’t mean the price is cheaper, either! Although I was tempted to get coconut shrimp, it was $6.95 for 5 pieces of shrimp. That’s more than $1 for one shrimp! (Is that average?)

Although I’m heading back, if you’re in Oxnard and have some time-off, you should visit the world-famous diving spot near Channel Island (about 10 miles away from Oxnard) or enjoy the beach in Santa Barbara (30 miles north of Oxnard). The coastline is beautiful… about 380 miles away from San Francisco.