NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

The briny arm of the ever-popular Great American Restaurants (GAR) family, Coastal Flats, brings together the finest seafood proffered by the local dining chain beneath its faux sun-bleached roof.

Interiors are adorned with matching ceramic fish displays and other playful oceanic pieces. But the real art is appreciated tableside, thanks to Coastal’s unique ability to cull from the confluence of seafood dishes served at its sibling restaurants while also developing signature creations all their own.

Coastal showcases at least one catch of the day special—which staff members say can change several times per day (based on availability) and often includes either rockfish, swordfish or grouper paired with a daily starch selection—alongside the dozen+ seafood standards on the regular menu.

The hugely popular short smoked salmon—a chorus of dining companions has declared this their favorite seafood dish in the area, well-deserved praise in this case—emerges enveloped in smoke, with the distinctly salmon flavor sealed in. The Hong Kong-style sea bass summons steamed filets of alabaster-white fish draped across sauteed spinach, then drizzled with a tangy soy marinade (the sensational sweet-and-sour absolutely sings).

In terms of endless variety, one day a gorgeous filet of grilled mahi mahi comes in a sizzling cast-iron skillet coated with an infectious, if somewhat muddled, clam juice-fennel-sweet pea-pancetta broth (fish is pleasantly sweet, but the sauce pulls in too many directions). Another day, the same succulent filet gets rubbed with sea salt, seared on a grill and is then tossed onto a bed of black pepper linguine, bordered by a garden vegetable medley soaking in a terrific roasted red pepper sauce (fantastic).

One refreshing opener includes about a dozen hefty shrimp submerged in a sultry mix of tomatoes, onions, citrus juice, mangoes, avocado and fresh cilantro (a perfectly satisfying standalone meal).

And while the restaurant eschews carry-out orders (the GAR elders claim their food doesn’t “travel well”), there’s no need to worry about the freshness of any leftovers since staff always make sure to properly label and date all take-home containers for easy identification.

By Warren Rojas

Worried a trip to the mall is no day at the beach? The abundant seafood and effusive good cheer you’ll get at Coastal Flats should brighten up even the most brutal shopping adventure.

Blue crab and rock shrimp fritters are crispy boulders of pulverized shellfish plopped atop an intriguing corn salsa (creamy sauce is a slam dunk). A platter of roasted mussels brings grilled sourdough spears towering above an island of steamed mussels propped atop a fragrant tomato-herb broth. The grouper fingers summons an arsenal of crispy filets of flaky fish (all meat, no filler), accompanied by shoestring fries and homemade coleslaw (extra chunky). Meanwhile, a fresh attempt at traditional shrimp and grits yields a clutch of butterflied shrimp scattered about triangular grit cakes soaking in a spicy cream sauce loaded with country ham and green beans.