SQUARE ONE FISH CO.

After weeks of passing Square One during the day, I finally made it up the rope-lined ramp for a spontaneous dinner date. It was a beautiful, cool evening, and while we could have been seated immediately inside, we waited for a spot on the candlelit patio.

My date and I started off at the bar inside, which featured kitschy details such as hanging lures and mounted fish trophies. We split a dozen fresh, raw oysters on the half-shell which had plenty of briny saltwater and cocktail sauce to garnish. I then washed those down with a Bloody Mary, probably the best I have ever tasted; homemade tomato mix, plenty of horseradish and a generous portion of freshly ground black pepper made this cocktail an absolute winner.

Once we were seated on the patio, we enjoyed a crispy appetizer of calamari and complimentary sweet foccacia bread which came with an entire head of roasted garlic. We also ordered a simple house wine from the wine list that was not concise and featured something at every price level.

Then came dinner. Each entrée was served with jalapeño cheese grits and sautéed bock choy. The sides were so delicious, I would have been happy if those were the only things on my plate. But once I tasted my Tequila Spiked Swordfish, it was all over. Cooked to tender perfection and slathered with margarita butter, the swordfish made me wish I had my own sword so I could induct the chef in the Order of Culinary Knights. No less delicious was the almond-crusted snapper my date ordered, which flaked and crunched perfectly.

By now, I was almost stuffed to the breaking point, but a night on the town simply isn’t complete without desert. So in came a towering piece of tiramisu on a chocolate-drizzled plate, as the flavors of thick cream, espresso and cocoa melded into perfection.

While it may have been the novelty and newness of Square One that lured me in hook, line and sinker, the decadent food and attentive service will keep me coming back for more.