Pismo’s Coastal Grill and Fish Market

April 2, 2016

Fresno, California – I was going to be in town for a sporting event and decided to see what restaurants were in the area. This one popped up often in various searches. What really caught my attention was the fact that they specialized in seafood. On a whim I decided to look at the online menu and saw that they serve shark. I had to look again make sure I was not misreading something, but there it was…shark. Now I know where I’m going for dinner.

Pismo’s is located in a large mall, which is directly across the street from another larger, mall. Diagonally across is yet another mall with mainly dining options. If you can, enter the mall where Pismo’s is located from Nees Ave. It’ll bring you right past Pismo’s as you enter the parking lot. And it will be easier to locate a parking spot.

As soon as I got out of my car, I could smell wood smoke from the parking lot. This is a very good sign, particularly if you enjoy grilled seafood.

Walking in to the restaurant, you’ll find a seafood market on your left as you enter. Take a moment to see what is offered today. Market prices and availability apply. The market has a corrugated roof supported by wooden posts and beams painted brick red. The hostess station is just ahead.

Behind the hostess station is the bakery and the wood-fired grill – the source of that mouth-watering smoke I smelled out in the parking lot – all part of long kitchen. You can see the chefs cooking your meats. Lots of wood throughout the place. An inverted canoe ‘shelters’ an area from the front door to hostess’ station. If you use your imagination, it kind of looks like a galleon.

To your right is a large, oval-shaped bar with seating for almost 40. You can order from there if you’d like. There are four large-screen televisions, usually tuned to sports channels.

Seating options include tables and booths. If you are seated at a booth, watch your step as you enter as some of them are raised. The tables have rope-wrapped legs and are topped by wooden planks. They are attended by wooden chairs with leather seats. Booths around the wall kind of look like wooden lounge chairs. Tables in the middle have metal chairs. A low wooden wall separates the main dining area into sections.

Windows face the west and mall sides of the restaurant, which are protected by 2-level roll-up panels with smoked glass panes. It kind of resembles roll-up garage doors. Photos of old Fresno are displayed on the wall. All of this is intended to evoke a coastal feel in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley.

It was a Saturday evening when I arrived and it was packed. I was dining alone and still had a 40-minute wait. There is not much of a waiting area inside, but there are a few seats outside. When my name was called, I was more than ready to eat.

The menu is varied but heavy on seafood, as you would expect. Portions of the menu change daily. Those daily offerings come as an insert in the menu. I was pretty much set on having shark but looked at the rest of the menu anyway. I saw that they also serve swordfish. Hmmm. An option for next visit?

My order today started with the wilted spinach salad ($8.50) as an appetizer. The main course? Wild grilled shark ($22). I asked what type of shark and was told it would be Mako. Yes! One of my favorite kinds!

Seafood and wine is always a nice combination. My first choice was Sancerre “Les Boucauds” ($15/60). But the bartender says they don’t serve the Sancerre by glass, even though there was a per-glass price on the menu. My server suggested Cakebread (Napa Valley) ($14.50/58) instead. Still a sauvignon blanc. It is pricey (to me) and very well known; I decided this is a good time to try it.

First to arrive was the spinach salad. Bacon, crumbled hard-boiled egg, shallots, fried onion strings, and bleu cheese, accompanied the spinach. Shallots were a nice touch but fried onions took it up to another level. Even though spinach got top billing, those onions let you know they’re there. It took 3 forkfuls to get used to combo, but I decided I liked it. It added a lot of life to an otherwise run-of-the-mill spinach salad. I could barely taste the bleu cheese but when I did, it added a nice tang to mix.

My grilled shark came with two sides. I chose cilantro rice and potatoes au gratin with bacon. The cilantro rice was just that; cilantro-flavored rice. Nice texture, the rice was cooked well, but a little too much cilantro. The potatoes were very cheesy. Fortunately, the bacon and cheese played well together. It had the tiniest hint of onion. Probably not best choice to go with shark but it was very good.

My roommate from the ‘80s first told me about Cakebread wines. I had been looking forward to tasting a Cakebread product ever since. Now my server has just brought a glass of their sauvignon blanc to my table.

At first sip, the sauvignon blanc delivered hints of berries. Quite complex. Then a burst of alcohol down the center of my palate. Nice and light. It paired well with the shark and the cilantro rice. I would’ve ordered a second glass but the price changed my mind.

Now for my shark. I’ll call him Bruce. (Don’t ask.) After one of my favorite places in El Segundo stopped selling it, aside from tacos in Ensenada I had been ‘sharkless’ for over a decade. So I was really, really looking forward to this meal. This shark was grilled perfectly; spices were minimal, possibly just kissed with salt. The shark did all the talking, augmented by the aroma of the wood it was cooked over. No fishy taste at all. The only thing I added was a drizzle of lemon. If you’ve never tried shark before, I don’t think I can come close to describing the flavor. In my opinion, the best way to cook shark is just like they do it here at Pismo’s; grilled over a wood-fired flame.

Not many dessert choices on the menu, which was fine because I hadn’t planned on having any this time. But that lemon mascarpone cheesecake sure looked good. Another idea for the next visit?

Pismo’s is a great place for small or large groups of people. It can be very nice for couples, but in my opinion, the intimate, romantic evening you desire may be intruded upon by the volume of the crowd. I’d suggest a quieter dining time for couples. I have not been here during lunch hour, but late afternoons and evenings are very busy, especially on weekends. Wait times exceed ½ hour so it is probably a good idea to make reservations. But even if you do show up without a reservation, you will not be disappointed; it is absolutely worth the wait!

Pismo’s Coastal Grill and Fish Market – 5 forks. Very highly recommended.