nerd’s eye view

Fish Wednesday: Family Visit Edition

June 29, 2006 – 7:19 am | by nerd's eye view

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We haven’t eaten at neighborhood favorite Coastal Kitchen for a while, so it was nice to have an excuse to wander over for the new(ish) Greek menu. The Greeks, bless them, know a thing or two about seafood and Coastal knows a thing or two about dinner, so it was a fine combination.

We had the fish with the funny names - Ono and Mong Chong (which also means stupid in Korean, according to the Internet) - while the parents shared the seafood platter. The Oh No! (how can you not call it that?) came with a sweet red pepper sauce, buttermilk and artichoke mashed potatoes, and a big helping of roasted beets. I love beets. The Mong Chong was served on a pile of pine nut pilaf with something called broccolini, which is nothing more than skinny broccoli. Get over yourself, broccolini.

J’s Oh No! was perfectly cooked (that is not a metaphor for anything) but my Mong Chong was a little overdone. Mong Chong is a lot like halibut, only it’s Hawaiian. Here in the NEV test kitchens, we know how to make a near perfect halibut, so I was a little disappointed that Fish Wednesday out was not as good as Fish Wednesday in.

No big deal. We had a lovely evening with the Eugene parental contingent and I had a hot fudge sundae for dessert. I love the traditional hot fudge sundae at Coastal, it’s always a treat, albeit a simple one. When the waitress sets that little parfait glass down in front of you, it feels like a perfect moment in summer, no matter what time of year. After dinner we walked in the park and strolled past the handsome manses of my neighborhood.

I didn’t have my camera with me at dinner and I couldn’t find an image of a Mong Chong, so here’s a picture of Neil with a fish.