We visited Oceanaire for my birthday on October 31st. We had not been here in a couple years and I wondered if it was still good since I heard Landry's bought the chain awhile ago.
Our drink orders were taken right away and we were told about the daily specials. I think I had some sort of pomegranate martini and John had the Oceanaire martini, both very good. We placed our orders and bread and the vegetable plate arrived quickly. I think they used to have some sort of pickled fish on the vegetable plate, and I noticed that was no longer included. I don't care for it anyway, so not a bad change if you ask me.
John ordered a variety of 3 oysters to start with: kumamoto, blue point and fisher's island. The waiter gave us a great explanation of where each oyster was from and an overview of the taste. I like the blue point the best and John liked the kumamoto oysters so much he ordered three more of them. I tried a kumamoto and they were a bit strong for me. I actually liked the blue point oyster though.
My appetizer choice was the tuna poke. It was delicious; the tuna was like butter. The sauce had a bit of spice to it, but nothing overpowering. I'm new to eating tuna and fresh finsh in general and I wish someone would have told me years ago that fresh tuna is nothing like canned tuna. I don't think I could eat canned tuna since the smell is so awful!
I ordered the carb cake entree. The Oceanaire crab cakes are basically the standard to which I compare all other crab cakes. These were still as good as I remembered them. There is a ton of crab in them and I love the mustard mayonnaise. It is like ordering crab legs, but much less work! My only gripe is that they were maybe a tad too crispy on top, maybe they stayed in the broiler just a little too long. And I noticed when the entrees arrived, another server delivered them and he had to ask who had what. I guess at a place like this I expect them to know the answer to that question without asking.
John ordered the Hawaiian coral cod grilled and it was excellent. The fish was light, flaky and buttery tasting; perfectly cooked. It was not fishy tasting at all. It was also a very large serving. Where have they been hiding all of this delicious fish my whole life? In Hawaii I guess.
Since it was my birthday we were treated to the baked alaska. It had pumpkin ice cream inside and was delicious. The merengue on the outside had a bit of crunch to it to due to the flames. I enjoyed the showmanship most of all, but I have a thing for foods prepared or finished table side!
This was a wonderful birthday dinner overall. The service here is always great and tonight was no exception. Our server was friendly, funny and very knowledgeable. I don't think too many things have changed with the Landry's buyout that I could detect. They still fly the fish in daily and quality and service continues to be excellent.
Oceanaire will be moving at the end of the year to the old M & S Grill location on Nicollet Mall. Hopefully, the new location will be a good thing and revive the brand a bit much like Manny's move did for them.
Discounts: Not much in the way of discounts here. I did notice they have a daily happy hour from 5-7 pm with food specials starting at $5 and $3 tap beers and $4 glasses of wine. Check out their website for a current menu. They also offer a 10% discount to AAA members.
The Oceanaire Seafood Room
Hyatt Regency Hotel
1300 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Phone: 612-333-2277
www.theoceanaire.com
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