Escape Fish Bar
www.escapefishbar.com
738 Fifth Ave., Downtown
619-702-9200
As much as we busy parents yearn for a date night, sometimes getting all dressed up to go out to some fancy, uptight restaurant just seems like too much work. Isn’t the point of date night to relax and enjoy each other’s company—to have a little get-away from the daily struggles of balancing our lives/kids/work? Escape Fish Bar offers just the right restful atmosphere for a stress-free night out.
Escape has a friendly, island-inspired feel. The space is not large, but it is bright and cheerful, with both indoor and outdoor seating, and beachy, surf-styled décor. Seafood is the star here with daily specials that reflect the current seasonal offerings—sea bass, oysters and crab cakes for example. The menu is concise: tapas, soups, salads and entrees with many Asian and South American-influenced seafood options available.
Escape is known for its chowder—and this is not your grandma’s soup. The Chipotle Coconut Milk Seafood Chowder ($8 cup, $10 bowl) is warm, creamy and pleasantly spicy, filled with vegetables in chipotle puree and coconut milk broth topped with large pieces of Alaskan white fish. Its beautiful, deep orange color and tart flavors offer a surprisingly delicious twist on a classic chowder.
Among the entrées, the Tacones—Japanese Style Seafood Tacos ($14–16, dependent on seafood choice) are a standout. Your choice of grilled or tempura seafood is wrapped in flour tortillas with roasted pumpkin seed slaw, lime, pickled jicama and onions, daikon radish sprouts and smoked chili avocado sauce. We chose the albacore ($16), and it was seared perfectly. A selection of pickled vegetables is also served on the plate—we received jicama, carrots and sliced pickles and found each cool, tangy and delightfully refreshing. The entrée includes a side of rice, potato salad or slaw, and other seafood choices for the Tacones include pollock, Alaskan cod, mahi mahi, wild Alaskan salmon, mango shrimp, local caught halibut, ahi and yellowtail.
The restaurant is casual enough to be comfortable for most children, though older kids and teens may have more appreciation for the sophisticated menu options than toddlers and tots. A favorite entrée choice for almost any age would be the Tempura Fish and Chips ($15–20 dependent upon fish choice). Diners get to choose from pollock, Alaskan cod, mahi mahi, wild Alaskan salmon, local caught halibut and yellowtail. We enjoyed the Alaskan Cod ($16) tempura, and it was tasty and tender, with a much lighter texture than a traditional, pub-style fried fish. The “chips” are hearty, twice-cooked Kennebec fries, and the plate is served with a side of the roasted pumpkin seed slaw and two of their special house dipping sauces—double horseradish tartar sauce and red curry ketchup. In addition to their fish specialties, there are also non-seafood items on the menu, and the bar features select wines and craft beers.
Located right in the heart of the Gaslamp, Escape Fish Bar is a great spot to stop by for lunch or dinner while strolling around downtown, or before taking in a movie at the cinema right across the street. A table on Escape’s sidewalk patio allows you to observe all of the action on Fifth Avenue, while quietly enjoying your time away from it all.
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Cynthia Winters is a freelance writer for San Diego Family Magazine.