NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — In a mixed metaphor befitting a restaurant owner, Thos Carson likes to say that “seafood is our bread and butter.”
The owner of the Bear Flag Fish Co. in the Lido Village section of Newport Beach, California, originally opened his restaurant in a nearby garage in 2008, but demand outgrew the space. Last year, he moved his seafood spot a few blocks away. The restaurant (a sister establishment is on the other side of town), which takes its name from the California state flag, has been packed ever since.
Bear Flag is more of a joint than a restaurant. It doesn’t take reservations, there’s no table service and you may have to stand in line for a while to order your food, while someone else in your party claims a place to sit.
The room is bright and outfitted with a handful of tables, plastic sea creatures dangling from the walls (including a not-very-menacing great white shark staring down at you while you wait in line), and a seafood counter that features what could be the whole cast of “The Little Mermaid.” The house specialties are clever Mexican-surfer food hybrids, like the poke burrito, assorted ceviches and seaweed salads, and a sushi roll called La Bamba (tuna, avocado, cilantro and spicy crab).
“Our mission has always been to create a fresh fish market,” said Carson, whose father worked on a commercial swordfish boat. “We get a lot of our fish from local fishermen, especially when our waters are warm.”
But go early. Not just to avoid the line, but to make sure you get the pick of the menu. When I arrived around 8:20 p.m., the kitchen had run out of ceviche, guacamole and baguettes. To be fair, those are all things you want to eat only if fresh anyway, so better to run out than eat yesterday’s.
Luckily for me, they had an ample supply of fish tacos. I ordered two and settled in with a glass of cold white wine. My tacos were as flavorful as they were unfussy: grilled swordfish with fresh pico de gallo, creamy slices of avocado and crunchy purple cabbage. It was a drippy, delicious mess and it was over way too soon. I went back and ordered more. I was starting to understand why they run out of food.
“If the waves are good and the sun is shining, the surfers are going to be out,” Carson said. “That means we’ll be busy. So yes, occasionally, we run out of things. Surfers get hungry.”
About the Author
