Fpurl

Last week, Dishin' described how Dulces' Chef Guerrero defeated our childhood’s Chef Boyardee in battle: ravioli. This week, shrimp and eggs get the grown-up treatment at Waterfront Seafood Grill.

Recalling our younger days, we remember rejoicing on that rare occasion when someone splurged for Sau-Sea shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were so small that they disappeared amidst the added oyster crackers. And, as a frugal family, four people had to share the three-pack. So imagine our delight with Waterfront’s version. As if the four jumbo prawns and generous portion of Dungeness crab aren’t enough, the cocktail sauce is fantastic—bright with just the right zing of pepper, horseradish, and finely diced onion. Our waiter confessed an addiction to the sauce in the Bloody Mary form, and couldn’t resist giving us a sample to try.

Another fine memory is making poached eggs in one of those cheap plastic trays. We were so transfixed on perfecting the poaching that we didn’t dress them up when finished—maybe just tossed them on toast before devouring. Well, Waterfront wows us with their Eggs Sardou—a New Orleans specialty featuring a couple of poached beauties sitting on artichoke bottoms and served with creamed spinach, Hollandaise sauce and shaved truffles. A nice break from the batters that can dominate brunch, and a wonderful co-mingling of flavors—creamy, sour, earthy, and even a bit briny.

We dig the southern stylings of Waterfront’s menu. It’s got that fancy (read: pricey) feeling that smacks of the south, urging us to linger. The dining room is open and airy, and the view’s great. And will be even better when it’s warm enough to sit out on their Pier 70 patio. That’s where we’ll be next time, anxious to dig in to some wickedly hot shrimp and cheese grits.