"Sea" it soon before you can't: Sea Salt Eatery

Ever try something and wonder why you didn't do it sooner? Hmmm, don't answer that. Anyway, we ventured over to Sea Salt Eatery in Minnehaha Park last night, hoping to salvage what we could of this charming establishment before it closes for the season this Sunday, Oct. 28. I don't typically go out for seafood simply for the fact that I'm cheap and I don't know of any "cheap" seafood places. But we gave Sea Salt a try (I figured it couldn't be too expensive since it's in a pavillion in a park) and came away pretty happy.

Now, let me preface this review by saying I'm a little extreme when it comes to my love for seafood. I'll have it cooked or raw, and when I say "it," well, there's no type of seafood I've met that I didn't like. I bet my mouth would water at the smell of Sparky's treats at Como Zoo (anyone get that reference?). It doesn't take much to make me happy when it comes to seafood.

For appetizers, we tried some calamari and shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were a good size and my only complaint was the shell...there's nothing more frustrating -- aside from being hungry -- than having to "work" for my food. Call me lazy. But aside from that, they were just what I expected, and very good at that. The calamari was equally good, but in a different sort of way. It was the kind of "good" that you say about fried anything. Can you really taste much of the "anything?" When you say it's good, you might as well say you're digging the fried, greasy batter hugging whatever it is you're eating. Fry me up some pigs feet and I'm sure I'll like 'em if you coat them with enough of that stuff. And I'll say it for the calamari...that was some mighty fine fried batter.

For our main course, Derek and I both had the grilled marlin tacos. Aside from the portion size -- I could have eaten another one in addition to the two that came with the order --everything was great. The marlin was grilled nicely and perfectly spiced -- lightly, thankfully, to complement the fish's natural flavors. The marlin was served in a soft corn taco, which was a departure from the usual flour kind that I'm used to, and a definite welcome change.

We also shared a seafood soup, which consisted of mussels, shrimp, scallops and possibly squid (Derek? Do you remember?) in a tomato-ey broth. I'm a bit of a seafood soup connoiseur...if it's ever on the menu somewhere I'm eating, chances are, I'll end up ordering it, so last night was no exception. Overall, awesome flavors...but it was a classic case of too much broth and not enough of the good stuff. This is usually how it is, though. The only time I've really gotten a lot of seafood in my soup was when I tried the soup at El Patio on West 7th St. in St. Paul. Does anyone else know of places that serve good seafood soup?

My experience at Sea Salt was pleasant, and it's definitely a place I wish I would have gone to sooner -- i.e. in the summer when it was warmer. Perfectly situated in Minnehaha Park, it's the ideal place for an outdoor meal, and outdoor seating there is abundant. It was indoors for us, though, since it is fall, after all. I guess there's always next summer.


THIS JUST IN: As much as I like to get out and about, I also like t.v. (I have a somewhat embarrasing fondness for the reality genre, in fact) and was happy to find out that the Amazing Race starts on Nov. 4. Woohoo!