Restaurant Offers Sweet Change From Strip

LAS VEGAS -- Further evidence that some of the best, and most reasonably priced, restaurants are nowhere near the Strip can be found at Sweet Water Prime Seafood, which offers a fun, affordable and, yes, "fresh" take on fish.

Seafood restaurants in this town seem to fall mostly into one of two categories: outrageously expensive, upscale joints and Red Lobster. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but not by much, and restaurants in the more moderate middle are few and far between.

Sweet Water hits that sweet spot with a casually upscale design, an innovative and extensive menu of dishes, excellent service and bills that won't make you lie belly up in a tank somewhere.

The design of the restaurant is what I'm going to call rustic elegance. Mostly done in various woods and slates, the overall effect is something like a fish market, though the kind that might be located in Beverly Hills. Beautiful lighting fixtures jazz up the space, and the booths are comfortably plush with plenty of windows for natural glows.

The only downside of the latter is that tables along the west-facing wall get quite a bit of glare in the late afternoon, sunshades be darned.

There are several chefs' tables with views of cooking facilities and even a fish market up front in case you want to put a grouper in your suitcase for the trip home.

Many of the dishes are infused with a vaguely Asian or French spin, but it's nothing at all intimidating for those more used to the traditionalist approach.

Start with one of Chef Michael's "Spectacular Plates," a series of seafood samplers that are perfect ways to kick off the meal. There's an Ahi Tuna Trio with tuna tartare, a tempura roll with miso glaze and a white and black sesame encrusted ahi, or you could go for the trio of crab, Maine scallops or char-grilled fish tacos, among others.

A separate section of more appetizers includes smoked salmon, shrimp and garlic chicken or lobster pizza; catfish and crawfish nuggets; and their wonderful cheesy garlic bread.

That's just page one of the six-page menu.

There are fresh smokehouse salmon dishes with toasted flatbreads; seafood cocktails of everything from Maine lobster tail to Florida stone crab claws; hand-shucked oysters and clams from Long Island, Washington, Canada and Japan; seafood salads, including a delightful Hawaiian Macadamia nut and shrimp variety; clam, salmon and roasted corn, or prime rib chowder; seafood steaks running the gamut from Alaskan king salmon to Pacific red snapper; a few non-seafood entrees (steak, lamb, and chicken); interesting Chef's specials such as baked seafood spaghetti (with mussels, clams, white fish and shrimp) or paella with chicken, sausage, shrimp, white fish, clams and mussels; and a "crispy golden" selection of fried shrimp, scallops, oysters and more.

Of special note are the shellfish feasts, cooked in poaching buckets and served family-style, complete with bibs to keep from making a total embarrassment of yourself. You can get a combo of Maine lobster, jumbo shrimp, clams and mussels and crab legs, or build your own with additional selections. Each comes with potatoes, corn and garlic cheese bread.

Our starters included that wonderful garlic cheese bread and two of the chowders -- the clam and the prime rib. The former was traditional in all the best senses of the word, and the latter was terrific, packed with tender pieces of prime rib in a thick stew mixture that was surprisingly, but not unpleasantly, spicy.

For one of our entrees, we went with the pan seared swordfish steak, served with a choice of accompanying sauces, and it was the clear winner at the table. Although non-fish eaters scoff when people say "it doesn’t taste fishy," this one came as close as any piece of fish could get to realizing that particular dream. The mahi mahi was not quite as successful but still a fine piece of fish, and the bone-in ribeye very satisfactorily did the trick for the non-seafood eater at the table.

Desserts were broad ranging but being the heavy drinkers and sugar fiends that we are, we went for the martinis and mousse platter -- miniature dark chocolate, white and milk chocolate, and cappuccino mousses accompanied by miniature martinis with similar flavorings. Although strong on both fronts, it was a prefect capper to the meal.

Prices are higher than what you would pay at Red Lobster but not by a lot. The combo plates and appetizers are mostly under $15, the giant seafood salads top out at $18, the seafood steaks are all under $20, and non-seafood entrees are above $30.

The shellfish feasts can get very pricey -- that combo mentioned earlier is $42 per person, but that's for around a pound worth of food, so certainly not outrageous for what you are getting. The smaller but equally satisfying lunch menu is cheaper, of course.

Service was terrific from start to finish, so no complaints there.

The evidence keeps mounting for getting yourself off the Strip for dinner.

The Full Story

• Q&A: How Do You Stay Safe In Vegas?
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