Dining Review -- Stephen Santacroce

When Cowboy Seafood in Corona del Mar opened in January 1999, it was

an instant success. Despite a confusing name, a pricey menu and pricier

drinks, the restaurant, and especially the cocktail lounge, quickly

became the place to be for the fickle Thursday night party crowd.

Well-dressed patrons flocked to the large outdoor patio and its oversized

Adirondack chairs. Soon lines were forming outside and hostesses were

quoting an hour or more wait for a table.

So successful was the bar scene at Cowboy that management, bent on

creating a more family-friendly dinner atmosphere (the restaurant is

owned by family-themed Houston’s), tried to curtail the crowds by

imposing a cover charge and even closing on several Thursday evenings.

Three years later, the swarm has subsided to more reasonable levels;

twice on successive Thursdays I’ve been able to get seated with almost no

wait. Management has changed the name of the restaurant to Gulfstream

from the confusing Cowboy Seafood, and subtly shifted the menu toward a

more seafood-oriented presentation. Patrons seem less bent on showing off

than on relaxing and enjoying a casual cocktail and meal.

The restaurant, perched in the corner of Corona del Mar Plaza at East

Coast Highway and MacArthur Boulevard, resembles a hunting lodge or lake

boathouse. A squat, stone exterior gives way to a hardwood floor

assembled from thousands of blocks of Douglas fir (28,984, according to

the restaurant’s Web site), a high A-frame ceiling punctuated by heavy

wood beams and a couple of racing skulls slung from the ceiling.

Rows of bare light bulbs are strung across the restaurant adding to

the rustic look. On the outside patio, an oversized fire pit -- circled

by large Adirondack chairs with oversized arms perfect for perching a

martini or appetizer -- is the focal point for the casual cocktail crowd,

especially on balmy spring and summer evenings. The overall effect is not

unlike a summer camp for adults.

Appetizers are definitely of the “share with your friends” variety and

include a delicious smoked trout dip ($9) that’s served with a side of

saltines. The crackers seem a curious choice, but scoop some of the smoky

trout mixture on one, top it with a few drops of hot sauce, and you’ll

quickly realize that the light crisp crackers are the perfect foil for

the creamy, rich dip.

Saltines are also the accompaniment for the seafood cocktail ($8),

steamed shrimp, fish and calamari mixed with a spicy cocktail sauce. Here

the saltines don’t fare as well; toasted baguette slices would stand up

better to the zesty fish mixture.

Fresh oysters are also offered ($17 for a dozen, $9 for a half-dozen).

The oysters (the variety served changes daily) are freshly shucked and

served on a bed of ice, with traditional cocktail sauce and fresh

horseradish.

Casual diners will enjoy the sandwich selections that Gulfstream has

added to the menu, including a crispy chicken sandwich ($9) that’s served

open-faced with cole slaw and shoestring fries. The chicken is a plump

breast portion that’s lightly battered and fried. The kitchen knows how

to cook the chicken so it’s not greasy, and I would have loved the dish

if it weren’t for the overly sweet dressing resembling Thousand Island

that tops the chicken.

The accompanying cole slaw and fries are both eat-to-the-last-bite

sides; they better be, they’re served with the majority of entrees at

Gulfstream. Other sandwiches include juicy cheeseburger ($10) served on

thick ciabatta bread and an open-faced New York strip steak sandwich

($16).

One of my criticisms of the original Cowboy is that the prices were

rather high for what was supposed to be a casual restaurant. I must not

have been the only one to feel that way, because several of the entrees

are actually cheaper, three years later, than they were on the original

menu.

Crab cakes, for example, are now $25, versus $29 three years ago. The

crisp cakes, made with generous portions of lump crab meat, are served

with a tangy mustard sauce, slaw and fries. A beef rib eye, priced at a

stratospheric $32 when the restaurant opened, is now a more down-to-earth

$21, and is served with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes.

One of the reasons for the name change was to shift the emphasis

toward seafood, and there are usually four or five fresh fish selections

listed on the specials board. I recently had a filet of Arctic char

($24), a pink-fleshed cold-water fish that’s similar to a mild salmon. It

was perfectly grilled with a bit of lemon and butter, and served with a

wild rice salad and some chilled roasted beets.

A favorite from the old menu, blackened snapper ($24) is now offered

occasionally as a special. It’s served with a “zydeco” sauce and juicy

sauteed rock shrimp. The blackening spices add some heat to the mild

snapper, and the sauce, sort of a kicked-up tartar sauce, adds a nice

finishing element to the dish.

The servers at Gulfstream are friendly and attentive. Management has

done away, for the most part, with the tag-team approach found at other

Houston’s restaurants, something that I always found irritating.

The restaurant’s wine list boasts more than 60 selections, although

the markup on most of the bottles I recognized was pretty steep.

Cocktails are pricey too -- $10 for a premium gin martini is about as

much as I’ve paid anywhere.

Gulfstream offers only three desserts, the most notable being a flan

cake ($6), an angel food cake that’s soaked in custard and served with

fresh berries and bananas.

Overall, Gulfstream’s management has done an admirable job of

retaining the most enjoyable aspects of the old Cowboy Seafood, while

tinkering just enough to fix much of what I didn’t like. I always enjoyed

the pleasant patio and lively atmosphere, and I’m pleased that the menu

pricing is more in line with the casual dining environment. Recently,

Gulfstream has begun serving lunch, adding more opportunity to enjoy the

laid-back setting, fresh seafood and friendly service.

* STEPHEN SANTACROCE’s dining reviews appear every other Thursday.

FYI

What: Gulfstream

Where: 850 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach (Corona del Mar Plaza)

When: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday

How much: Moderately expensive

Phone: (949) 718-0188