RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Eating a meal overlooking a body of water has always been a favorite pastime of mine, and I certainly seek out new places to enjoy that experience.

Not that Harborside is a new place. The building has been there since 1905, and has hosted everything from a dance hall to a bowling alley.

The restaurant is on the lower floor, with a ballroom and banquet facility upstairs, offering a buffet for mostly private events.

When my two friends and I arrived at the restaurant about 6 p.m. it was not crowded, so getting a seat by the window was not a problem.

We had a great view of the bay and watched seagulls and other birds jockey for position on advantageous perches looking for incoming fishing boats to try and get some scraps.

The boat traffic, even for a Thursday evening, was pretty voluminous, and we saw everything from small fishing boats to large party yachts pass by.

We had this time to survey the sea because our waiter hadn’t come to our table. It was at least 10 minutes before anyone appeared. When someone did ask us whether we had been helped, they were very apologetic after we said no.

Some of the appetizers on the menu looked unique and therefore appealing. We tried the avocado and crab rolls.

This is an egg roll type dish that is stuffed with what I hoped was an equal mixture of avocado and crab. Unfortunately it is mostly avocado, making the crab indistinguishable. The guacamole that came with it didn’t help. It was runny and added nothing.

A cup of lobster bisque was next. I am a big fan of this soup and was disappointed when it came and there wasn’t one bit of lobster in it. That is the joy of eating the bisque — finding those little nuggets of lobster.

This was more like tomato soup. It wasn’t creamy, like I think it should be, and after a futile search for any lobster I gave up and left most of it.

The three of us had all ordered fish for our entrée and we were severely concerned after the last two items. If the rolls and bisque were unacceptable, what chance did we have with fish? Especially the delicate pieces two of us had ordered.

Shockingly the fish was incredible. Mine was the macadamia nut opakapaka, which is a Hawaiian fish commonly called pink snapper. The brightly colored fish is caught at low depths and is extremely moist.

The chef prepared this filet with the macadamia nut crust and served it wish a fresh fruit cream sauce that complemented it quite well.

My one friend had the asparagus stuffed orange roughy. The spears of fresh asparagus were incredible with the roughy, and the passion fruit butter sauce was very subtle.

Too much of the sauce would have ruined the dish, but I thought it was the perfect combination.

My other friend had the pistachio nut red snapper, which could have been the best of the three. It was encrusted with pistachio nuts and topped with three large sautéed scallops and finished with a ginger soy glaze.

Again the chef used just the right amount of sauce as to give the fish more flavor, but not drown in it liquid. The scallops were firm, not rubbery and also added to the entrée.

We were quite satisfied with our dinner selections. When the waiter came by to offer us dessert we passed. They looked tempting, but we were full and wanted to make sure our dinner ended on a high note.

While the appetizer and bisque didn’t work, the entrées definitely did and that alone would be reason to come to the restaurant. Besides, this time of year the tourists haven’t invaded and getting a waterfront seat is almost assured.

Address: 400 Main St., Balboa Island

Phone: (949) 673-4633

Cuisine: American

Specialty dish: fresh seafood

Alcohol served: full bar

Dress: casual to dressy

Family friendly: yes

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Rating: ** 1/2

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.