Seafood and the Midwest

Charlie blogged today about the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant at Navy Pier here in Chicago, and his post got me thinking about one of the few complaints I have about living in Chicago. My biggest complaint has always been (and likely always will be) the snow. Not a fan. But close behind that is is the complaint about seafood in the Midwest.

I was born and raised near Los Angeles, California, living about 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean (between Malibu and Santa Monica). Consequently, in addition to a Mexican restaurant on every corner (my second-favorite type of food), I grew to love seafood and, as a child, just assumed that easy access to inexpensive and always-fresh fish was normal and expected.

However, when my family moved to Schaumburg, Illinois, about 2,024 miles from the Pacific Ocean, I found that my assumption was incorrect. Suddenly, real quality seafood went from a staple of my diet to a very special treat to be anticipated and longed for. No longer could we drive to a little fisherman's stand on the side of the road and buy fresh crab that he caught that morning and take it back home to eat for dinner. Instead, I found myself stuck in a place where Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen was considered to be high-end seafood. Don't get me wrong, Pappadeaux is fine as far as it goes, but it's just not the same.

There is, however, one restaurant that I have found that excels in their seafood preparation and presentation. That is Dover Straits in Hoffman Estates, next to Schaumburg. As I understand it, they fly in fresh seafood on a regular basis so that their fish is never frozen. The menu selections are wonderful (I love their crab cakes), although I love going and just trying their daily specials, which are almost always amazing. On my most recent visit, I had some of the best Tilapia I have ever tasted from their specials list. The ambience is great, certainly formal (you'll see a lot of suits and dresses, though a dressy casual outfit would not seem out of place) but still with that seafood restaurant flair (think Red Lobster if their decorator had taste). You will pay for the experience, though. My brother and I took my parents there for their 25th wedding anniversary, and the bill for the four of us was about $225. But, although it's not a place I could afford to go outside of special occasions, I think it was worth the price.

So, if there are any coastal refugees stuck with me here in the landlocked Chicagoland area, or if you corn-fed home-grown boys want to experience something akin to real seafood without traveling across the country, check out Dover Straits (sorry, they don't have Forrest Gump playing while you eat there, though).