What: Oceana tostada
Where: Oceana Restaurant, 77932 Country Club Drive, Palm Desert
How much: $18
Contact: 760-610-2517; www.oceanapalmdesert.com
WHY The freshness.
It was a Saturday night. We had just left a function in the northern portion of Palm Desert, and we wanted dinner—so we decided to head to a place I’ve wanted to try for a while, Oceana Restaurant.
We didn’t have a reservation—and as a result, we didn’t get a table. It turns out that Oceana is very, very popular on Saturday nights in February. Fortunately, there were seats at the bar, and we grabbed ’em.
We soon learned why Oceana is so popular: The food at this Mexican-influenced seafood is quite good.
We ordered the Oceana tostada (with shrimp and octopus) as a starter; the hubby selected the chipotle shrimp ($25) as his entrée, while I went with the whole red snapper ($36). Although the snapper stayed in the fryer for a minute or two too long, everything we had was quite enjoyable—but it’s that tostada that makes my mouth water every time I think about it.
The shrimp and the octopus, of course, are at the center of the dish, and they’re complemented by fresh fruits and veggies like avocado, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, onions and pineapple. The one word that comes to mind (other than delicious) when I think about this dish is fresh. It was a pleasure to eat in every way.
Oceana’s menu is packed with seafood delights, ranging from branzino to scallops to ahi and more. If you prefer land-based proteins, no worries; steaks, chicken and an intriguing mole poblano pork shank are also on offer.
I highly recommend Oceana, and I also highly recommend reservations. We were lucky enough to get those great bar seats—but one’s luck can always run out, after all.
