San Diego Metropolitan Magazine

Known as the ‘Lounging Lobster,’ Chef Hans-Trevor Gossmann’s ‘Maine Lobster En Fuego’ - a huge portion of baked lobster chunks resting in a shell on house-made chips - is anything but retiring. (photo/alandeckerphoto.com)

While many have written off the space as damned, convinced that a demonic force lurks deep in the underbelly of the subjacent parking garage, cursing any who try to prosper, Paul Fleming (of Fleming’s Steakhouse) and folks at OSI Restaurant Partners seem unafraid.

Late last month, Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits opened at the Aventine in the space formerly known (at least in my current memory) as Paparazzi, Palamino, Aquarella and, most recently, Sophia’s Italian Table. Funny thing is, even though none of them made it for more than a year or two, I personally really liked all of them. So in a nutshell, I guess, that means don’t listen to me, huh?

Blue Coral is to seafood what Fleming’s is to meat — consistent, predictable fare — nothing too complicated, easy to eat and in a nice atmosphere. The menu is a succinct offering of dishes, primarily of critters found under the ocean waves, but there are a few selections for those craving iron as well.

I always have thought you can judge a place by its crab cake and Blue Coral gets a blue ribbon from me. A handsome-sized patty of Blue Crab is presented with roasted tomato aioli and fresh lemon. I never lemon my seafood, but I did indulge in the more mayonnaisey accompaniment and loved it. It’s just crab and more crab with a bit of mayonnaise and panko to bind the two together. It is nicely seasoned, sautéed just long enough to get good color, and then baked. The result is a feather-light, fresh-tasting cake.

Even though it’s fried, the “Crispy Calamari” ($12) is quite light. Tender calamari is battered in a mixture of buttermilk, semolina and cake flour before being flash-fried. It’s served with two dipping sauces: a wonderful salty caper aioli contrasted by a sweet cucumber vinaigrette. A nice offering indeed.

When it comes to chowder, I definitely belong to the creamy New England clan. I could have filled myself up on the chowder here, but fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you want to look at it, they serve no sourdough bread, or bread of any kind. Instead, upon being seated, you are presented a basket of housemade biscuits and honey butter. Don’t get me wrong, the biscuits are nice, but every time I wanted to soak up a soup or a sauce with a crusty piece of nice spongy, elastic, milky-white bread, I was heartbroken.

Getting back to the chowder, it had a nice thick texture, was loaded with clams and had the most wonderfully smoky (from bacon, I presume) background flavor.

The “Dungeness Crab Salad” ($14) is a mid-sized salad consisting of a mix of baby greens and baby arugula tossed in a mere trace of Green Goddess dressing topped with a nice portion of chilled crab.

One of the most popular entrees is the “Chilean Sea Bass” ($31). Seasoned and baked in parchment paper, it lets out a “poof” of fragrance when opened tableside.

Considered one of their signature dishes, the “Maine Lobster En Fuego” ($38), aka the “Lounging Lobster,” was my favorite. What’s not to like? A hefty half lobster shell is stuffed with chunks of lobster that have been mixed with something akin to a “dynamite” style sauce (aka chile mayo) and baked. It is served reclined on a bed of delicious house made chips.

The restaurant’s space configuration is completely different from its predecessors. The contemporary dining room features lots of warm maple wood accented by a deep turquoise blue-green wall and an open exhibition kitchen.

Those who follow this sort of thing will notice two familiar faces behind the line: “Culinary Partner” Hans-Trevor Gossmann (formerly of Royale Brasserie and the San Diego Wine and Culinary Institute and a San Diego Metropolitan 40 Under 40 winner in 2001) and Corporate Executive Chef Mark Adair, who spent nearly the past decade working with Mike Morton (of Brigantine Restaurant fame) heading up Morton’s line of boutique restaurants, Azul in La Jolla and Zocalo in Old Town.

I think the chances are very good that Blue Coral will break the long-standing curse. It’s definitely got the pedigree and there’s plenty of loot in the OSI war chest to keep it afloat during a slow month or two, despite the rumored hefty rent at the Aventine.

Plus, at least on the night I visited, there were no ghostly figures rising from behind the broiler and no eerie static drifting from the speakers, and I’m pretty sure the lights flickered only once.