Welcome to WALT'S WHARF! Where their motto is: If it's fresher...it's still swimming! And it is true. It is one of our all time favorite places to eat for seafood. It is located in Seal Beach, Ca and owned by renowned Santa Barbara wine maker, Walt Babcock (Babcock Vineyards). Not only is the food impressive, but so is the wine list. Quite extensive, and reasonably priced.$$$
We started out the day not knowing what we were going to do for lunch/dinner. After our long bike ride up in the hills of Palos Verdes, we decided to reward ourselves for a job well done and go somewhere out of the Southbay, which is always much more fun! Way to save the marriage! Walt's Wharf is shifting gears from lunch to dinner during the afternoon hours of 3-4, and it was already late in the day, so we decided to make it dinner. I was a little bummed we were going to miss the lunch menu because I know they offer Fish Taco's and was looking forward to trying them. Oh, well, a fresh cut of fish is a welcome change! And, FYI, during 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. they offer a condensed menu. This happened to us one day, and it SUCKED. Ok well, maybe it didn't SUCK...but it wasn't what we were expecting. Still good I am sure, but not 1/2 as interesting as either the full lunch or dinner options. I must also inform you that this place is so crazy popular that there is ALWAYS a line, which typically starts around 5 p.m. They accept reservations for lunch, but not dinner. Which is never a problem if you wish to hang around for a couple of hours in the bar area....drinking amazing fine wine. When it is just the two of us, we try to get there before there is too much of a wait.
So we headed out.Not very exciting as you can see. But it is only a short drive from Manhattan Beach, south into Seal Beach, about 20-25 minutes depending on traffic. I am always so excited when we go to Walt's Wharf I am like a giddy schoolgirl with her fir
st crush who can't wait to see him again. Mine just happens to be a hot tasty piece of fish! I's got to HAVE IT...NOW. When when we come up on the Seal Beach exit sign....I am almost uncontrollable with anticipation! I know it is only a matter of time until we are there. Yeaaahhh! On the way in, Laurence and I get to do a drive-by of one of our favorite attractions; the local Seal Beach Senior Citizens Resting Home, LEISURE WORLD! Ahhhh. Doesn't the name just make you want to move in? Without a doubt, we know we will be happy here one day!
It is the best sight to see on the journey into the little Seal Beach community and 
it never fails to make us LAUGH. We will be sooooo close to our favorite restaurant later on in life. Gives me something to get old for, dag naammit! Why do we find this so funny? I have no idea, but we do. Every time.
If you can get passed Leisure World without stopping and checking in, you find yourself on the home stretch towards Walt's Wharf. It is a quaint little beach community, with lots of little shops up and down the Seal Beach pier street. The restaurant is located almost at the end of the street. The shops are cute and well worth a walk around either before or after your meal.The restaurant itself is nothing fancy, but not a dive either. It is a little dark considering it is a beach restaurant, and wish it were a little brighter. It doesn't have what I would would consider a
hip, or cool vibe; but caters rather to a rustic beach and mature crowd. It is a local favorite and has that comfortable neighborhood feel t
o it. It is rather large, with many different areas to eat and drink in. The bar is the brightest area in the restaurant, serves food as well as drinks, and is always packed with happy customers. There is also a very large upstairs area that is divided into three separate eating area. One is openly secluded (closed off with window pan
es) which could be used to hold a medium sized private party. There is a set menu for large parties. Their menu's are extensive; from salad entrees, to seafood, to meat, to pasta. But they are known for their grill. Everything at Walt's Wharf has some sort of grill aspect to it. And I have to say, no one does it better! All types of food are worth a try here. 
After you are seated, you will be served the most amazing loaf of sourdough bread! It is hot, and smells great. Sourdough bread varies greatly from place to place, and this is one of my favorites...in fact, there is only one other restaurant that I think is slightly better. But Walt's Wharf's has a nice crust, not too thick (where it roughs up the roof of your mouth), and not to thin where it lacks crunch. It is rich in sourdough flavor - and with a nice spread of butter melted into it....oh so good. Just try not to overdo it, like I always do. Save some room for your meal!
Enough of all THAT! Let's talk about something truly exciting! The Walt's Wharf House Margarita! Who would imagine that it is one of the best margarita's I have ever had in a restaurant! How random is that?! Unbelievable! A wine maker, who KNOWS how to BLEND flavors, can also make a mean margarita! It is all in the blend, and who knows better than a Wine Maker to figure it out! Not so astonishing afterall I guess. But kudos to Walt for knowing how to do it right! It is served in a pint glass making it a generous pour, which is nice when it is so goood! It went down like velvet, with no sticky, tacky residue left on the back of the throat and tongue....and NOT SWEET! My only problem with the House Margarita was the use of Cuervo Gold Tequila, which leaves a distinct nasty bite lingering on the tastebuds. A better quality tequila, and this drink would be perfect. But still it was mixed very smooooooothly. Even with the afterbite, I could drink this all day!
Just when you think it will never get there, here it comes...one of Walt Wharf's signature appetizer's, the Oak Grilled Artichoke. We order this religiously, and RARELY are they not cooked to perfection. Artichokes are seasonal, and I must say, that this particular serving was a little on the tough side. Most of our orders have been very tender and flavorful. They are served 3 to a plate, with a smokey mesquite grill char on top, and Lea Perrins aioli sauce...you just can't get much better. The grill flavor is amazing! I highly recommend them. 
All dinner entree's come with your choice of House Salad or Soup. We always substitute the House Salad for Walt's "Special" Salad, for 2 dollars more. It is worth it! It is slightly larger than the regular house salad, and has a wonderful medley of candied pecans, golden raisins, cranberries, sweet red onions, and blue cheese crumbles. It is topped with a very nice Dijon Vinaigrette. The whole salad is excellent, and much more interesting than just the regular House salad.
There are so many amazing fish options at Walt's that it is hard to choose. Today, I opted for the Caramelized Salmon with Orange Shoyu Glaze. If you love Salmon, you MUST give this a try! It is their most popular fish dish...and I can see why. It is probably one of the best I have ever had. The salmon portion is generous, as you can see, and topped with a Burre Blanc and Balsamic Reduction Sauce. The sauce combination is incredibly good and compliments the
Salmon perfectly. I am a sucker for a good sauce, and this sauce is so good, that sometimes I have to ask for more! No need to be chinchy! Load me UP! The Salmon is served with Yukon Golden mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. I am not a fan of their potatoes, so I always opt for the Walt's Special Rice instead. It has the most incredible, intense, smokey flavor, but has no bacon in it. It is truly one of a kind, and worth skipping the whipped, creamy potatoes for. The asparagus are always grilled to perfection...aldente with olive oil and fresh garlic. Yum, I wish I could go back right now! Oh, FYI: The only fish entree I have had here that isn't the greatest, in my opinion, is the Ahi Tuna...which I am a huge fan of. But I have had waaay better, so you might want to avoid that. For those of you who like to cook, and are fairly comfortable in the kitchen, The Caramelized Salmon recipe is listed on their website. Laurence and I have made this ourselves before, and must say, it came out pretty damn good. With as much Burre Blance sauce as I wanted! It makes an impressive meal for guests, or as a special treat for someone you love.
Laurence ordered the Salmon Burger. He said it was very, very good. So I had to try it..and it was tasty! I am skeptical and wary of most fish burgers because they can tend to use poor cuts of meat, and can be quite gamey tasting. This one was excellent because the Salmon was so buttery and mild that you could really taste the condiments, which worked very nicely together. It comes topped with guacamole, lettuce, tomato and has a very nice dill aioli...not too strong on the dill. The garlic fries that are served with the meal are a medium cut, sprinkled with parsley and also very good. They were fried
nicely, not overly crispy, but just enough that they were not limp or soggy. If you are a fan of a fish burger, I would
highly recommend this one. I would definitely order this...and just may next time!
We decided to skip dessert, as we were obviously stuffed. But that has not stopped us from ordering it before! They have something that you absolutely MUST try if you visit Walt Wharf's...and is always subject to much personal anguish when we decision to forgo it...The Mud Pie. I am not a huge fan of mud pie as a rule, I prefer more cakey, doughy things and find that ice cream can be almost too heavy after a big meal. But this dessert is the exception! I will stuff myself with it willingly most days! It is completely homemade, and has the most amazing chocolate cookie crust I have every had, filled with coffee ice cream, and topped with a decadent layer of dark chocolate FUDGE on top. THEN, they pour a generous layer of carmel and chocolate sauce over the plate and sprinkle it with powdered sugar!!! OMG, if you love your sweets like I do, you will absolutely love this dessert! But the great thing about this is, it isn't sickeningly sweet because the bitterness of the coffee ice cream balances out the sweetness of the fudge and sauces...so it isn't overdone by any means. It is just too good, and is the signature dessert at Walt's Wharf. The only problem with this dessert is that you can't take it to go! Will make sure to get a picture the next time we order it!
By the time we left our table to leave, it was about 5:30. This was the scene upon our departure. As you can see, I was not hyping it up at all...there was a nice line already forming for Saturday nights meal. We have waited as long as 2 hours at peak time on a weekend, so plan accordingly.
After our meal, we walked around the streets of Seal Beach. 
As I said before, it is a very cute little area, and is a good way to walk off some of your meal! However, there is a dangerous spot lurking amidst the shops that we discovered one day. If you decide to pass on the Mud Pie, there is an incredible little bakery called Sweet Jill's (same side of the street as Walt's but down closer to the
pier). They make tons of amazing bakery items, that tend to be on the larger scale...which I am always delighted to find! They have these oversized cupcakes that are pretty tasty, but the cakes are probably a little better just because they are moister - in general I find that to be true...cupcakes vs. cakes.
And yes, they have Red Velvet cupcakes AND cake...which is not the best I have ever had, but pretty darn good! They also a nice variety of cookies and layered dessert bars, and have huge cinnamon rolls that are amazing!! So beware, if you pass on dessert at Walt's Wharf and go walking around, you just may wind up going home with a box full of goodies for later. We did!
We hope you will find your way down to Seal Beach and experience the wonderful food at Walt's Wharf and the charm of the little beach community. I am ready to go back!
The restaurant reminds me of a Colorado log cabin. The interior is mostly wood, with large wood beams, tables and chairs. It has a very earthy and cozy feel to it, although no fireplace that I could see. There is upstairs dining as well. It has a great bar area that was already buzzing with people when we got there, with a small outdoor patio area off of that. Tex Mex has a reputation for serving excellent drinks and margaritas and has a really good vibe for getting together with groups of friends.
First things first! We ordered the House Margarita on the rocks, no salt. (Which will be the standard margarita reviewed by the Hook & Worm). The well tequila they use is 1800 Reposado. A step up from the typical generic well tequila…which is nice. It came served in a chardonnay wine glass (huh?). It is mixed simply with Cointreau and fresh lime. I have to say, I am never overly impressed by many restaurant margaritas, which is why I am reviewing them. Typically I find them to be too sweet, or sour. Then you can’t have more than one or two because the mixers begin to stick to the back of your throat. Uh...Buzz Kill. Some might say that ordering it with salt would cut the sweetness, but the drink as it is made should stand on it’s own. It is how it is mixed, that is the real test. The house margarita is smooth enough at Tex Mex, but still found it to be on the sweet side. Too heavy on the Cointreau for my taste, and hubby agreed. I can bet their specialty drinks are better. Or maybe just ask for ½ the cointreau. That would solve the problems of most gaggy tonsel tickler restaurant margaritas…with or without the salt!
For Mexican food lovers, good Chips and Salsa are a must - and this place does not disappoint. Chips were thin, but could hold a decent dip, were lightly salted and have a strong, tasty corn flavor. Not greasy at all. They offered two different kinds of salsa, pico di gallo style, and a smoked salsa. Both were very good, made with fresh ingredients. I am a huge fan of smoked salsa, and this one has a nice little kick to it. Two yum’s up for the chips and salsa!
We ordered Guacamole as an appetizer, and I have to say, I have had better. The order itself was not very big, big enough for two I guess, but I am used to a far more generous serving of this in most places. It was not super chunky, but more a blend of creamy and chunky. I prefer thick and chunky…all avocado, no filler or overworked. Spices were good enough so the flavor was fine….just not the best I’ve ever had. Would I order it again?…sure, but would probably try the Chili Con Queso next time, which they say is a “Tex Mex Favorite”.
We were very hungry from our biking journey, so we both ordered dinner salads, only a couple of extra bucks with an entrée. We both opted for the Cilantro Lime dressing. The iceberg lettuce was fresh and the dressing, very good. It reminded me of a Caesar dressing, but not creamy. It was lighter in texture and flavor, with a Parmesan, cilantro and lime taste. Was the dinner salad anything spectacular? No, but the dressing was very nice and worth a taste!
I ordered the Fish Taco’s, which came served 2 ways, with Swordfish or Ahi Tuna (both blackened as an option). I ordered the Ahi, grilled medium rare. OMG, they looked so good when the hit the table and I couldn’t wait to try them! They were cooked to perfection and tasted AWESOME! The quality of the tuna was excellent, and melted in my mouth. There are 3 tacos to a plate, and each served on two very small homemade corn tortillas. There is a nice “sea salsa” sauce which complimented the taco perfectly. The cabbage was lightly seasoned, topped with guacamole and cotija cheese. It comes with a side of poblano rice (very light in flavor, but still quite good) and black beans refried style topped with cotija cheese. Unfortunately, I cannot digestively tolerate beans of any kind (TMI?), which is a major bummer for me, but my husband said they were great. His favorite style of black bean actually! The waiter actually screwed up and forgot to give me, "all rice, no beans", so I gave the beans to my husband and ordered a side of their herb green rice, which I highly recommend.
It is much stronger in flavor than the poblano rice. But what can I say, I enjoyed them both! At first glance, the size of the taco's are deceiving, but the tuna portion was generous, and I was stuffed after I finished. And quite happy I might add.
For you meat lover’s out there, my husband ordered the Braised Brisket Beef Taco’s. He said they were EXCELLENT. Rich in smoky flavor. It is rare to find the quality, and style, of meat like that on a taco.
