<p>The Captain's platter at Aloha Charlie Fish Company, in Long Beach, Wash., includes pan-fried oysters, crab legs, rock fish, prawns, and albacore tuna fish and chips.</p>

Between the Internet and the phone book, Ive got a pretty reliable list of restaurants to choose from on any given week. But when Im driving around with absolutely no plan at all and its starting to get late, I sometimes have to resort to other options. Last week, I was driving some friends up and down the Long Beach (Wash.)?Peninsula in search of a subject. Nothing struck my fancy, and none of us carry those big Internet phones. When we stopped to refuel, one of my passengers returned to the car with a tourist guide. At first I laughed, but the guide is how I discovered Aloha Charlie Fish Company.

Located a block off of the main strip in Long Beach, Aloha Charlie (which we promptly nicknamed Aloha Spicoli, for readers who recognize the line from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) is one of those two-in-one seafood market/restaurants you see everywhere these days. Its a good idea. The fresh seafood is displayed on ice for purchase, and in the next room its being cooked up in a number of ways.

Like most such places, the dining is casual. Plastic forks and paper baskets, copy machine menu, pay at the counter. Over the years Ive found that some of the best food is served in such austerity.

Though it would have been more impressive in a martini glass, the crab cocktail ($9) in a to-go soup cup was still worth raving about. A large portion of cocktail sauce-covered Dungeness crab legs and body meat sat atop fresh lettuce with lemon garnish. Ive paid $15 for this appetizer in high-end restaurants. Oyster shooters are equally delicious, but did not arrive as promised by the menu. Shooters usually hover between $1.50 and $2.50 apiece, but Aloha Charlie charges $3.50 each, three for $10 and six for $18. This is because they come in novelty shot glasses you get to keep. Ours arrived in 3-ounce plastic souffle cups and later we realized that we were charged the same high price in the end. I let it go as a mistake.

The Aloha Charlie clam chowder ($5 cup) is most unusual, but we found it to be delicious. A very dark chowder almost brown, its studded with herbs, contains carrots and plenty of bacon. Its not too thick, not too thin, and for the final touch, is garnished with a fresh steamer clam. Ive never had a chowder quite so unique. Its available by the pint and the quart as well.

Seafood tacos ($10) are available in oyster, shrimp and rockfish. I chose the rockfish because the lean, white, mild meat is perfect for the lime crema and fresh salsa on the Baja tacos. This was battered and fried, and served on a doubled-up soft corn tortilla foundation with crunchy shredded cabbage. What a wonderful contrast of flavors and textures to this dish! I found the shrimp to be more suited to the Maui tacos, which are served with mango pineapple salsa. Fish and chips, also available in oyster, shrimp and rockfish, are equally impressive. The rockfish ($8.50 two-piece) is moist, tender and perfectly cooked within the crisp tempura batter, and while the fries are factory frozen, they are about the best you can buy. Hot and firm throughout the meal, the fries are skin-on and seasoned. Fish and chips are also served with Aloha coleslaw, which is crunchy, fresh and spiked with pineapple. The oysters ($7 three-piece) and prawns ($8.50 three-piece) were also prepared flawlessly.

Sandwiches at Aloha Charlie are messy but delicious. The Aloha Fish-Wich ($10.50) is a busy little number. A large, flat slab of rockfish is battered and fried and ensconced in a soft toasted sesame seed bun with mozzarella, sauteed onion, bell pepper and garlic, tomato and the house tartar sauce. The melange of flavors manages to stay balanced and showcase the fish despite the sandwichs audacity.

The Omega burger ($10.50) is a little misleading on the menu, which states wild albacore tuna, teriyaki glaze, seared pineapple, shredded lettuce, chive mayo, toasted bun. Id assumed that meant a fresh slab of tuna I could order rare, but it ended up being more of a bun-sized tuna cake. This was not disappointing. The tuna patty was bound with scallions and spices, and cooked up like a crab cake. It was perfect against the sweet teriyaki and tart pineapple, but again, a total mess to eat. The Chinook burger ($10.50) is similar, with a salmon patty, lettuce, tomato and chive mayo. Also recommended.

Another good sandwich is the Island Spammy ($7.50) with grilled Spam, teriyaki, seared pineapple, lettuce and tomato on a soft French roll. One of my friends is a bit of a Spamhead, and he jumped at the chance to try this. Another mess, but it was delightful. Those less adventurous would enjoy Charlies Albacore Salad Sandwich ($7.50). A soft French roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo and a pretty straightforward tuna salad, this is the most plain menu item at Aloha Charlie. All sandwiches are served with Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion or Hawaiian Luau Barbecue potato chips, but you can upgrade to fries or slaw for $2.

In the connected fish market, there are all sorts of fresh seafood to purchase. You can get smoked fish, fresh salmon, oysters in the shell or shucked in tubs, rockfish, razor clams, steamer clams, tuna, prawns, crab meat and more. With fresh seafood, friendly service, great meals and an interesting blend of Hawaiian and Northwest cuisine, I wholeheartedly recommend Aloha Charlie Fish Company.