Ive mentioned before that one of the aspects of coastal dining I love the most is the breadth of culinary choices available to us, within a relatively small area. From Indian to Mexican to Italian, from diners to bistros to taco trucks, the coast has something to offer diners of any palate and price-point.

While big-city dining surely has its own appeal, there is something unmistakably endearing about a hometown favorite like Buoy 9 in Hammond, complete with its buoys and gulls bathrooms, friendly service with a smile, and simple, tasty food in a warm, mellow atmosphere.

On the evening I visited Buoy 9, everyone else in the small town of Hammond seemed to be visiting, too; my dining companion and I were lucky to find a booth. The restaurant was filled with diners laughing, mmm-ing and chatting jovially with the servers, who seemed to know them all by name. We were greeted warmly, and our service was quick, despite the steady stream of customers coming through the door, and the entire atmosphere instantly put me at ease and into a relaxed mood.

We kicked off the evening with deep-fried calamari strips, which arrived piping hot and served with cocktail sauce, tartar sauce and a lemon wedge. Calamari, in my opinion, is relatively flavorless on its own, and, to me, its texture is somewhat unpalatable in most incarnations. This is one instance in which I believe breading and deep frying actually enhances flavor. I have seen many restaurants offer a similar dish with varying levels of sophistication: say, a southwestern aioli, or a basil marinara sauce. But as seems to be the theme at Buoy 9, simple is sometimes every bit as good or better than sophisticated. The fried calamari was quite tasty on its own, and cocktail and tartar sauces seemed perfectly adequate.

I sampled next the clam chowder. I was pleased to see so many clams, and though overall the flavor was good, the texture was less than ideal for me. It could have been that it was nearing the end of the day and therefore the chowder had been sitting in a warmer for a long while, making it thicker than usual, but whatever the case, the consistency was too stiff for my liking; thinning it with cream would have improved the texture greatly.

Thoughts of the clam chowder drifted away when my first entrée arrived: halibut fish and chips with cole slaw, garlic bread and French fries. It doesnt get more coastal than this, and I was incredibly pleased with the dish and recommend it as one of the better versions of fish and chips Ive sampled on the coast. The breading was flavorful, golden and crisp, and the halibut inside was tender, flaky and juicy. The French fries were also a just-right combination of crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, and the garlic bread seemed quite artfully prepared with a generous, diagonal-cut portion of French bread with a crisp, garlic crunch.

My dining companion sampled the prime rib, which was also excellent and cooked perfectly to his specifications; perfectly medium throughout, pink but not bleeding, and each bite was savory, tender and succulent.

Though my stomach was already overly full, I simply couldnt pass up the marionberry cobbler, served warm with vanilla ice cream. The cobbler was more like a marionberry pie filling with a giant sweet biscuit on top not what I traditionally expect from a cobbler, but tasty nonetheless and a perfect end to a very pleasing meal.

Throughout my meal I people-watched intently, and it seemed to me that each and every diner seemed to genuinely be enjoying themselves. The feeling of casual warmth that filled the restaurant was infectious.

I plan to visit Buoy 9 the next time Im in the mood for great fish and chips, and I encourage you to do the same.