I arrived at Normas Seafood & Steak in Seaside rather late on a recent evening. It had been one of those pesky days where I sort of forgot to eat all day long, and I wasnt just a little hungry. I was ravenous. And while I normally like to provide a bit more of an introduction than that, I ordered a lot of food for us to discuss, so lets just hop right into the review, shall we?

A first appetizer of steamer clams with tomato, garlic, celery and drawn butter was a bit lackluster for me. I enjoy preparing steamer clams, and the preparation of them neednt be expensive, laborious or difficult; I usually just use white wine, garlic, butter and some fresh herbs that suit my mood. The broth used by Normas was relatively flavorless; I couldnt taste any discernible notes from the tomato, garlic, or even the celery, which I would expect. Steamer clams dont take long to cook, and these were overly done, which made their texture rubbery. And after eating a few with sandy grit still inside, I moved on to the next appetizer of popcorn shrimp with cocktail sauce.

Though not what I would consider gourmet theyre even served at fast food places these days the popcorn shrimp were undeniably tasty with a pleasing, crispy crunch and the traditional tang of cocktail sauce.

My favorite sampling of the evening arrived in the form of clam chowder. As Ive mentioned before, I am not terribly fond of clam chowder but am often asked as The Mouth for recommendations, as it is popular with both locals and tourists alike. In my tenure as The Mouth, I have honestly never seen so many clams packed into a tiny cup, and the creamy chowder base was the perfect consistency: hearty and smooth. The tiny chunks of potato were soft and mellow, and I took note that this particular iteration of chowder included no pork of any kind, which is refreshing, considering bacon is pretty common in clam chowder. The chowder didnt seem to need it, though I didnt miss it, and I imagine the anti-pork crowd would be most pleased. Served with freshly baked French bread, the chowder is an excellent choice and something I would most definitely order when Im off the clock and I dont even like clam chowder.

The remaining dishes of the evening were a bit of a mixed bag for me. A rib-eye steak was next, and, without mincing words, I didnt care for it. Although prepared as I had specified well seared on the outside but red in the middle the steak itself lacked much flavor. Even a light sprinkling of salt and pepper helped.

I was disappointed in the Crab Louis as well, which was unfortunate. A dozen crab legs on a bed of greens looked pretty, to be sure, with hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, green olives and garlic toast, and our server recommended ranch dressing. Crab is typically boiled in salted water before being used in most any cold dish, but the lovely crab legs were so salty I could not eat them frustrating, given the salads relatively high price tag of $27. Had I been smarter I might have requested Thousand Island dressing, which would be closer to a traditional Louis dressing; the version I make at home includes mayonnaise, heavy cream, chili sauce, Worcestershire and green pepper and if youd like to know the rest youre welcome to drop me a line.

On the other hand, I was extremely pleased with the albacore tuna fish and chips, beer battered and fried. The beer batter was perfect, with the mellow taste of yeast, and I find that albacore, as a sturdy and flavorful fish, is an ideal candidate for fish and chips. Given the wonderful availability of albacore in our area, I am often surprised that it is not used more often locally in fish and chips, often thrown over in favor of halibut, which I sometimes find too delicate and flaky a fish for the kind of English pub-style fish and chips I prefer. The French fries that accompanied it were also prepared well, and my only complaint with what was otherwise a great plate was the cole slaw the cabbage was processed so finely that it was almost sauce-like, and the mayonnaise base was far too sweet. Im speaking, of course, to my own tastes here its possible that others may like their cole slaw prepared in this way but to me, cole slaw tastes best with heartier shreds of cabbage and a well-balanced sweet-and-sour profile from sugar and vinegar. This is a minor note, but I believe that for a dish to be a true success, every item on the plate must offer the diner new, wonderful tastes even seemingly minor side dishes have importance.

On the whole, my experience at Normas was all over the map, but there are certainly plenty of bright spots on the restaurants ample menu.