thrillist

There's only one experience more rewarding than visiting a top-flight supermarket to hand-pick all the fresh ingredients you need to whip up a masterpiece meal at home: having someone else do it. The supermarket that does it for you: Santa Monica Seafood.

A grocery/seafood distributor for top restos like Water Grill since 1939, SMS just added a full-service cafe and oyster bar, both pulling from its gargantuan, creatures-of-the-sea-heavy stock of fresh everything, from sushi-grade albacore to sandwich-grade artisanal bread. The retail space has been doubled, with a 60ft refrigerator case at the entrance, while the cafe (helmed by a Gordon Ramsay apprentice) serves Italian fare with a kick of California, like hamachi crudo, grilled swordfish sandwiches, and a clam/mussel/fish/shrimp cioppino, a traditional Italian fish stew so chock full of goodness, you'll live with your mom until you're 38. Seating's also available at the oyster bar, jazzed up like a boat w/ a curved, riveted-metal "bow"; chilled goodness comes in make-your-own seafood platters (oysters, crabs, clams, etc), or as caviar service w/ blinis, creme fraiche, parsley, red onion and hard boiled eggs, in case you need a civilized snack to hold you over between McRibs.

In addition to the on-menu items, you can also peruse the deli case for the fish of your choice and specify exactly how you'd like it prepared (i.e., over rice, broiled, with lemon and olive oil) -- because the only experience more rewarding than having someone make your meal is shouting to some poor schmuck behind a counter exactly how to do it.

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Tons more info's at SMSeafood.com