A New Restaurant in Carmichael

Carmichael has a new restaurant in the building that formerly housed a Wendy's, then a real estate office, then Cops Donuts. Based on our experience last night, I think this one might be around for a while. According to the Sacramento Bee's Mike Dunne in his "That's the Ticket" column:

Sacramento's surge of seafood restaurants will get another new player this summer when Morgan Song extends his Maritime Seafood & Grill concept to Carmichael.

Song, who owns or is partner in Maritime Seafood & Grill restaurants in Woodland and Redding, as well as Old Post Office Seafood & Grill in Vacaville, says he is hoping to open the Carmichael branch of Maritime Seafood & Grill in late June or early July. The restaurant will occupy the site of the former Cops Donuts at 6440 Fair Oaks Blvd.

Song, whose odyssey as a restaurateur began in 1975 in San Francisco when he took a job as a dishwasher after arriving from his native Korea, says he is spending $800,000 to remodel the structure on top of the $1.4 million it cost him.

The food was wonderful, the service great, and the prices .... just a little more than we're used to paying. For the two of us to get out of there without having any desert or liquor cost us just over $80. Certainly okay for a 40th wedding anniversary but probably not for our usual Friday night dates.

After an appetizer of a warm, spiced pear, Carolyn had the shank of lamb while I had herb encrusted swordfish. Those descriptions don't do the food justice but I can't remember the almost poetic descriptions in the menu. In fact, I was hoping they had the menu posted on their website like they have for the Redwood restaurant but no luck. The portions of the side dishes could have been a little more generous but at least we weren't uncomfortably full at the end of the evening.

The restaurant has been open just over a week but according to the Maitre d' it has been a "soft opening" so the staff could work out all the kinks in the system without the added pressure of a full house every evening. I predict that once word gets around, they will have all the customers they want.