Seafood Market Hosts Official Opening, Adds New Dishes

May 11, 2021 – There are a few themes running through the month of May and a slate of new dishes at Seaside Seafood Market (which also operates By the Bay BBQ). 

Soul is the first. It happens with the signature items chef-partner Danny Abbruzzese has been workshopping for weeks. A longtime resident of the South, Abbruzzese invited me by to try: a robust gumbo; blackened catfish with hush puppies; shrimp and grits; and an andouille sausage po’ boy. 

“Nothing but soul in this dish for me,” he said, nodding to the gumbo. “I think it speaks for itself.” 

There’s also the soul reflected in the art work filling the former Fishwife dining room. The paintings were created by Abbruzzese’s mom, who taught him the power of bold flavors in her Brooklyn kitchen and the power of hospitality in general, and passed away just as the new restaurant was gaining traction. 

There are other themes at work, like celebration. 

“That’s what this food is: a party,” chef says. ““You gotta wrap and roll the flavors or they’ll get away from you.”

A Grand Open House happens 11:30am-7pm Saturday, May 15, to officially introduce the restaurant Edible first reported on in January with “BBQ and Seafood Duo Debut With Slap-Your-Mama Flavors.” 

Those who RSVP for free at Eventbrite can enjoy hosted food and drink, activities and prize giveaways. 

That gets at a third theme: creativity. Co-owners Anthony Guajardo and Andrea Guajardo know how to throw a party, so while the invite is short on details I’m faithful it’ll be thoughtfully done. 

The creativity in the new plates, meanwhile, is as apparent as the soul. It’s there in the crispy fried okra that brings more texture to the gumbo, the little grits cakes that give the shrimp-and-grits a modern remix, the house-smoked andouille they track down deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains at Ronnie’s Meat Market.

There’s so much going on—with the flavor from the smoker, the unique heat of the andouille, the way melted cheese merges chopped sausage, coleslaw and pillowy roll—that in my notes I just wrote, “Wha?” 

So it’s safe to expect there to be a lot going on with this team on most any given visit, but particularly right about now.