Restaurant Review:

Independent family restaurants, it seems, are getting harder and harder to find. There are plenty of chain restaurants to take children, but there are some families that yearn for a little more than the usual, predictable cuisine.

For more than 40 years, Zubies Dry Dock has been around for not only families, but groups of people who sit at the bench-style tables. When I was there recently, there were two youth sports teams, one adult softball team and a family reunion of at least 20 people.

This is a restaurant, however, that seems to have many sides. At first glance from the outside, it appears to be small, but walk inside and the dining room wraps around the dividing wall with a fresh 300-gallon water aquarium.

The first sight you see, though, is the bar, so you expect this to be a local watering hole, which it is. But the bar does not dominate. There are only a handful of barflies occupying stools.

You meet some of them when you arrive, as they take a break from the drinking for the occasional cigarette.

This place is certainly not fancy, but neither was original owner John Zubieta, who had the goal of a neighborhood restaurant everyone could enjoy when he first opened for business in the 1960s.

The other goal was affordability, and the restaurant definitely achieves that. The fresh seafood is $11.95 or less and includes a fairly impressive salad bar. I ordered the mahi-mahi and was a little disappointed the cashier didn’t ask me how I wanted my fish prepared.

The cooks will prepare it three ways: lemon pepper, Cajun or blackened. My fish was a bit overcooked and could have benefited from the Cajun style. My guest’s tilapia was also just grilled, but was more tender.

The shellfish would be something that would intrigue me, as does the oyster bar menu available until 10 p.m. every night except Sunday, when it closes an hour earlier.

While shellfish is represented with oysters, mussels, clams and shrimp, there are also puzzling, but enjoyable items on the menu. There is a south-of-the-border section that includes their very tasty fish tacos and nachos. There is also bar fare as well, with items like onion rings and zucchini strips.

I am often leery of restaurants serving lobster and crab, but Zubies has a special that wouldn’t make the leap too financially risky. Tuesday is lobster and New York steak, and while it is regularly $27.95, it’s $15.95 that day. The specials are actually a great deal and focus on yet another dimension of the restaurant. While seafood is the dominating item, there are other options, and they are highlighted on other days of the week.

Monday is pizza night, with a large pizza more than $3 off the regular price. Wednesday, chicken Parmesan and filet mignon are offered. Thursday is prime rib for $11.95 and Sunday is a half rack of ribs and barbecue chicken dinner for $13.99.

When I had the pizza, I really enjoyed it. The crust was soft and fluffy and had a tinge of brown on the underside. The pepperoni was spicy and provided a kick to the pizza that wasn’t loaded down with sauce.

One item I want to change is the Philly steak sandwich. I had that at a recent lunch and it made we want to charge the kitchen and take over the preparation of the dish. The quality of the meat was fine, but it was in small chunks, rather than a more traditional thin slice.

Sin No. 2 was no grilled onions, and the green peppers that were on the French roll were almost nonexistent.

The biggest faux pas, however, was that the provolone cheese wasn’t fully melted. Watch any master of the Philly cheesesteak, and they will start by cooking the meat on the griddle with the onions and peppers. Then, when it is just about ready, they add the cheese on top so it melts and then slide the metal spatula under it and place it right on the roll. It is an easy fix, and one I hope that the restaurant does, because it is so hard to get a good cheesesteak sandwich.

This is a minor complaint in the relatively enjoyable dining experiences I have had at the restaurant. It is a great place for a crowd or somewhere to get lost among one .

Zubies Dry Dock

Address: 9059 Adams Ave., Huntington Beach

Phone: (714) 963-6362

Website: www.zubiesdrydock.com

Cuisine: seafood

Specialty dish: Lobster and New York steak

Alcohol served: full bar

Entrée price range: $6.95 to $27.95

Family friendly: yes

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover

Rating: ***

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at [email protected] or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.