Easton: Ocean (July 2016)



My spouse and I dined for dinner at Ocean on a Saturday evening in early July 2016. Ocean is open for dinner only on Tuesdays through Saturdays (closed on Sundays and Mondays). You can reserve using the restaurant’s online reservation form or by telephone. Metered street parking is available, or you can park in one of the city’s public (pay) parking lots. The owners of Ocean also operate the nearby River Grille.

The interior at Ocean, which opened in 2006, is contemporary and modern. When you enter the restaurant, various table configurations are available, as well as seating at a small bar. One step up from the main level, towards the back of the restaurant, is a second dining area that contains one communal table in the center, individual table seating on the right side (where one side of the tables share a padded banquette), and three U-shaped booths on the left side. Bluish tile walls with recessed alcoves hold ocean-themed décor, and the ceiling design and wall dividers feature a wave pattern. Private event space is located in the basement, where the restrooms are also located. (A handicapped restroom is located on the main level near the front door, but it is not marked and is kept locked, so be sure to ask if you need it.) Outdoor seating is available beneath a canopy on the front sidewalk.

Ocean serves American cuisine, with many seafood options. The bar/lounge/outdoor menu is more casual, while the dining room lends itself to fine dining. We shared two appetizers: the lobster empanadas and the lamb “gyros”. The empanadas (with mashed potato lobster stuffing and topped with truffle sour cream) came two to an order, which was too large for one person. The lamb gyro, on the other hand, was so delicious that it left us wanting more, although the portion was probably the correct size, with three pieces of toasted pita topped with lamb, pickled fennel, olives, and tzatziki sauce. As our entrees, we ordered the seafood potpie (which included lobster meat, scallops, and white fish in a creamy sauce with peas and mushrooms, and topped with a puff pastry cap) and the tuna (served rare with a seared edge rolled in sesame seeds, and atop cold couscous).

We enjoyed our dinner at Ocean, and we wish that we could visit more often. (We prefer to dine for lunch on a Saturday or Sunday, when Ocean is not open.)


 





 

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