Larry Olmsted

Special for USA TODAY





The scene: The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the premier attraction in this coastal California city, situated at the end of Cannery Row, a once-bustling street of waterfront sardine processing plants made famous by novelist John Steinbeck and now redeveloped as the tourist epicenter of town. But on a global scale, the aquarium, which celebrates its 30th birthday this year, is far more recognizable as the world's leading authority on seafood sustainability. Fifteen years ago, it began publishing Seafood Watch, an ever-evolving and constantly updated list of fish species and fishing styles (line caught, farm raised, etc.) and their relative sustainability status using a simple color coded scale: green (Best Choices), yellow (Good Alternatives) and red (Avoid). This guide is far and away the most authoritative and recognized by fellow scientists and the fish industry worldwide, has been adopted by many restaurants and retailers who display the color codes, and is distributed to consumers online and through annual printed pocket guides. It is the gold standard in the field, and if you have even the slightest belief that the food choices you make impact the environment and the future, there is a good chance you are already familiar on some level with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and its Seafood Watch program.

But what many people are surprised to find out is that the aquarium itself is home to an upmarket seafood restaurant, Cindy's Waterfront, which takes all the information and policies of the aquarium's science-driven research to heart, offering perhaps the most guilt-free fish-eating experience anyplace. The heavy lifting has been done for diners and there is no need to fret over menu choices and their sustainability – you won't find any heavily threatened bluefin tuna here. Cindy's is overseen by renowned chef Cindy Pawlcyn, a James Beard-award winner who founded Napa's famed Mustard Grill and has been at the forefront of the farm-to-table movement for three decades.

The small eatery is hidden by half walls behind the aquarium's large cafeteria-style food court, sort of a sanctum of waiter service and linen napkins within the larger dining space. It was completely remodeled about a year ago and is located in a corner of the building with two glass picture window walls overlooking Monterey Bay, where local squid-fishing fleets often pass by during lunch. There are only about a dozen tables, each equipped with a pair of binoculars and marine species spotting guide since whales, harbor seals and other creatures are frequent visitors. It is different from any restaurant ever featured in this column in the sense that there is no public entrance -- you have to pay admission to the aquarium to eat here -- but since it is the city's top destination, chances are good visitors will enter anyway. They serve only lunch since the aquarium closes before dinner. Many local hotels sell two-day passes for the price of normal single admission, and offer lodging and aquarium packages, but these must be purchased from hotels, not at the aquarium itself.

Reason to visit: Fresh, guilt-free seafood including soft tacos, mussels, fish and chips, calamari, sanddabs, "Cindy's Best-Ever Clam Chowder" and the Campfire Pie dessert.

The food: Fish is the star here, almost all of it sourced on the West Coast, mostly between Morrow Bay and San Francisco. Many entrees change seasonally but a few stars remain near-permanently thanks to their popularity, especially the cod soft tacos, coconut curry mussels, and Monterey Bay fish and chips, featuring local cod and batter made with a nearby craft beer, Big Sur Golden Ale. Other favorites are the calamari, always from Monterey Bay itself, a prolific squid-fishing ground, and Cindy's self-proclaimed "best-ever" clam chowder. For non-seafood lovers there are some alternatives that follow the philosophy of the restaurant, such as burgers with all-natural Niman Ranch beef, chicken sandwiches with local free-range poultry and an "adult grilled cheese" with cheese from California's Cypress Grove dairy.

Everything was quite good and virtually every dish had a creative or surprising wrinkle. I love calamari, and I've had a lot of it around the world, but never like this. It's done in the Italian "frito misto" style, which means mixed fried and usually refers to a plate of tempura-like vegetables. Here it combines very fresh squid with assorted vegetables, all delicately crusted with cornmeal and fried, including artichoke hearts (the artichoke capital of the world is just down the road) and sliced jalapeno. It is a unique assortment and the hot pepper adds just a bit of heat that offsets the lack of spice in the other veggies and it all works very well. The clam chowder is a lighter twist on New England style. White and creamy, it still has flour and bacon and is not really "light," but rather much less thick and pasty than the genre, with the freshness of the clams really coming through. The local Point Reyes mussels are one of the bestsellers and come in a complex, spicy and flavorful sauce that combines coconut milk, madras curry paste and red Fresno chiles. It's delicious, but a bit hot, and the heat builds throughout. It is served with grilled bread for sopping up the curry sauce, and sop you will. If it is on the menu, you might also want to try sanddabs, a fish popular in the region (also found on many other Monterey menus) but rarely seen elsewhere. It is a small flat fish similar to sole, delicate and fine-boned and very tasty.

Because the emphasis on very high-quality fresh local produce goes beyond seafood, the sides and veggies are also standouts. Even the complimentary olives are locally grown and cured – and delicious. The special of the day, line-caught California coast swordfish, came on a wonderful polenta cake, crisped on both sides, along with sweet ultra-fresh asparagus. "If you want to eat local, Monterey County is the place," said Ken Petersen, the aquarium's communications director. "We've got the coast and the inland Salinas Valley is called 'the salad bowl of the world.' We've got everything from cattle and dairy to Brussels sprouts, artichokes, cherries, tomatoes and even wine grapes."

If you have room, the signature dessert, meant for sharing, is a dramatic and imposing work of art, the Campfire Pie. This giant take on s'mores tops an Oreo cookie crust with fudgy chocolate cake topped with almonds and a mountain of homemade marshmallow fluff, all of which is then put in the oven to brown. It's delicious and decadent, but very sweet and almost overpowering, enough for four to share happily.

Pilgrimage-worthy?: No, but if you are among the nearly two million annual visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, it's a must.

Rating: Yum! (Scale: Blah, OK, Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)

Price: $$ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)

Details: 886 Cannery Row, Monterey; 831-648-4870; montereybayaquarium.org/visit/dining

Larry Olmsted has been writing about food and travel for more than 15 years. An avid eater and cook, he has attended cooking classes in Italy, judged a barbecue contest and once dined with Julia Child. Follow him on Twitter, @TravelFoodGuy, and if there's a unique American eatery you think he should visit, send him an e-mail at travel@usatoday.com. Some of the venues reviewed by this column provided complimentary services.