If there is an award for restaurant architecture, Current Fish & Oyster would win 1st place. From the outside, Current Fish & Oyster is a simple brick-walled building, almost easily missed, on the corner of 3rd East and 3rd South. Based on the outside, I didn’t anticipate that I would shed a few tears of beauty when I walked into the two-story inside for the first time. It is incredible to say the least.

Enough about the building, let’s get to the food! Can you believe that it was just as incredible?? Current is one of Salt Lake City’s best joints for seafood. Whether it’s from the west coast or back east, their fish comes in healthy and fresh each day; and WOW, you can actually taste the difference! In this post we’ll be talking about two separate meals: brunch and dinner at Current Fish & Oyster.

Brunch:

Looking over the menu for the first time for brunch was exciting. There were so many great looking dishes, that I simply couldn’t choose just one. Eventually, with our waitress, Celeste’s, helped my papa and I decided to share the smoked clam dip, crab benedict, and the special that day, the hazelnut and ricotta crepes. We were in the mood for savory and sweet that morning and were clearly not disappointed.

The clam dip came with these delectable, crunchy homemade chips that I could honestly eat plain everyday and never feel bad about it. The benedict was amazing. I had never tried a benedict before, so I thought which better one to try than Current’s! It melted in my mouth with the added squeeze of lemon for freshness. In our opinion, that is what made it stand out from many other benedict dishes. My dad said that it tasted just as great as the one he gets every time he travels to Fisherman’s Warf in Seattle – now you know that has to be fresh fish! Everything was so tasty, but my favorite had to be the crepes. The mix real hazelnuts and ricotta cheese, topped with fresh mint, strawberries, and pieces of dark chocolate created a literal party in my mouth.

As first time foodies at Current, naturally I had to take photos. Fortunately enough, the General Manager, Hillary, noticed and came over and was kind enough to give us the full rundown of how Current came to be! Joel Lasalle, creator of  LaSalle Restaurant Group (Oasis Cafe, Cafe Niche, etc.) and Mikel Trapp, creator of the Trio Restaurants, joined together to make this masterpiece. Hillary was also so nice as to show us around Under Current, the restaurant’s owned bar.

Not only did Hillary teach us many new facts, but also advised us on her favorite dessert! (Which I can never pass up, of course.) We had the Yuzu Posset, and trust me, I didn’t know what it was either. But we all speak “yum” right? Almost comparable to a creme brûlée, the creaminess and distinct taste from the toppings made this dish very unique, yet increasingly delightful! The olive oil powder on top is something that must be tried.

Dinner:

As if brunch wasn’t incredible enough, a dinner at Current Fish & Oyster will completely melt your seafood loving soul. Again, we were completely blown away by the ambiance and decor of this gorgeous Salt Lake City original, but this time by its evening charm.

We decided to start off with the calamari- a dish that had come with high recommendations from several local foodies, and not to our surprise, one of the best dishes we consumed the entire night. This isn’t your ordinary calamari- Current Fish & Oyster grills their squid to savory perfection and pair it with one of the best lemon aioli’s you have yet to consume in your entire life. Trust us when we tell you that you won’t want to miss out on this one.

And what is a visit to a seafood restaurant without trying its namesake, the oyster. I typically enjoy oysters raw but decided to go with our server’s recommendation this time and try the grilled west coast oysters. Flavorful, fresh, and a unique experience in of itself. A great small appetizer for a seafood filled dinner.

Time for the entrees. Entree one was the caramelized organic salmon. And if the word “caramel” didn’t catch you like it did for me, picture a homemade soy-sake marinade atop fresh, delicate salmon, served with green beans, sweet potato, and an orange-tamarind sauce. Absolutely loved the sweet and rich flavors of this dish, as well as the variety of different textures.

And for the scallops! The pan roasted sea scallops from Current Fish & Oyster are simply to die for. We were blown away with the creative presentation and loved the combination of fresh vegetables with rich, melt-in-your mouth, pan roasted scallops. Absolute home run with this entree.

Just as we thought we couldn’t be impressed anymore, we decided to end our meal with a plate of mascarpone “cheesecake”. Presented in a unique and creative way, we unanimously decided that this, in fact, may have been one of the best “cheesecakes” we have consumed in the entire Salt Lake valley.

Current Fish & Oyster  (279 300 S, Salt Lake City, UT // 801.326.3474)