Here’s the Yacht Club but Where’s the Ocean?
I’ve seen some badly named eating establishments in my day. I recently ran across a place called Bursa Kebab. Yes, I know that Bursa is a city in Turkey but the proprietors really should have thought about the English-language meaning before they chose the moniker. Literally, it sounds like someone took the current offal craze way, way too far. (Actually, any number of people have taken the current offal craze way, way too far but that’s another story entirely).
Sadly, I just attended a memorial service for a former coworker. After the service, a number of us gathered to renew our friendship and raise a glass to the departed at the ill-christened Walnut Creek Yacht Club.
By my reckoning, it’s at least eight miles to the Delta, almost 15 miles to the Bay and more than 20 miles to the Pacific from Walnut Creek. Even the city’s namesake creek has been consigned to a series of tunnels! What possessed someone to use the name Yacht Club??? Clam Shack, Raw Bar, Oyster House or any of a thousand others would be a better suffix for a Walnut Creek seafooder!
Fortunately, the food was an improvement over the name, as we discovered via a series of shared apps.
The pan-fried Maine Jonah crab cakes ($13.50) topped our picks. Too often, crab cakes are all crab and no cake. Not these babies. Crabby in the best sense of the word, just enough filler to sort of but not really bind the cakes together, accompanied by a nice blood orange aioli. Delish. I could have used a bit more of the aioli to go with my cake but I was too interested in eating to stop and ask for it.
Also excellent was the Monterey Bay calamari ($9.50), deep-fried in chickpea flour with olives, onion and fennel. The chickpea flour coating provided a crisp coating that didn’t hold too much oil. The squid didn’t exhibit the fishy aftertaste that often mars fried calamari. The battered and fried olives were a taste sensation. The rouille seemed more like a remoulade but perfectly complemented the fried items.
I was pleased that WCYC offers both cold and hot peel-and-eat Florida hopper prawns (both $12.50). I’m a big fan of hot peel-and-eat but few places serve it.
The cold variation was very good. The “special spices” were a good match for the shellfish, which as served with the same rouille for dipping as the clamari. A couple of the prawns were mushy near the vein, perhaps from overcooking.
The hot was a disappointment, especially after being excited to see it on the menu. The chipotle used to season the prawns and accompanying butter dominated the taste of the prawns. Far better to just use Old Bay and serve with cocktail sauce.
The prawns themselves were nice and big. However, the serving for both variations was skimpy considering the price.
I tried some of the Pacific snapper ceviche ($8.50) and wasn’t impressed. However, I’m not in a good position to judge it because I don’t really like snapper (when I first moved to California, I ate way too much red snapper because it was the cheapest thing on the menu at the Fish Market) and I’m not a bit civiche fan either. Those at the table inclined to enjoy such things liked it just fine.
I didn’t try the seared yellowfin ahi tuna ($11.50) (quite a bit of repetitive redundancy in that name, isn’t there?) I’ve never bought into the seared rare tuna thing. If I want raw, I’ll order sashimi. If I want cooked, cook it through (if you know what you’re doing, this can be accomplished without the fish being as dry as shoe leather). I’m not into having the worst of both worlds. Again, those inclined to like such things enjoyed it. I did snag one of the accompanying crispy yucca chips, which could equally be described as a crispy yummy chip.
The décor was attractive, in a casual, nautical sort of way.
The service was spectacular – someone was always there when we needed something or to clear way for the next dish to arrive.
Parking was a little painful because of some events going on downtown at the same time. We managed to find a garage a few blocks away. The price of parking was sweet — $2.00 pre-pay for as long as we wanted to stay. After suffering through double-digit garage and valet fees in the City, the price was a steal.
If you find yourself landlocked in Walnut Creek and hankering for some seafood, I recommend you check out the Walnut Creek Yacht Club.
Walnut Creek Yacht Club
1555 Bonanza Street
at Commercial Lane
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
925-944-FISH
Web site
Food inspection score: Not located in San Francisco
Symbol of Excellence: N/A
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