Mystery Diner in St. Charles: E & S Fish Company quite the culinary catch

All that’s missing is a picturesque wharf, because E & S Fish Company in St. Charles not only offers a tempting array of seafood in its display cases, but has created a dine-in restaurant off the retail portion of the space for its ultra-fresh catch. The business is tucked in a plaza on the west side of Route 31, a few blocks north of Route 64 and a stone’s throw from the Fox River.

A pleasant dining room with a comfortable banquette and linen-covered tables offers meals during specific time windows, which are shorter than the retail operation’s hours. We popped in for lunch on a Saturday and began a culinary adventure.

A menu describes the specialties, but patrons can opt to select fish or other seafood they spy in the cases. Portion sizes may be adjusted according to your appetite.

A welcome perk is the restaurant’s invitation to bring your own bottle, with no corkage fee. A birthday bubbly paired beautifully with our seafood.

We opened with a crab cake that arrived drizzled with wasabi aioli and garnished with microgreens.

Our guest, a frequent East Coast visitor, praised the quality and preparation of the crab meat, noting, “A lot of crab cakes are deep-fried. This one is sautéed, and not dried out. The sauce is good without being overpowering.”

A fellow diner ordered the soup of the day, a red seafood chowder brimming with fish and vegetables in an appealing tomato base.

I selected scallops with my Mediterranean salad, which featured romaine, artichoke hearts, blue cheese crumbles and Kalamata and green olives in a delicately mild homemade vinaigrette that was excellent. The entire salad was appetizing, but the tender, flavorful scallops stole the show, of course. Other optional toppings are shrimp, wild salmon and sea bass.

Our guest ordered the lobster roll with microgreens, red onion, garlic butter, herbed butter and lemon aioli on a buttery French roll.

It’s not prepared in the traditional New England style, she said, but added it was delicious, along with the nest of crispy shoestring potatoes that accompanied it.

For an entree, my companion selected the catch of the day, choosing the Chilean sea bass. It was presented beautifully, crowned with a bright mango salsa, and accompanied by spinach, triangles of toast and a tower of spiced rice.

“Tasty and cooked to perfection,” he said, adding the service was great.

The lunch menu ranged from chilled blue point oysters on the half shell, to fish tacos, seafood sandwiches and burgers, a poke bowl, sushi offerings and pastas with shrimp or scallops.

We look forward to a return visit to dine in, and also to purchase some of those crab cakes to cook at home, along with the superlative mango salsa.

• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at the Kane County Chronicle. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: E & S Fish Company

WHERE: 311 N. Second St. (Route 31), St. Charles

PHONE: 630-444-0168

INFORMATION: www.facebook.com/ESFreshFishCo