My whole family came up for a weekend in Santa Barbara and my dad's one request was that we go out to eat crab on a pier. There appears to be one place to do this in town, and that's at the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company at the end of Stearns Wharf.

My husband, the native, noted that locals tend to avoid Stearns Wharf because of its popularity with tourists. Case in point, I suppose: he'd never been to the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company before, while my mother had been once when she came with our relatives visiting from Korea. In this case, it must be said that the tourists have the right idea. It's just nice to feast on shellfish on a pier, surrounded by water. Plenty to entertain the three-year-old, too, who enjoyed watching crabs in their tanks and people at their fishing poles.

We went to the Wharf on Saturday at around 11:30, hoping it wouldn't be too crowded. We found parking easily and only waited a few minutes before, small miracle, three small patio tables cleared at the same time, allowing the staff to combine them for our party of seven adults and two children. We'd considered taking out and eating at the nearby picnic tables if things hadn't panned out, but I'm glad we were able to dine in. The restaurant was casual and pleasant, and service was great. Our waiter was efficient and attentive and helpful all around. She even dragged a couple umbrellas for us so we could shade the kids. I also liked being able to drink. I had a house Bloody Mary with my lunch, spicy and satisfying, made with soju (no full liquor license here) and garnished with pickled green beans.

The food ranged from solid to delicious. The best thing on the table (and the reason this is a 5-star review) was the lobster roll, a tremendous heap of fresh Maine lobster tossed with celery, capers, chives, mayo, and butter, served on a toasted hoagie roll with coleslaw, onion rings, and drawn butter on the side. Not local shellfish, I suppose, but superb, and more generously sized than most lobster rolls I've encountered.

I also liked shrimp in various forms. Snappy Santa Barbara shrimp cocktail with cocktail sauce and lemon, crispy deep-fried coconut shrimp with cole slaw and onion rings. Shrimp scampi, sautéed in white wine, butter, and garlic and served on a bed of rice that soaked up the sauce. Shrimp and scallops pasta wasn't quite as good, but hey, this isn't a pasta joint. The shellfish was sautéed in butter, garlic, shallots, white wine, and sun-dried tomatoes, then placed on a pile of linguini. Obviously, this is a shellfish joint, and I thought the fried calamari, oysters, shrimp, and scallops platter was a winner, also served with coleslaw and onion rings. The onion rings, by the way, were excellent. (You can get them a la carte, but they do seem to come with almost everything.) I also liked the fries, which are not on the menu but are available if you ask.

The garlic baked clams were tasty, littleneck clams topped with garlic, breadcrumbs, and parmesan. I wanted more from the local sea urchin dish, which came with raw scallop on slices of lime. The uni itself was lovely and fresh--the spiny shell still moving--but the scallop wasn't the best, strangely warm and not at all additive. Finally, there was the giant spider crab. This was the centerpiece of our lunch, several pounds of local crab steamed and served in its enormous shell with butter, lemon, cocktail sauce, and, hilariously, one onion ring on its head like a mocking golden crown. The shell was thick and hard to break, but there was lots of meat to reward our efforts. It wasn't the best crab I've ever had, but it was good enough and the presentation was memorable and fun.

We had a great time at the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company. I'd recommend it any time you want to sit outside and devour some shellfish, whether you're visiting from out of town or have lived here your whole life.

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