Second Helpings: Simply Seafood

Captain's Seafood & Oyster Bar

5700 N. I-35, 452-1417 Monday-Thursday, 11am-11pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-11:45pm; Sunday, noon-11pm
Captain's started as a Houston chain; Austin's branch rests behind the boat on I-35. Especially popular are the oyster or shrimp Diablos appetizers (jalapeño-stuffed, bacon-wrapped, and broiled) and Captain Dan's Crawfish Pirogue (mudbug tails, veggies, and cheese stuffed into a dug-out French loaf).

Eddie V's Edgewater Grille

301 E. Fifth, 472-1860 Monday-Saturday, 5:30-11pm; Sunday, 4:30-10pm; bar opens daily at 4:30pm
Eddie V's has selections from the best of America's seafood treats – Florida stone-crab claws, oysters on the half-shell, and all-lump crab cakes. Seafood entrées are extensive, including a snapper sautéed with brown butter and lemon, and seared pacific ahi tuna.

Mariscos Seafood Restaurant

1504 Town Creek Dr., 462-9119 Daily, 11am-10pm
Mariscos Seafood has been specializing in seafood dishes from south of the border for the past 14 years. The Vuelve la Vida makes the ideal starter with an assortment of shrimp cocktail, oysters, octopus, and seviche, and the Caldo Marisco (Seafood Soup) has long been a fave.

Pacific Star Restaurant & Oyster Bar

13507 Hwy. 183 N., 219-5373 Sunday-Thursday, 11am-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-11pm
Pacific Star has an even mix of fried vs. broiled and a large palette of choices and combos. You'll find the oxymoronic jumbo shrimp in all categories, as well as platters, po'boys, and crawdad pirogues. Look for changing specials like fried calamari and soft-shell crabs.

Pappadeaux

6319 N. I-35, 452-9363 Sunday-Thursday, 10am-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-11pm
An Austin arm of the Pappas chain from Houston, Pappadeaux is the 300-pound gorilla of the local Cajun seafood scene. Moderately pricey, loud and raucous, and you're assured of a wait. Monstrous portions of all manner of sea critters, available fried, blackened, broiled, or grilled, are the thing here.

Shoreline Grill

98 San Jacinto Blvd., 477-3300 Monday-Thursday, 11am-10pm; Friday, 11am-10:30pm; Saturday, 5-10:30pm; Sunday, 5-10pm
Shoreline has matured beautifully over the years and offers the city's best view of the bats and banks of Town Lake. Ron and Peggy Weiss and Jeff Weinberger offer pan-fusion food of the first order in the upper-moderate range, with items like semolina-crusted oysters with mango salsa and grilled tuna with sake-ginger butter.

T&S Seafood

10014 N. Lamar, 339-8434 Daily, 11am-3pm; Wednesday-Monday, 5pm-1am; Tuesday, 5-10pm
This Chinese seafood restaurant is the dining choice for many local chefs and restaurateurs on their days off. The menu offers shrimp in a variety of combinations, but the seafood selections from the Cantonese section must be tried. The pan-fried sea bass, squid with a Singapore spicy sauce, and lobster cooked with ginger and scallions are just a few of the dishes T&S serves up to hungry seafood lovers who like their dishes with a twist.

Seven

1716 S. Congress, 383-8877

Monday-Thursday, 5:30-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 5:30-10:30pm; Sunday, 5:30-9pm

Chefs Sam Dickey and Will Packwood took over the former Lambert's space on the SoCo strip and debuted Seven there this week. Seven refers to the seven seas and the menu here features line-caught, wild seafood from around the globe. Diners can choose fresh, seasonal seafood by the ounce in one of three preparations (grilled, fried, or pan roasted) complemented with six distinctive sauces. Food and wine pairings from wine director Darcie Fromholz round out the offerings at this new spot.

McCormick & Schmick's

401 Congress, 236-9600

Monday-Friday, 11am-11pm; Saturday-Sunday, 4-11pm

This Portland-based seafood house sailed into the new Frost Bank tower in February of 2004. They boast a "fresh list" of 26-36 seafood items that changes completely every 72 hours and have fresh seafood shipped in daily. The menu is rounded out with salads, poultry, steaks, and a full bar, but seafood is their trademark.