I don’t get to Berkeley (CA) as often as I’d like. On a trip over the bridge from San Francisco earlier this week on a mission to find beat up antique chairs I could restain and mix with several other misfit chairs I own, we fell upon Sea Salt Restaurant that touts not just fresh oysters, but $1 oysters from 4-6 during the week.
Located on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, Sea Salt is a sustainable seafood restaurant that has a wide variety of seating (you can sit at two different bars, one of which is in front of a chef cooking station), or on two different sides of the restaurant and when it’s warm enough, you can sit outside as well.
Its chef is Thomas Weibull, who is committed to sustainable cooking and prior to Sea Salt, he was the executive chef at San Francisco French seafood bistro Plouf for seven years, and before that renowned SF restaurants Aqua, Rubicon and One Market. He says of Sea Salt: “We like to think of ourselves as both a neighborhood and a destination restaurant.”
Their oysters are so fresh and so good that I could see it becoming a destination restaurant for me. Also worth noting is their homemade cocktail sauce and I’m not even a cocktail sauce fan or user. I used it on crackers because it was so delicious since I only eat my raw oysters with lemon and a little pepper. 
In addition to wines and beers, you can get specialty drinks (only $6 during happy hour) that include margaritas, gin and tonics, martinis and more. We tried an interesting margarita with a pear brandy and other tequila-based drinks in various flavors including one with a splash of grapefruit.
They also have fresh raw clams or if you’re a mussel fan, they have plenty as well. They do an interesting Kenpachi Crudo served with crispy shallows, daikon sprouts, and topped with a Thai curry vinaigrette.
For between $10-13, you can also try their Dungeness Crab Cakes served with a kimchee daikon-cucumber salad, a grilled Mediterrean octopus served with fingerling potatoes, Tasso ham, frissée, basil & balsamic vinaigrette or the Laurel Chenel Goat Cheese Parfait…with beet carpaccoi, citrus vinaigrette and walnut salt.
You can also get a traditional lobster roll, a roasted pacific cod with Asian mushroom, edamame and soy-mirin broth, or a potato crusted petrale sole served with seafood remoulade, spinach and a pomegranate glaze. If you’re not a seafood fan (which is really their specialty), you can order their Grilled Niman Ranch Hanger steak with braised spinach, potato puree and sauce perigourdine but seriously folks, if you’re going to make the effort, order the oysters, clams, lobster and their fresh grilled fish since it’s what they do so well.
Too heavy for me but intriguing nevertheless, is the crispy house-made gnocchi with fava beans. We ended up with oysters, two salads and fish, starting with the pan-seared salmon, a much lighter choice than the gnocchi or the shrimp scampi, which looked fabulous but too much butter and cream for my stomach to handle Christmas week. The salmon was served with braised kale, spaghetti squash, and a yummy huckleberry sauce.
I also discovered a fun video on their site which is educational in nature: How to Seed a Pomegranate. We give it a two thumbs up and if when you’re next in the area, give it a try. (Note: the service was very slow when we were there but I think its because they were down a waiter. I waited nearly 30 minutes for a drink and finally a woman who looked like the restaurant manager brought it over to me with a smile….)
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
