California-Cool Pacific Table Swims Into Fort Worth

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Moderately priced, quality seafood restaurants may not be as numerous as burger and barbecue joints in Fort Worth, but chef Felipe Armenta is helping even the score. On Monday, he opened the attractive and reasonably priced seafood grill, Pacific Table.

Located in an end-cap space at University Park Village, Pacific Table is Armenta's second Fort Worth restaurant (he opened the Ameri-Tex resto The Tavern three years ago on Hulen Street) and his tribute to California cuisine — sprouty, fresh seafood and veggies, heavy on twists and turns. Fried oysters come drizzled in charmoula. Grilled over pecan, large Brussels sprouts are served on tiny skewers, five to a stick. And there's wild-caught tuna everywhere: in sandwiches, in carpaccio, in sashimi. For meat-lovers, there's a cheeseburger on a housemade bun and filet mignon.

Previously occupied by the high-end Italian spot La Piazza, which has relocated to the West 7th area, the space was practically gutted and the restaurant built from scratch. There's a lot to see: walls of handsome cedar wood; a concrete sushi bar embedded with broken glass; trippy paintings by San Angelo artist Rene Alvarado. The real eye-catcher: a wall lined with busted-up cinderblocks, which service manager Charisse Henry says were hand-split one at a time by the contractors.

Saturday and Sunday brunch is coming soon, along with a covered patio.

— Malcolm Mayhew