Santa Monica Seafood

I don't think I've mentioned that my favorite seafood market here Santa Monica Seafood has moved from 12th and Colorado to 10th and Wilshire after being at the Colorado location since I think the 60's.Originally they were on the Santa Monica pier but with increased vehicle traffic the city asked them to move so they did 12 blocks inland to Colorado and 12th.Now that was great especially after I sold my car then truck having had enough of driving in L.A..It was an easy bus trip to the store or sometimes I would have my brother pick me up something as he goes over from work most Fri afternoons.But a few weeks ago they moved up to 10th and Wilshire a much busier area both people wise and traffic wise. So now they are in a hip neighborhood instead of the light industrial area they left but it now will take a bus trip with one or two transfers each way to get there.But they do have a huge selection of fresh fish and now an indoor outdoor cafe.I love getting some Artic Char fillets there.They also have those great little Manila clams which are great for pasta and clams or the Pacific Butter Clams.They always have a bunch of different Oysters including on occasion my beloved Wellfleets and every so often in summer Blue Fish will show up from back east which now I look on fondly but not when we pretty much lived on it in the Cape days cause it was cheap if not literally given to us.They also have the big meaty stone crab in season as well as Shad Roe in spring.On an average day I'd say they have twenty or more varities of fresh fish as well as all the shellfish and some good prepared stuff especially their cold squid salad.They even sell one pound bags of frozen Smelt from Canada which growing up on a great lake was a real treat and something I still get a jones for once or twice a year.