Eureka!

Eureka, California, July 25, 2011—

THIS LOOKS LIKE an interesting town, a sort of throwback. It's the county seat; there's a university campus nearby; there's no other town remotely as big within a hundred miles. But driving through — and the highway does go right through town, stoplight after stoplight, no bypass involved — you get the idea time has stood still.

One place it stood still is the Sea Grill. It lacks a website, so I can't refer you to one. It's been around for a long time, and it has its loyal fans. We were there with two of them, friends we'd spent the week with in Ashland. It was, well, comfortable and old-fashioned. I had a so-so Martini, postponed from Saturday night, and a bowl of tomato “bisque,” more like a warm concassée, and a breaded, then grilled petrale sole. I do love flat fish.

Pinot grigio, Tiamo (Veneto), 2010 (decent)

• Sea Grill, 316 E Street, Eureka; (707) 443-7187