Dining: RockCreek Seafood & Spirits

RockCreek Seafood & Spirits just might be the seafood spot weve all been waiting for. Chef and owner Eric Donnelly, who last headed the kitchen at Toulouse Petit, built his Fremont seafood house right behind Uneeda Burger. Its upbeat and full of life, with service that is engaging and quick. The design aesthetic hints at a Montana lodge with city sophistication and environmentalist leanings. (Those gray and blond wood tables were made from beetle-infested blue pine by Missoula-based Sustainable Lumber Company.)

And then theres Donnellys carefully crafted seafood. The menu is probably longer than it needs to be, but it showcases perfectly fresh seafood with carefully considered accompaniments: glistening albacore crudo with shiso leaf, a sweet onion vinaigrette and totally addictive sesame brittle; supple Neah Bay black cod with an impeccably balanced sherry-lime sauce and caramelized shallots that provide a fitting, savory finish. Entrees average around $18. There are oysters aplenty, roasted with pastis butter or raw on the half shell, or even as shooters dressed with, say, aquavit, cucumber, dill and lemon.

Donnellys passion for seafood comes through: He neither dumbs it down nor plays too many tricks with the fresh catch, and were impressed with the results.

Dinner daily 4 p.m.midnight, brunch Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.3 p.m. 4300 Fremont Ave. N; 206.557.7532; rockcreekseattle.com.