FRESH IS THE WORD AT KING'S FISH; QUALITY COMES WITH NICE PRICE AT COMMONS.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

To me, the mark of a seriously committed seafood restaurant is immediately revealed by its oyster selection.

When a dedicated oyster fancier can sit down and without ceremony order a dozen of those briny delicacies for under $20 and receive a platter that consists of six different members of the illustrious oyster species, that's true heaven.

And heaven it is, when, on a warm autumn evening recently, King's Fish House, the newest packed-nightly restaurant in the alluring Calabasas Commons complex, brings forth for $15.90 two tiny, delicious Malpeques from Canada's Prince Edward Island, two chubby Coromandels from South Island, New Zealand, two mild little Tatamagouches from Nova Scotia, two sweet Sinkus from Bayne Sound in British Columbia, two largish and familiar Blue Points from Long Island in New York and a couple of crunchy Hama Hamas from Puget Sound in Washington state.

To my knowledge, there's not another seafood house in the Valley that stocks six different oysters on a regular basis.

As for beverage accompaniment, if you're seated in King's main dining room at the time, you might order a sparkling wine with the oysters. But if, as we are, you're perched around one of those high tables in the restaurant's adjacent, rockin' King Crab Lounge (because there's a 40-minute wait for a dining room table), a pint of draft brew seems more appropriate.

The Lounge, the King version of one of those popular crab shacks in Louisiana, seemingly fills every square inch of wall space with antique and newer signs of various sorts and has a large wall rack of just about every bottle of hot sauce in existence.

King's promises on its menu that it serves only fresh fish - and that means ``just arrived'' and ``never been frozen.''

It lists on a daily menu insert the oysters available and the regional fresh-fish items on hand. Fish from Hawaii and the South Pacific, Pacific Northwest, domestic Southeast and mid-Atlantic, California coast, and freshwater denizens from lakes and streams provide the subheads for each fish dish with its price and short preparation description.

Crab and lobster offerings run from $21.50 for a 1-1/4-pound Maine lobster plate to $31.50 for a 2-pound lobster or a 1-1/4-pound serving of Alaskan king crab legs.

There are several combination platters and a nicely prepared, non-soupy, shallow-bowl cioppino ($18.95) containing fresh fish, clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp and Dungeness crab.

Skill in handling seafood in general and fish in particular is definitely apparent at King's. About the only failing, and a minor one at that, comes from a touch of dryness in a piece of otherwise satisfying grilled Alaskan halibut ($18.45) topped with a flavor boost from a clever cilantro and dried tomato pesto.

Perfectly moist and displaying the exact degree of required firmness another time, charbroiled thresher shark ($13.50) provides instant gratification, while a simple brochette of sweet, sensuous Atlantic scallops, well-textured Gulf shrimp and good ol' smoky bacon ($15.95) reminds diners that it isn't always an elaborate or complex recipe that assures gastronomic pleasure.

Such pleasures are repeated here with impressive starter versions of fried calamari ($5.95), ceviche ($4.75), grilled artichoke ($5.95) with a basil-garlic mayo dip, seared rare ahi tuna ($7.95) with tart ponzu sauce, Dungeness crab cakes ($7.95), two chowders (spicy seafood or creamy New England clam, cup $3.25, bowl $4.50), refreshing cold gazpacho rimmed with tiny bay shrimp (cup $3.25, bowl $4.50) and an unusual smoked salmon and white bean soup (cup $3.25, bowl $4.50) that might be a bigger hit in colder weather.

Incidentally, the King pizzas ($7.95 to $9.75) meet or exceed neighboring competition.

As for the well-executed side dishes - one or two with each entree plus a choice of soup or salad - they may vary slightly in satisfaction, primarily due to personal preferences.

Most interesting to me are the sweet buttered corn, delivered freshly sliced off the cob, and the house-produced macaroni and cheese, a nifty, modern rendition of this childhood fave.

But you don't go wrong with your starch pick: french fries, boiled new parsley potatoes, baked potato, garlic mashed or steamed rice.

Or your veggie choice: steamed fresh vegetables or sauteed fresh spinach. Even the coleslaw here gets a thumbs-up.

Ditto for a giant hunk of syrup-drizzled bread pudding ($3.95) and the intensely flavored, premises-baked chocolate cake ($4.75) as endings.

In fact, my thumbs stay up, yes both of them, for this latest King's Fish House (there were four before it) owned by the people who brought us Water Grill, Ocean Avenue Seafood, Clearwater Seafood and I Cugini.

A seafood restaurant can't possibly be much better than this, especially at these prices.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: King's Fish House.

Where: 4798 Commons Way, Calabasas.

When: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, for dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. nightly, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Recommended items: Chowders or gazpacho, ceviche, seared ahi tuna appetizer, daily selection of oysters, grilled artichoke, cioppino, Maine lobster, scallop and shrimp brochette, char-broiled thresher shark, bread pudding, chocolate cake.

Children's menu: Five items (fish and chips, fried shrimp, grilled cheese sandwich, hamburger, cheeseburger) range from $3.25 to $4.95.

How much: Starters from $3.25 to $9.75, entrees from $9.50 to $31.50, desserts from $3.25 to $4.75. Full bar. All major credit cards.

Wine list: Well-conceived list suggests wines by the glass, half-bottle or full bottle with different seafood and fish choices. Prices have good range and reasonable markups. Microbrews, drafts and bottles of beer denote conscientious purchasing. Corkage: $7.

Reservations: Dining room reservations limited to one-fourth of seating, rest of tables on first-come, first-served basis. Self-seating in King Crab Lounge. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three and one half stars for food; Three and one half stars for service; Three stars for wine.

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Photo

Photo: Kings's Fish House general manager Dennis Elliott (holding the Maine lobster plate) and oyster bar crew members Eddie Rivas (with fresh Eastern swordfish) and Arturo Munoz (with steamed Pacific Northwest crab) offer some mighty big plates at the Calabasas eatery.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer