Off the Hook Bar and Grille serves up a summertime party

FAIRHAVEN — Sometimes everything comes together to supply truly a unique night. I’d place the emphasis on unique.

An adjective like perfect wouldn’t accurately describe Off the Hook Bar and Grille. Nor do I think they’d want to be described as such.

I struggle to remember a dining experience that mimicked the dinner Allyssa and I had about a week ago on a Friday.

I can’t say all of it was good, either, but we left charmed and certain of a return adventure with friends.

It felt that’s exactly why others in the small establishment at 56 Goulart Memorial Dr. in Fairhaven were in attendance. Every table seemed to know at least another. Incoming guests praised our waitress as the best ever as they clearly knew each other away from the restaurant.

As we sat under a covered porch, seating extended outside on the patio to a half dozen or so picnic tables and merged Adirondack chairs overlooking the West Island Marina.

It felt like a cookout at a neighbor's house — a real casual vibe that we enjoyed.

At around 6:30 p.m., open tables were difficult to come by. There was neither a waitlist nor a wait time. Patrons were responsible for finding their own seating.

We noticed a couple paying their check in the back of the covered porch area. Instead of chancing a longer wait time to sit by the marina, we staked claim to the table in the covered area.

The service felt off throughout our stay. I’m not sure the circumstances, but the capacity crowd bogged down the staff as we waited a while to order drinks and then our entrees.

Our waitress was extremely nice throughout and very apologetic.

We got the feeling the service wasn’t normally this slow.

The atmosphere by the marina and a Friday night DJ passed the time well. I’ve dined at restaurants that bring in DJs with overwhelming speakers, but this was not one of those situations. The music level was perfect as the DJ mingled through the restaurant with a beer in hand as songs from the 80s and 90s filled the area.

It was quite a fun environment for many reasons and if for nothing else than the people watching. Everyone appeared to really be enjoying their Friday night.

Allyssa joined in with the atmosphere and ordered a Summer Red Sangria, which featured Merlot with juices topped with a splash of soda and fruit.

The wait allowed Allyssa and I to eye the food coming out of the kitchen. The tacos caught our eye.

I eventually landed on the fish tacos, while Allyssa ordered the scallop tacos.

The fish tacos came with slaw and spicy mayo. The scallop tacos were topped with mango salsa. Each meal came with three tacos. Neither came with a side we indulged in side of fries ($4).

I thought of adding a side salad, however, no option existed other than an $8 appetizer salad.

The plates arrived in spectacular form. Mock newspaper acted as bedding to the tacos. The tacos themselves looked delicious.

For the most part, the taste matched the appearance.

Allyssa’s scallop tacos highlighted the meal.

The mango salsa worked well with the perfectly cooked scallop, which was generously sized. No doubt the plate was worth the wait.

I really enjoyed the fish in my tacos. They were cooked really well, allowing for a nice crunch to go with the flakey white fish.

The lone issue I had with the tacos was the slaw. While the spicy mayo really transformed the fish, the slaw, while adding a nice crunch, didn’t really shine. It was almost hidden.

The French fries were delicious. They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Some of the best I've had along the SouthCoast.