By Lily Berger

On a recent weekend, my family and I took a trip to Midlothian and experienced the new local restaurant Oceano Coastal. The restaurant is tucked into a corner of Sycamore Square, with scarce parking but several parallel spots, a scary sight for a young driver’s eyes. A hot location, fresh on the scene. Beyond the horrors of parallel parking, Oceano is located in the former home of the legendary Crab Louie, in building built in 1745 and supposedly haunted. The restaurant used to be the home of Rachel Woolridge, a young girl who died in a house fire, before the 20th century. Crab Louie’s owner claimed that mysterious things would occur in the restaurant, like place settings turning wonky and glasses sporadically rattling. Oceano Coastal has yet to make any allegations of an apparition, but time will tell. 

The husband and wife dynamic duo of Maria and Michael Oseguera opened Oceano on June 3, 2022, starting with a limited menu. Since their opening, the menu has shifted with the seasons, so beware when looking at the menu online, as it’s not always up-to-date. Their New American cuisine directly focuses on the Galicia region of Spain and the Amalfi Coast of Italy, with French cooking techniques. They serve brunch, lunch, and dinner, and are open every day of the week. They also maintain a full bar at the front of the restaurant. 

Filet mignon. Photo credit: Yelp user Paulina A.

Walking into the restaurant, you are welcomed by a sophisticated vibe of blues, like the ocean, unlike the historic look Crab Louie was going for. Attempting to demonstrate their oceanic vibe, the tables feature glasses in a Columbia blue shade, with a softened sea glass texture to greet your hand. The full bar is paired with deep blue bar seats and a deep arctic blue tile backsplash.

I ordered the first thing that caught my eye, the jumbo lump crab mac and cheese, which did not live up to its name. Don’t get me wrong; it was deliciously rich, but the “jumbo lump crab” was scarce, and definitely not jumbo. It was a substantial portion of mac and cheese for being marked as a small plate, as I had a solid amount of leftovers to take home for a late-night snack. 

However, my father, Chris Berger, devoured the leftovers that same night before I even had the chance to taste the creamy dish once again. Both my parents ordered Caesar salads with their meal, which took some time to come out, but when they did, they were just right. But then again, a Caesar salad is a simple dish. My dad ordered a small plate crab cake, which paired nicely with the salad. Though it was minuscule, as listed, he thoroughly enjoyed it, claiming it was straight crab meat with bread crumbs holding it together. “Not complaining; this is a compliment” he encouraged. Paired with chipotle aioli and sprinkled chives on top, the plating alone made my mouth water.

Charred octopus. Courtesy of the Oceano Coastal website.

My mother received some criticism from the table for ordering a filet mignon at a seafood restaurant, but once the dish was brought out, the snarky comments immediately subsided. The plating looked exquisite, with the filet atop the chipotle mashed potatoes, alongside a few brussel sprouts, complimented by a curved smear of sauce across the dish.

I was hesitant to order the charred octopus, after dissecting a squid in Marine Biology class, though they are not the same thing, as Upper School science teacher Dave Privasky has taught me. But my dear friend Abby Rosenstock (‘24), who has tried the dish, unfortunately assured me after my visit that “it was really good, but the massive tentacles threw me off.” Maybe next time I’ll have to try it and remove the squid dissection image out of my head.