Steelhead is an incredibly literal interpretation of an upscale diner, right down to the sea-foam-colored booths and the old-school vinyl-and-chrome stools. There are concrete floors instead of linoleum, a long bar backlit by the Seattle skyline, and a red accent wall with a 3D art installation celebrating the beauty of fly fishing.

The mix is well executed, and the place feels warm and laid-back. However, sometimes (okay, whenever the place is overrun with the cruise ship crowd) Steelhead feels less date-night special and more Tuesday night in New Jersey—pop music playing, placemat-size menus, poor service from uninformed servers. The wine list, however, is surprisingly sophisticated, with quite a few Washington State bottles.

Steelhead’s menu skips around the globe—catfish tacos may have a Veracruz-style salsa, while black cod gets the Pan-Asian treatment, and fish and chips stick to tradition with a good ale-based batter. The best dishes play off of our favorite fast foods: fried chicken, the “Rich Boy” (a sausage po’boy), and fried Beecher’s cheese curds. Proteins are often cloaked in too many ingredients: salmon may not only have a red-wine reduction, but also farro, and kale, and a glaze, and then some more stuff that winds up masking the primary properties of the fish. Desserts, on the other hand, are delicious, and a few indulge some nostalgia of favorites long out of style: if you thought crème brûlée was dead, come here.