Fish.

Sausalito’s Fish. restaurant began as a chance encounter two decades ago and has grown into a singular outpost of delicious, simply prepared food, responsibly sourced seafood and innovation.

Bill Foss walked into what was Caruso’s on Sausalito’s waterfront in 2002 to enjoy a swordfish sandwich and a cold draft beer on a perfect summer day. Back then, Caruso’s was a beloved bait and tackle shop with a cafe and fish market, frequented by locals and the prosperous commercial fishing fleet who loved to sit around the “liar’s table” and share “fish tales". Rich with history, Tony Caruso opened his restaurant in 1955 on the site of what were WWII shipbuilding yards. Caruso’s was a bit tired by the time Foss walked in, but he was smitten.

“It was love at first sight,” he said.

But where was everyone, he wondered. The place was empty.

I don’t know, said the owner. Wanna buy the place?

Yes, he did. It took a while, but it eventually happened.

Drawing culinary inspiration from local classics like the Tadich Grill, Pearl Oyster Bar in NYC, Swan Oyster Depot and the Old Crab House, Fish.’s menu offers a reimagined list of fish-based comfort foods. Greatest hits include beer-battered fish and chips with Alaskan true cod, fish tacos, oak grilled salmon banh mi, trout hot dogs, the Fish SmashBurger, Dungeness crab rolls and inventive specials based on seasonal availability.

With partner Kenny Belov, Foss has reinvented the crab shack by continuing to offer a gathering place for locals and visitors alike with great food and drink, but their real legacy may be showing it’s possible to help keep small-scale fishermen (and women) in business. Fish. works with mom-and-pop commercial fishermen who only seek sustainably harvestable fish using methods that don’t imperil other species. The restaurant commits to buying all they catch at a fair price, offering the fishermen a bit of financial security in a volatile business.

“Sustainable”, “local” and “fresh” are words that get tossed around the Bay Area restaurants as freely as lettuce in a salad bowl, Bevlov explains. More often than not, however, the terms don't match reality. While many restaurants talk a good game, Fish. stands alone as the Bay Area’s only vessel-direct restaurant and market. Fresh fish gets wheeled right off the boat, through the dining room and into the kitchen. It also means the crab or halibut you had last month may not be available this month due to weather or availability. But there’s always something great on the menu that can be enjoyed by future generations as well.

Given the impacts industrial-scale fishing has had on seafood stocks and ocean health, aquaculture is a viable alternative—so long as it’s done responsibly. Doubling down on their commitment to ecologically sound fish, Fish. developed its own trout farm and vegetarian fish feed. To date, McFarland Springs is the only fish farm that doesn’t feed its fish animal products. To share their relationships and sourcing, Fish. also founded a sustainably sourced seafood wholesale company, TwoXSea.

The restaurant celebrated its 20th birthday in April of 2024. That’s a testament to Foss and Belov’s business acumen, good food and the viability of operating a restaurant based on responsibly sourced and harvested seafood. The love affair continues.