Catch of the day: Blue Point Grill serves up a wide variety of seafood

Teach a man to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime, but give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day. Nice cliché but I'll take the fish any day — at least if it's from the Blue Point Grill. But to use another great cliché, all good things come to those who wait and on my visit to the Blue Point Grill, that meant about 30 minutes.

This was an early Sunday evening, a slow night. Since the restaurant accepts no reservations, I walked in and had to seriously search for the hostess stand among the mass of patrons who were either sitting or standing and who were all apparently hungry.

After winning my game of Where's Waldo, the hostess put my name on the list, and I found myself wandering the streets of Princeton in search of something to occupy my time. Apparently, making patrons wait is a wonderful business ploy, because by the time I was seated I felt ready to tackle anything — fish, lobster, scallops or all of the above.

If selection is key to your dining pleasure, step right in. With a specials menu that changes by the day, featuring fish from Canada to South Africa, picking the main entrée is by no means an easy task. Take people like me for instance, whose fish connoisseur skills are slightly sub par (and by slightly I mean nonexistent).

After sorting through 15 or so specials and philosophizing with my friend what would be the distinction between Chilean and Black Sea Bass, I looked hopelessly to my waitress and pulled out the classic line, "So what do you recommend?" After a quick run down of her personal favorites, I settled on the South African Swordfish which she highly recommended.

Coincidentally, it was also the most expensive item on the menu (the prices range from $9-$24 for main courses). However, the way I rationalized it, at the very worst I could at least say that I ate something from South Africa.

The service was fairly quick and before I knew it I was starting off my meal with the fried calamari appetizer. Its lightly breaded exterior, succulent interior and reasonable price of $6 made it a great choice. All the appetizers were well priced between $5-$9.

Next, came the entrees, my friend had the Canadian Lake Trout and as previously mentioned I had the South African Swordfish, both with a side of mashed potatoes. Each entrée was decorated with a little parsley, a lemon slice and a small serving of coleslaw.

The mashed potatoes were sumptuous. Not only did it pass the fork-in-potatoes test with its thick consistency but it also had a harmonious combination of herbs and spices. Apparently, the potato side dish is big here at the Blue Point Grill, with French fries and baked potato also featured as alternative side dishes.

My swordfish was a fairly large, grilled flank, and it was infused with a rich flavor. It was not overly seasoned, but had just enough spices to make it compatible with the mashed potatoes or strong by itself. It had the trademark firm consistency swordfishes are known for and was not over or under cooked. But after savoring the last bite I was still contemplating what made it more South African than all the "non-South African" swordfishes I've consumed in my life.

Of course, a greater question is: was it worth the $24 price tag? The jury is still out on this one. Good, yes, $24 good, not so sure. Unless you are a die-hard swordfish or exotic seafood person, according to my previous dining experiences here, this price range may get you farther somewhere else along Nassau. Of course, this is based on one dish and I'm not an authority on their oysters which are rumored to be fantastic (there's only so much food a girl can take!).

The service is helpful and pleasant, and the atmosphere is pleasantly casual. Local families and couples are the dominant group here, and the restaurant is always lively with conversation. In other words, it's a prime choice to bring your friends when you get the craving to steer clear from "encrusted catfish" at your local dining hall but it doesn't exactly exude romantic date appeal.

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Dinner conversation is occasionally stifled by the noise and the cramped booths are just a little too cozy for comfort. Note to guys: this image is not synonymous with the average girl's vision of the perfect date.

Nevertheless, the Blue Point Grill is a top pick for seafood lovers in Princeton and with its unbeatable selection and exotic dishes it will continue to be a staple of Nassau Street for years to come.

For an appetizer, I highly recommend a creamy dip with generous chunks of delicate crab meat in a thick, lemony avocado base. My friend's entrée —wild Canadian lake trout — was glistening in a fragrant golden carapace of lemon caper butter sauce. I was at a loss deciding if I preferred that or my friend's escolar – two chunky steaks of white tuna grilled and lightly coated with a drizzle of olive oil.

They complemented each other beautifully –the delicate trout melting on the tongue, the meatier escolar releasing a rich flavour with every chew. Together, they formed a formidable combination that made my taste buds sing. The food is so good that conversation comes to a standstill, and we only paused from savoring the fish to have a mouthful of wild rice or squeeze a little lemon juice tenderly on the sweet white flesh.

By the time we were ready for dessert, a line outside had begun to form, but the interior remained pleasantly airy and calm. High ceilings, simple hard wood chairs and booths and huge windows flooding the interior with light are typical of this unpretentious restaurant, simply decorated with a few maritime prints of fish or ships on the walls.

All the desserts ($6) are homemade, served with half a plate of whipped cream, and well worth saving some room for. A classic brownie a la mode with vanilla ice cream is a satisfyingly rich, dark brown slab of chocolate.

The waitress specially recommended the apple cobbler (also a la mode) as her personal favorite. I had another great favorite, the key lime pie – a generous wedge of thick, tangy lime curd accompanied by cream on top of a cinnamony graham cracker crust that crumbles deliciously as it enters the mouth. This meal will keep me in seventh heaven for a while to come.