Wednesday, February 25, 7:00 pm
Members $90, guests $115

It’s a family affair. Chef Christian Schultz helms the cozy Academy Ocean Grille together with his longtime business partner (and father), Walter Schultz. The front of the house, as well as the wine selection, is in the hands of brother Matthew. Chef Schultz’s approach is to “treat my patrons as personal guests of my home.” Please come to our home at 167 West 12th Street to enjoy Schultz’s Lenten Seafood feast.

In 1981, the family opened Christian’s on Cape Cod, not long after its namesake had graduated from the CIA. (Mom, Alison, gets the interior design credits.) Set in the 1818 home of sea captain Isaiah Lewis in Chatham, the popular eatery soon expanded to include Upstairs at Christian’s, a nightspot serving bistro fare. Cape Cod may be better known for roadside fried clams than fine dining, but Boston Magazine’s Paul Fischer declared Christian’s “worth getting a little gussied up for.” Elegant dishes such as Sole Française (egg-dipped sautéed sole topped with lobster, and finished with a citrus beurre blanc) and Clams Christian (local littlenecks broiled with macadamia nut butter, garlic, dried apricots, Westphalian ham, and Parmesan) won Schultz loyal fans. And while he concentrated on a round-the-world roster of impeccable fish dishes, the restaurant was also locally famous for its succulent roasted duck.

But in 1997, Schultz and family left restaurant life and tried their collective hand at other food enterprises, including an ambitious sweet potato chip snack food venture (that’s another story). It didn’t take Schultz long to start missing the nightly action at the stove. By 2000, the family had abandoned the chip business, returned to the Cape from North Carolina, and refocused on their true love—restaurants. Last year, Zagat hailed the family’s latest effort, Academy Ocean Grille, as “another real winner.” The restaurant, it wrote, is a haven for “discriminating palates” who appreciate “mouthwatering, seafood-slanted Continental classics.” Count us in. Yankee Magazine added that “unless you grill it onboard, fish can’t get any fresher than at the Cape’s only restaurant featuring line-caught fish.” Patrons of Christian’s are happy to see that many of their old favorites have made themselves at home on the menu at the Academy Ocean Grille. After all, it’s all in the family.