It being the crab festival, we started with the crab-stuffed mushrooms. That's what they're called, and that's what they are: fat white mushrooms, basking in melted butter and hollowed out just enough to accommodate a scoop of strong, sea-tasting crab.

While my husband enjoyed his steak, served with creamy browned potatoes au gratin, Wendy was discovering the joys of the ahi tuna. This Hawaiian fish, served just-seared, with a deep red interior, was given a lovely Asian flavor with sesame seeds and a softly aromatic soy-ginger sauce.

I stayed with crab-stuffed shrimp. I expected them to taste like the mushrooms, but they were totally different. For one thing, there was more "stuffing" than shrimp, and this is a good thing: big, butterflied shrimp, wrapped around fat miniature crab cakes with a gently browned outside. With it was a bouquet of romanesca, spiky green (and delicious) punk-rock cauliflower.

We shared two desserts, a mountain of dense, multilayered chocolate cake and, my favorite, the simple and sophisticated vanilla ice cream with fresh berries and light-golden sabayon sauce.

Dinner: Fresh shellfish $10.99/half dozen and $19.99/dozen, seafood cocktails and appetizers $4.99-$13.99, salads $9.99-$19.99, fried seafood $12.99-$19.99, specials $17.99, pasta $14.99, entrees $19.99-$46.99, kids' meals $5, desserts $5.99-$6.99.

Market Street Grill

Rating: *** 1/2
Where: 10702 S. River Front Pkwy., South Jordan (other locations at 48 W. Market; 260 S. 1300 East; and 2895 E. Cottonwood Pkwy.)
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; 5-10 p.m.
Friday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; 5-10:30 p.m.
Saturday, 4-10:30 p.m.
Sunday, 4-9 p.m. (brunch 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Payment: Major credit cards accepted; no checks
Phone: 302-2262
Web: www.gastronomyinc.com
Wheelchair access: Easy; watch for stairs in several locations
Also: Reservations accepted; takeout and fresh fish and desserts available at most locations

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Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret Morning News.

E-mail: skratz@desnews.com