It is comforting to know not only that we have a wine country restaurant specializing in fish but that the chef-in-charge knows fin from flipper about seafood.

Actually, it would have been a surprise had not Go Fish come off as an excellent addition to the wine country dining scene, considering the newest St. Helena restaurant and sushi bar is a collaborative effort of restaurant whiz Cindy Pawlcyn, general manager Sean Knight and sushi master Ken Tominaga.

Pawlcyn owns and operates a couple of the valley’s culinary hot spots — the tried-and-true Mustards Grill and comfort food haven, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen — while Knight served as executive chef for a time at the top-flight restaurant this venture replaced, Pinot Blanc. Tominaga has been satisfying sushi lovers at his popular Rohnert Park eatery, Hana Seafood Restaurant, for well over a decade.

When Go Fish opened last year, it was evident the partners were busy ironing out new venture kinks. The service on my initial visit was, well, to be kind, uneven. Some dishes were not well executed. For example, a Peruvian ceviche would’ve been more at home in Puerto Vallarta.

A few months later, the partners announced they had lured Victor Scargle away from his executive chef’s post at Julia’s Kitchen and that Scargle would man the stoves.

So we waited until Scargle had a chance to make his moves before we returned. What we found was what we expected.

Serving both lunch and dinner daily — as well as doing land office business at a Carrera marble sushi bar that zigzags into the spacious dining room — Go Fish is running like clockwork. There’s lots to choose from on the restaurant’s creative seafood menu and, based on what we eagerly wolfed down, it’s all good. And the service is absolutely super. We were greeted warmly, even without a reservation, and treated well by all hands even before the chef dropped by our table to say hello.

With a playful nautical design by noted Bay Area architect Howard Backen, Go Fish can accommodate 170 guests in its main dining room, broken up by chalkboards inscribed with denizens of the deep and a giant glass and wood screen (incorporating numerous fish species) that doubles as artwork. Metallic blue, black and yellow are the principal colors in the fabric of pillows and plush banquettes, the floor consists of tiny white tiles, and expansive wood-frame windows look out onto Highway 29 and nearby orchards and vines. Once the weather permits, a patio with outdoor bar will add to the mix.

Catch of the day

While the space is large, it nevertheless has a homey feel, underscored by the friendly knowledgeable service and a menu that embraces catholic tastes.

From raw bar to sushi, surf and turf to steamers by the pound, the culinary team has something for everybody.

If you’re in the mood for shellfish from the raw bar to start your meal, Go Fish offers a selection of fresh oysters from Left and Right Coasts, prawns from the Gulf of Mexico, Dungeness crab, Maine lobster and Littleneck clams. Market price aside for most, the diner can order a tasting platter for $21, which includes a couple of clams and oysters, a half dozen prawns and either half a crab or lobster.

There are plenty of options for meal starters, ranging from clam chowder ($9) to house-cured salmon with chive blinis and a winter fruit salad ($12). Fish and chips at Go Fish are deep-fried smelts and crispy fries ($9). A sensational dish from Scargle’s team is the almond wood-grilled Monterey Bay calamari served atop a stew of Emergo beans and fresh arugula ($11). The flavors and textures here are exceptional — from the smoky calamari to the earthy, sweet, giant white beans in a thick broth, seasoned by the addition of peppery arugula. This is a dish I’d order again and again.

The kitchen also prepares a variety of salads, from garden greens drizzled with Champagne vinaigrette ($9) to a smoked sturgeon Waldorf with candied pecans ($11). But the buzz among patrons I know is over the shrimp or crab Louie offering, served on traditional iceberg lettuce with cucumber, hard-boiled egg and a tangy pink sauce ($14 and $17, respectively).

Another fine way to kick things off is with a bowl of steamed Prince Edward Island mussels in a heady Thai coconut/curry broth ($13) — so good you should ask for a soup spoon. If you’re really hungry, you can add some linguine to the dish for an additional two bucks. Steamed Manila clams and Dungeness crab are also offered, and a garlic butter and white wine sauce is also an option.

For your main course, fish can be ordered “your way” or “our way.” You can choose to have one of a half-dozen fish offerings sautéed, wood grilled or poached, with a half-dozen salsa options to pick from as well. With prices hovering on both sides of the $20 mark, fish choices include sturgeon, striped bass, big eye tuna, Hawaiian ono, wild salmon and Alaskan halibut — whatever’s on the fishmonger’s scale today.

You’ll need to order a side dish or two (all $5, save for Japanese veggie tempura at $9) for these preparations, such as sour cream mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts with red onions, cilantro Basmati rice or Sean’s French fries.

If you want to let the kitchen prepare a fish, do try the miso-marinated black cod, a soft, silky fillet poached in shiitake broth, served on a sticky rice cake that’s been toasted, surrounded by shiitakes and baby bok choy ($24). Additional “our way” preparations ($18-$24) include crispy skinned Pacific snapper with carrot ginger consommé, sautéed local sole on fennel puree, East Coast haddock with winter vegetables and butter poached shrimp on forbidden rice with tamarind coconut broth.

Surf and turf options at Go Fish are ahi tuna with crispy sweetbreads and leek rosti ($26) and seared scallops with foie gras $27).

The wine list at Go Fish is a mix of Old and New World, offered by the glass, half and full bottles. Although reds do not get short shrift, the white offerings are exceptionally broad, ranging from crisp rieslings and gruner veltliners, floral viogniers and albarinos, to spicy gewurztraminers and buttery chardonnays.

I liked the half bottle offerings — about a dozen each red and white. For our recent dinner, my dinner partner and I enjoyed a local product — a crisp 2005 CrauforD sauvignon blanc ($17) — and a surprisingly delightful rousanne from eastern Washington, an unctuous, peachy wine from McCrea Cellars ($25).

Desserts at Go Fish are not an afterthought — no sirree! There are usually four or five to choose from ($7-$8), like the very essence of ripe pears found in the restaurant’s “delightful pear and brandy bread pudding.” Or the chocoholics will be more than happy with a bittersweet chocolate bombe, a lush, dense square of chocolate cake layered with chantilly cream. The other evening, choices also included lemon verbena panna cotta with quince doughnuts and huckleberry compote, plus a roasted banana/rum ice cream sandwich.

From wine service to meal service, attention to detail is the new drill it seems. Our server, Laci Kjellsen, a charming student at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone,  knew the menu well and provided helpful hints in selecting salsas for the fish (you can order more than one, gang) as well as information about the restaurant and menu — plus the all-important doggie bags for my eyes-are-bigger-than-stomach dining companion.

If you knew sushi ...

Popping in one afternoon, a co-worker (an admitted sushi fanatic) and I found a couple of seats at the sushi bar where we could watch the intricate handiwork of chef Tominaga and his talented cohorts.

Handed a menu containing some three dozen options for makimono (sushi roll) and half again as many choices of sushi and sashimi, we knew were in the right place.

We observed three masters of their craft — plating fresh seafood in tasty, attractive, really artful fashion.

Sashimi — sliced raw fish served with such condiments as ginger, wasabi and soy sauce — is usually the first course in the Japanese meal, and we followed custom. Because it’s served raw, only the freshest and highest quality fish is used for sashimi. And sashimi chefs are trained in slicing the fish in a particular way — depending on the variety — for the best presentation and eating enjoyment. After a few minutes’ observation, the diner knows full well the Go Fish team includes masters of the craft.

We let chef Tominaga put together a sashimi plate for us and were rewarded with big eye tuna, skipjack, amberjack, Atlantic scallop and Washington clam ($35). A veritable palette of contrasting flavors, textures and colors provided us with a marvelous introduction to the Go Fish sushi bar, along with a wonderful added treat —  tempting bites of slightly pickled “pointy-nosed” fish from Japan. We also had a chance to enjoy tiny, tempting Shiroebi shrimp from Japan, which are only available at certain times of the year.

Next we turned out sights and palates loose on sushi rolls, which range in price from $7 for a vegi roll to $20 for the Dragon (eel and avocado around shrimp tempura). We opted for the CP roll, deliciously crunchy sea eel tempura with carrot, cucumber and avocado wrapped in soy paper. Artwork on a plate, the Geisha roll pairs tuna with shrimp tempura, plus cucumber, tobiko and ikura (salmon roe) in soy paper that’s just ideal for dunking in the accompanying sweet sesame sauce.

Other items that merit attention include all manner of sashimi (ranging from $10 for octopus to $30 for blue fin tuna belly) and nigiri sushi (ranging from $5 for mackerel to $15 for toro). We loved chef Tominaga’s presentation of uni (sea urchin) sashimi in salt water. Nearby diners were oohing and aahing over steamed monkfish paté and octopus pancakes, which we’ll try on our next visit.

Wines by the glass and a wide selection of sake are ideal for sushi bar beverages.

Now that it’s running on all cylinders, Go Fish can be counted as one of the bright spots on Napa Valley’s culinary scene. Whether dropping in for sushi or tucking into a full meal in the dining room, you’ll be happy as a clam.

Go Fish is located at 641 Main St., St. Helena. For dining room reservations, call 963-0700.