DEARBORN. A Chuck Muer restaurant, Big Fish offers a trendy setting and one of the area's most attractive steamer and cocktail bars. The fun restaurant, whose modest prices and casual atmosphere help make it a local favorite, features "patio jazz" during warmer months and live entertainment throughout the year (in the lounge). Menu favorites include basil-tinged Salmon of the Angels; Oriental Steamer Basket with salmon, rock shrimp, and mussels; a hearty seafood cassoulet with shrimp, scallops, and crabmeat; and a daily fish special that they'll prepare any way you'd like ­ baked, blackened, broiled, cedar-planked, or sautéed.

TROY. The flagship of restaurateur Chuck Muer's fleet, Charley's Crab has been a Detroit-area favorite for more than a quarter of a century. Nautical decor ­ complete with sea-blue carpeting, smokestack light fixtures à la the <i>Queen Mary</i>, wood-paneled walls littered with seafaring artifacts and oddities, and even a few trees made from coral, shells, and sea urchins ­ lets you know immediately that you're in for a seafood feast. Indeed, Charley's features Maryland soft-shell crabs, California pink abalone with Mediterranean rice, and a delicious San Francisco-style cioppino ­ a shellfish stew with mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, and lobster.

GREEKTOWN. An adventuresome Cajun and Creole menu spices things up at this popular restaurant, whose ambience is all Big Easy. Treat yourself to a delicious Sunday brunch, and be sure to ask for a table near the waterfall. In keeping with the laid-back atmosphere of a Louisiana-style brunch, treat yourself to one of their perfectly mixed Bloody Marys too.

BIRMINGHAM. Open, light-filled, and peppered with yacht-evoking accents, Mitchell's serves fantastic seafood in a polished setting. Fish is flown in daily to ensure freshness, and the effort is much appreciated by diners. They contentedly tuck into ginger-crusted salmon, Chesapeake Bay crab cakes, New Orleans seafood stew, and hoisin-glazed yellowfin. Combination plates give tastebuds a flavor workout, and varying fresh catches can be grilled, broiled, blackened, or given a signature Asian kick. Great raw bar options too.

BIRMINGHAM. With its neighborly, convivial atmosphere, Streetside has become quite a local presence, and it's rare that you'll not find a crowd in residence. The cozy space boasts a copper bar, textured brick, and fish-themed accents; the menu, along with daily specials, presents delectable dishes whose preparations exhibit global influences. Among them are crawfish bisque, crab cakes, bouillabaisse, shrimp and lobster scampi, and potato-crusted whitefish. A manageable wine list is also available. Good bar scene.