Photos by WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers APPETIZING- Recipes at new dinner house incorporate flavors from throughout the Americas. Beyond the porthole windows on the double doors leading into Red Fish restaurant, the hostess stood in front of a wall of sheer white curtains, waiting to greet diners.

To her right, the "community table" designated for sushi bar-style dining was still empty, keeping the servers from offering diners an "amusebouche," a bitesize morsel that amuses the taste buds of those wanting to participate in a social dining experience.

To her left, a lounge with leather seats looked inviting to anyone hoping to enjoy, say, an Italian bubbly or some pomegranate mojito with some friends over appetizers.

It was 5:30 p.m., and dinner had begun a half-hour ago. Much of the restaurant magic was just behind the white curtains, within the lively kitchen and elegant dining room that would later be bustling with patrons savoring the signature flavors of the Red Fish menu.

ON DISPLAY- Red Fish's extensive wine collection can be viewed by passersby outside the restaurant. Tables, at left, are made of reclaimed wood from 800-year-old tree stumps. "The idea was to take contemporary seafood ideas from both coasts and build our recipes around old styles," said Brad Wood, general manager of Red Fish in Simi Valley and operating partner of the Spark Woodfire Grill team. "What we do here with (old-style recipes) is to bring it up a notch and make it our own."

Red Fish, which officially opened in the Simi Valley Town Center on Dec. 22, incorporates a mid to upscale seafood restaurant concept that was created by the owners of Spark Woodfire Grill in Studio City, Huntington Beach and Beverly Hills- Bill Chait, Jeff Sladicka, Danilo Terribli and Tom Shields.

The unique menu, which includes revamped favorites like macaroni and cheese topped with half of a mesquite-grilled lobster tail, was developed from scratch by Sladicka, Shields and executive chef Fredy Escobar with the idea of offering contemporary flavors found throughout the Americas.

"Basically, we wanted to create a recognizable menu and add our own contemporary spin to it," Wood said.

In the restaurant, the "spin" means preparing fresh fish daily in various styles- for instance, in a Peruvianstyle broth made of garlic, cilantro, lemon and shiitake mushrooms.

The jambalaya with jasmine rice is a clear favorite, with sizable pieces of chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp and clams simmered in a rich but light tomato broth.

Notable appetizers, costing between $10 to $15, include chilled oysters served with green apple jalapeno and grapefruit mint granita topping or the fried calamari, which is served with three different sauces- one of which is a habanero rice vinegar.

The wild prawn cocktail, consisting of three large prawns almost triple the size of a regular shrimp, is served with the house cocktail sauce, kicked up by some fiery horseradish.

Although the menu is certainly not cheap, the portions and the quality of the food make the price well worth it. Dinner for two can cost anywhere between $50 and $100, especially with the tempting selection of 150 wines, and desserts like the flourless chocolate hazelnut brazilia torte or the caramel apple cheesecake.

Still, a customer enjoys not only the fare but also the restaurant's casually elegant ambience, which was carefully designed by the owners and the renowned Osvaldo Maiozzi, who also designed Valentino at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas and all three Spark Woodfire Grill locations.

At Red Fish, the tables are made out of reclaimed wood from 800-year-old tree stumps. Each is adorned with small swatches of wheatgrass to help give the dining room a splash of color.

Modern white lamps hang from the ceiling; a single red lamp, seemingly placed at random, accents the general warm earth tones of the floor and walls of the restaurant.

Music, including classic Beatles' songs, streams at a pleasant volume from hidden speakers.

During their dinner, Simi residents Jim Kirby and Sherry Renker sat at the bar enjoying clam chowder. They decided to take an appetizer approach to dinner and were soon served a large dish of chilled oysters.

"We're very excited," Kirby said. "The ambience is nice, and the food is just 'wow.' I think we've found our answer for a really good restaurant in Simi Valley."

Red Fish is in the Simi Valley Town Center and opens for dinner at 5 p.m. every evening.

To make reservations, call (805) 823-4756 or visit sparkredfish.com or opentable.com.