Oceanfront dining in metro San Diego is extraordinarily limited when you consider the lengthy stretch of coastline that straddles the “prettier side” of our city. Basically, there’s Quig’s in Ocean Beach or the Green Flash in Pacific Beach (if you insist on calling that dining). And restaurants along San Diego Bay don’t count if you’re catering to visitors who insist on seeing whitecaps with their shrimp cocktails.

So where does one turn for more tables with ocean views?

Well, you head to the breakaway municipality of La Jolla and tell your sun-starved guests that they’re still in San Diego. Then slip them through the lobby of the Sea Lodge hotel and into the Shores Restaurant — and the vast Pacific suddenly bears its soul to you.

Though built in 1977, the somewhat outmoded motif feels similar in grandeur to its nearby older sibling, The Marine Room. Every window points to the water. Seating is cushy. And the menu bears the machinations of famed chef Bernard Guillas, who reigns over the kitchens at both restaurants with an approach that unites uncommon ingredients with standard fine-dining fare.

In fact, just after grumbling to a friend last week that I’ve grown sick to death of Grilled Ahi everywhere, I found myself reveling over Guillas’ version, which comes coated in a bewitching fennel pollen spice. The fish was expertly presented by Chef de Cuisine Augustin Saucedo, who tipped us off to the restaurant’s extravagant seafood buffet on Friday evenings. For $24.95, patrons can enjoy an unlimited repast of paella, shrimp, mussels, sushi, crab and of course, Ahi.

While my dining companion moved on to a bowl of savory Santa Fe Smoked Chicken Soup garnished with thin tortilla strips, I gorged on one of the nicest appetizers I’ve seen in months – a Slow-Roasted Artichoke Salad arranged beautifully around Buffalo mozzarella, smoked balsamic onions and high-quality prosciutto. You can easily forgo a dinner salad once this plate hits the table.

From the “meat, fish and fowl” list, my companion chose the oh-so-tender Braised Colorado Lamb Osso Bucco — a nearmedieval presentation of a hefty shank with its savage bone protruding upward. The meat was perfectly moistened with an excellent Zinfandel sauce, and served with pleasing candied root vegetables and a somewhat lifeless amalgamation of polenta and Gouda cheese.

An unexpected “club sandwich” on the menu caught my eye, although it hardly resembled anything you’d find in a diner. The creation featured two jumbo slices of grilled sourdough bread filled with luscious crab cakes, apple smoked bacon, avocado and arugula. A scant slathering of citrus-saffron mayonnaise inside resulted in a perfect chemistry of flavors.

Some of the other brilliantly contrived entrees are Shrimp Tequila Pasta made with black bean linguine and dressed up with duck sausage and lime-herb sauce. Thyme and Potato Crusted Sea Scallops also seem refreshingly out of the ordinary, as does the Charbroiled Filet Mignon served with dried fig marmalade.

The restaurant recently introduced three new dining options outside the regular menu. Customers arriving between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. on Mondays through Wednesdays will receive a free first course with their sunset entrees, which are priced from $11.95 to $17.50. Surf-and-turf specials are offered on Thursday nights, and on Sunday evenings the kitchen offers three-course Maine lobster dinners that include dessert. The cost for either is $24.95.

Additionally, Chef Saucedo has created a special four-course Valentine’s weekend menu ($45 per person) for couples seeking that classic romantic backdrop to their meals. If you’re weighing the possibilities for only a drink and dessert, the restaurant’s loungy bar offers the same killer ocean views as the spacious dining room.

And speaking of dessert, the fruit cobblers here are made with traditional graham cracker crusts – a dreamier recipe compared to those topped with oats and granola. Also, the “After Dinner Delights” menu features a variety of coffee drinks spiked with rum, Frangelico or Crème de Cacoa. We chose instead a snifter glass of Italian Sambuca with three coffee beans resting at the bottom. Whenever you can plant your caboose this close to the shore for dinner, why not end it with a bang?