Nearly every time I host out-of-town company, my visitors request that we suck down a meal along the water’s edge. If it’s bustle and bay views they want, I tote them to Island Prime. If they’re of the haughtier ilk, we end up at George’s on the Cove, which can be equally as expensive. For those who subscribe to the hyper-hip, martini-slugging dining scene, then JRDN on the Pacific Beach boardwalk takes the lead. And during high tides in particular, The Marine Room beats out all others, as the ocean laps dramatically at its fortified picture windows.

But when we don’t feel much like conforming to any sort of “scene,” I look to The Shores in the Sea Lodge Hotel because it offers a non-clamorous, fine-dining experience with the exact same view of the Pacific you’d get when lounging on the sand in a beach chair.

The spacious restaurant, in operation since 1970, recently underwent a mildly noticeable facelift. The dark terracotta walls and ceiling are now muted white and are easier on the eyes. Outdated padded rattan chairs have been replaced with smarter ones sporting cushy bottoms and blond-wood backs. And the menu, which appears at first glance like a list of old-school steak and seafood dishes, reveals cutting-edge sauces and witty ingredient combinations beneath its surface, all crafted by acclaimed executive chef Bernard Guillas and his ambitious chef de cuisine, Augustin Saucedo.

Guillas, who hails from Brittany, has garnered copious cooking awards and recognition for his iconoclastic cuisine and fund-raising efforts. He bops back and forth from the nearby Marine Room, where he also serves as executive chef. At The Shores, however, he’s put more of an emphasis on steak (all Angus) but without waving goodbye to seafood. “Both are hot right now,” he says. “So we’ve combined them.”

The new menu features the inclusion of Vermont Cheddar mashed potatoes and green beans Almandine with each entrée, not to mention a short list of shareable a la carte sides such as Oven Roasted Tomatoes Provencal, Whipped Butternut Squash with maple butter and, of course, Classic Creamed Spinach. They’re the homey additions that pair swimmingly with the menu’s gourmet underbelly.

From the “first plate” category, my companion and I picked happily from a plump Louisiana Blue Crab Cake, which I normally pass up these days simply because I’m burnt out on them. But when served in silky vermouth cream that’s speckled with Andouille sausage and cubed sweet potato, they’re far more titillating. Another starter, Kobe Short Rib Stuffed Portobello Mushroom, is a genius creation yielding shredded slow-braised meat inside, with the mushroom perched in a sweet barbecuey muscat sauce. A thin melt of tangy aged cheddar cloaks the fungi while candied shallots add a poignant touch. The wilted spinach underneath, however, seemed unnecessary to the dish’s overall texture scheme.

We also tried the Maine Diver Scallops – fat, fresh, lightly opaque and augmented with artichoke-garlic butter. But we felt overly teased by the few bits of prosciutto, which set off wedding bells when eaten in unison with the mollusks.

As you may have noticed in upscale establishments, the era of “the salad wedge” is upon us – and I don’t mind if the trend sticks around for another year. Our second course heralded a baby head of crisp iceberg lettuce split in two and drizzled lightly with delicious walnut dressing and a sprinkling of good, chewy bacon and super-creamy Maytag bleu cheese crumbles. Very satisfying, as was a cup of Santa Fe Chicken Soup that put in concert the flavors of an enchilada, veggie burrito and quesadilla all in one bowl. The tomatoey broth was balanced beautifully by cilantro and avocado, and thankfully only lightly salted.

My companion forged ahead with an 18-ounce T-bone steak of excellent quality. It was served with a trio of sauces: a cabernet reduction that could have been reduced a tad further to burn off its raw wine flavor, a heavenly Béarnaise thickened perfectly and tinged with just the right amount of tarragon, and a stone-ground mustard aioli that imparted a salivating pungency to the meat.

I chose 5 Spice Ono for my entrée, a white fish known as Wahoo that’s found largely in Hawaiian waters. As many might assume, the spice dusting isn’t of the familiar Asian persuasion, but rather a spunky mix of Madras curry, cumin, chili powder, paprika and black pepper that suited the medium flavor of the fish superbly.

In addition to the cheddar mash and green beans included with our entrées, we opted for a medley of herb-spiked mushrooms sautéed in white wine, olive oil and garlic. As expected, the shrooms complimented the steak much better than my fish, while an order of shoestring truffle fries proved more versatile although we couldn’t detect the truffle oil.

Liqueur-laced coffees and other libations fill the “after dinner delights” menu card, although we instead zeroed in on a lively Vanilla-Blueberry Crème Brulee sealed with maple sugar crust and a Hot Molten Chocolate Cake accompanied with Rocky Road ice cream.

Whether you visit The Shores for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you’ll come away feeling like you’ve had a gourmet day at the beach.