Though I love dining out and enjoying good food, it can be even better if the restaurant is also socially and environmentally conscious. I recently ate at Turner's Seafood Grill & Market in Melrose, which not only has good food but also is concerned about sustainability and related issues. Turner's Seafood, which opened in 1994, is a family business and their mission is to "to serve you the freshest, best tasting seafood you've ever eaten with the promise to remain authentically New England."

The restaurant, open for both lunch and dinner, has a very casual ambiance, with a dining room and oyster bar. There is a fully stocked bar, with a diverse list of cocktails, and a small, but generally inexpensive, wine list. The food menu has an extensive list of choices, something for everyone, though it can almost feel overwhelming.

I was an invited guest at a recent media dinner, and we began our meal with a selection of shared appetizers. First, we received a small tower which included some Barnstable Oysters, Shrimp Cocktail and Asian Nachos. The oysters were tender and good, with a slightly sweet flavor, while the shrimp was plump and seemed fresh. The Nachos consist of yellow-fin tuna sashimi, atop a fried wonton, with Asian slaw, wasabi cream, and candied ginger. The silky tuna contrasted well with the crunchy wonton and slightly spicy wasabi. 

Paired with these initial appetizers, we sipped on some Les Classages D'Or Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine, a crisp white wine with bright apple flavors and some minerality. Muscadet is a perfect choice for oysters and other raw seafood.      

We then moved onto two more appetizers, Fried Clams and Scallops Wrapped in Bacon. The clams were excellent, with a light, clean coating and no grittiness. The Scallops were also very good, with crisp, meaty bacon covering tender scallops.    

For our entrée, we were able to select anything off the menu. November was Lobster Fest at Turner's and it happened to be the last day of November so there were plenty of lobster specials available. So, after some deliberation, I chose the Lobster Pie, which I note is on their regular menu too. This dish is accompanied by mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

I dislike ordering whole lobsters at restaurants because it can be messy. So, I am much more likely to order something like lobster pie. Lobster pie usually comes in a roughly oval casserole dish but the Turner version is served in a small, deep bowl.  It thus looks less like a lobster pie and more like a bowl of lobster meat. The half-pound of meat is topped with a light coating of cracker crumbs and a butter sauce. It is a tasty and moist dish, certain to please the lobster lover, and there is plenty of meat. It may not look like the usual lobster pie, but you won't care while you are savoring it.

At this point, we moved onto another wine, the Trevor Jones Virgin (unoaked) Chardonnay, a crisp and flavorful white wine which also is a nice pairing for seafood.          

For dessert, we enjoyed an assortment of sweets, including Fallen Chocolate Cake, Nutty Bourbon Bread Pudding, and Pumpkin Cheesecake. All were quite good, from the rich chocolate of the Fallen to the autumn spices of the cheesecake. Even though I generally am not a fan of cheesecake, I really liked the Pumpkin. My favorite though was the bread pudding, which just had the perfect blend of flavors and textures. 

Service was excellent and we got to chat with Kathi Turner, one of the owners.  Kathi is very knowledgeable and passionate, and discussed Turner's recent collaboration with the Cape Ann Fresh Catch, a Community Supported Fishery.  Kathi also states that all of the seafood served at Turner's is sustainable, an issue I will be following up with her for more information. So, not only can you enjoy some good food here, but you can also feel good about their seafood practices. 

Richard Auffrey writes about food in the Boston area and beyond at The Passionate Foodie.