Hi, y’ all! Welcome to Truluck’s of La Jolla, the seafood, steak and crab house, located in the Aventine, the brightest new addition to the already shining food scene in this village by the sea. If you detect a drawl or two amongst the personnel it’s because many of them are from the big state and veterans of the other Truluck’s — six in Texas, two in Florida, with a couple more scheduled this year down in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Although the emphasis is on seafood other items like rib eye, center-cut filet, medallions of Angus beef, New York strip and prime pork T-bone, all from Niman Ranch, along with poulet rouge chicken (for some strange reason listed along with the steaks and chops) done simply grilled or topped with Maine Peekytoe crab, as in filet of beef Oscar, or in the case of beef Rockefeller, medallions topped with spinach, fried fresh oysters and jalapeno béarnaise, a dish fit for a millionaire. Switch over to the seafood creations list and find simply grilled fish like New Zealand king salmon, black cod, Gulf red snapper and Texas redfish, then check out items like New England monkfish osso bucco, miso glazed black cod, trout almandine, sesame tuna, jumbo fried shrimp and grits (you know you’re in the South when you see that on a menu), cioppino (a seven fish feast) and the item that caught my eye, fresh Maine Lobster. Sorry, the Baja kind just doesn’t cut it for me. And of course, the Florida stone crab claws that come from fisheries in Naples, Fla. My first experience with those delights was more years ago than I care to talk about on a trip to Miami, where the first place to dine on everyone’s list was Joe’s Stone Crab with its delightful mustardy sauce. I never forgot it, and now it’s here and top of the line. Side dishes include crab mac and cheese, snap peas, creamed leaks, sweet potato fries and braised wild mushrooms — I had to sample the latter two and they were delish. By the by, on Mondays Truluck’s features all the medium stone crabs you can eat for $49.95 — and if the customers have appetites like mine, the restaurant will lose money. Let me back up a bit. Before I ordered, our server asked for drink orders and when I thought I would like a pinot grigio he suggested the Santa Margherita and, of course, he was right. There’s lots from which to choose: sparkling, dry whites, fruity ones, rosés and reds of every variety, plus groups of wine flights to make the choice easier. The full bar also features cocktails of every description along with piano music to set the mood. Back to the food, I decided to pass on the Brazilian Pacu fish ribs with watermelon barbecue sauce, although I was assured they were terrific, and began instead with the sautéed super lump crab cake. Other than the fact they are made with Dungeness, not Maryland, crab, it was spectacular with piles of meat, virtually no unnecessary filling but a heap of piquant spicy flavor — at least as good as those I’ve eaten in Maryland. There was an array of salads but I rarely order those out. Next up was the osso bucco, sans monkfish, also with a bit of a bite and definitely yummo. Now it was time for my lobster, male, as requested, broiled as requested and a healthy 2-pounder. Way to go, Truluck’s! By the way, did I mention that the Pacu fish ribs are related to the piranha? Manager Matt Huntsman (he’s single, gals) said they want to tantalize all the senses and that they do, from the elegant decor to the delicious food to the well-trained personnel. Ours, seeing that I was having difficulty reading the menu, lent me a lighted magnifying glass. What else can a lady ask for? Truluck’s is open seven nights a week until 10 p.m., 11 p.m. on weekends, at 8990 University Center Lane. For information, call (858) 453-2583.