FISH

[angevin]

I’ve been a lurker here for some time now, but decided to join and finally chime in. Last night I decided to pop into Fish at 17th and Lombard (previously the Astral Plane location) for an impromptu supper at the bar.

I started with a Prosecco and ordered oysters – 2 each of 3 different kinds that I asked my server/bartender to choose for me. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which ones were served up, but 2 were East Coast and 1 West. They were delicious and all different. My only complaint was that I wasn’t told that the condiments served with the oysters would be on the oysters; the Banyuls Mignonette overpowered them. Far better was the Cucumber-Lemon Mignonette, but I’ll remember to ask for both on the side next time.

Along with a glass of Chardonnay, I ordered the Lobster Bolgnese with cavatelli, which was on the appetizer list. It was pretty good, but not much lobster and much tarter in flavor than I would have expected. I also ordered a side of brussel leaves, sautéed with pancetta – bright green, tender and absolutely wonderful. Another highlight was the goat’s milk butter that was served with the bread. This was pure white, light and fluffy, with a slight hint of what I would describe as a coconut flavor. It was deliciously salty – I think they may have added some crystals of sea salt.

The bill with tax and tip was $65 – a bit steep for what I’d consider little more than a hearty snack – I could see spending close to $100 for a full meal. However, the atmosphere was nice with a cool vibe. And service was excellent. I’d love to hear from others to know whether I should go back for the...well...

fish.

Edited December 29, 2009 by angevin (log)

[tim e]

My wife and I went a few weeks ago, and had an excellent meal. I don't recall what my wife had, but I started with half a dozen oysters (3 Skookums and 3 west coast) and was also disappointed that the mignonette was served already on the oysters (which were excellent). My main course was sauteed skate with truffled spaetzle and parmesan broth. Between the truffles (sliced on top of the fish, and minced into the spaetzle) and the broth, it was umami heaven. I had a glass of NZ sauvingon blanc with the oysters and Chardonnay with the skate. It's definitely a little pricey, but we look forward to trying it again.

[philadining]

A couple friends and I went a few weeks ago too, and liked it quite a lot, so the short answer to the original question is, yeah, you should go back and try more. The only hesitation I have is that I think we were more impressed with some of the early courses than with the mains, but everything was solidly good.

We were actually quite knocked-out by the crudo selections, artfully served n big blocks of pink salt. It made for a nice presentation, and we liked how the fish seemed to pick up some saltiness from the serving piece.

We also had scallops, which were quite good. I was shocked to hear that there were NO crudos on the menu when one of our party returned a short time later. I hope that was a temporary situation, they were the strongest part of our very good meal.

The beet salad was much more tasty than one would expect, and it wasn't just because of the crunchy chicken skin. I'm a little tired of this dish, it's not exactly rare on contemporary menus, but I'm glad we got it, they do a very nice job with it here.

The octopus carpaccio has gotten a lot of attention, and it's certainly unique, and interesting, although we found it a little bland. However, one person from our party ordered it again at another visit and said it was much better, so maybe ours was uncharacteristic.

The mains were very good, but not quite as unique as the starters. The salmon was rather blah, just not a fabulous piece of fish, despite the hearty preparation that included roasted brussles sprouts.

We liked the Suzuki much more. It was served with a slightly spicy broth and orzo.

And the cod was good too, with a Spanish-tinged stew of sausage and potatoes. Our understanding is that the specific fish and preparations were likely to change day-to-day, depending on what product was best.

All the fish was cooked a little further than we might have wanted, if you prefer it on the medium-rare side, it might be worth mentioning.

And unless one of your dishes includes it, I'd recommend ordering the spaetzel with truffles, it was very hard to stop eating that!

And try to leave room for dessert. They have the chef's mom imprisoned in the basement, baking. I hate to contribute to such cruel treatment, but if it's resulting in fantastic apple tarts like this, perhaps I can turn a blind eye.

I forget what wines we had, but they were both very good. It's an interesting, well-chosen list, and the mark-ups are fairly reasonable for this context.

So, I'd say, yeah, go back, have a full meal, and let us knwo what you thought!

Edited December 30, 2009 by philadining (log)

[angevin]

Thanks so much guys - especially for the pictures! I didn't see the crudo on the menu during my visit, but I did the Octopus. I refrained from ordering that because I do find, like you, octopus to be a bit bland unless it's chargrilled with lots of salt and olive oil.

I will return!

[percyn]

Wow, looks good.

Do they have a website? (A quick google search did not yield any results).

What is their seating capacity?

[Andrew Fenton]

Those dishes all look great, Phil. I'm a fan of Little Fish and have been wanting to get to the new spot for what seems like ages now.

Just out of curiosity, though: does anybody know how one cleans a serving platter made of salt?

[angevin]

http://www.fishphilly.com/

[angevin]

Anyone know what's going on with Little Fish? I had a reservation for the tasting dinner on the 25th and they'd tranferred it to fish. on Lombard. Apparently Little Fish is closed, hopefully only temporarily.

[mrbigjas]

they closed bc the building was unstable. they're moving somewhere nearby -- michael klein wrote about it so if you search the inquirer or foobooz or mealticket or something you should be able to find the info.