NYCReview
This stretch of Bleecker Street has always been somewhat of a mystery to us. There are a handful of great restaurants around here, especially if you're heading to Cornelia Street. But there are also a whole bunch of random places that we walk by all the time and wonder who actually eats there. In a lot of cases, foot traffic and tourism seem to keep the lights on. But some restaurants manage to thrive on just one good idea. A gluten free risotto restaurant? Why not?
For Fish, that one good idea is their "Red, White, and Blue" special. Basically, it's six oysters or clams and a glass of house wine or PBR for eight bucks. That's a great deal, and the neighborhood definitely takes full advantage - Fish does a good business. We happen to love oysters and good deals, so we made our way in to check the place out. Unfortunately we weren't impressed. Other than that trademark special and decently priced lobsters, Fish was disappointing. We found pretty much everything we ordered to be supremely mediocre, and in some cases surprisingly bad. The crab cake and the lobster roll both lost out in popularity to the fries next to them on the plate. The ceviche was loaded with filler and somehow still bland. We definitely expected more from this neighborhood favorite. On the other hand though, this is one of those places that you can't be too overly critical of -you just have to know what it's good for: cheap oysters and a beer...and that's about it.
Food Rundown
Oysters
These are good and cheap. Order many and live happy. Our only complaint is that the Kumamotos were on the small side.
Scallop Ceviche
A big serving of sliced scallops piled up with an insane amount of cilantro, jalapeño, and scallions. Way too heavy on the fixins and too light on the acid. Skip this.
Crab Cake
This thing isn't pretty. It's a brownish-red hockey puck and has a vague salty crabby taste that isn't all bad, but it's also not particularly good.
Lobster Roll
Too much mayo and spices mask what we're pretty sure was some tasty lobster in there. This thing is messy too. Don't bother.
Christian's Paella
This is the single largest serving of paella that I have ever seen that wasn't made for an entire Spanish village or the Guinness Book of World Records. Forty bucks gets you a massive plate of seafood paella that's chock full of calamari, mussels, shrimp, clams, and half a lobster tail. Portions like this are why poor countries hate us.