NYC — Spring 2017: Crave Fishbar

Hello! Hope all my fellow Canadians are enjoying their Victoria Day weekend! I'm back from my annual New York trip, and as per tradition, I will be posting about all the food adventures I had. (I did not bring my camera with me on this trip because I felt like it would be too much to carry around with me, so all the photos in these upcoming food posts were taken with my iPhone 7 Plus.) When my friend Ronsee and I finally arrived at Newark at 10:30 on Thursday morning, took a cab into Manhattan, and checked into our hotel, the city was in the middle of a heatwave (it reached about 34°C by noon) and we wanted nothing more than to take a long nap in an air conditioned room. But hunger persevered, so I looked up recommended restaurants in Midtown East (where we were staying) and settled on Crave Fishbar.

Rice dusted Point Judith calamari
Red crab tostada
Fried fish sandwich
We opted for the lunch prix fixe, which consists of an appetizer and a sandwich for $25. We decided to share our appetizers, so we chose the calamari and the red crab tostada. The calamari, lightly battered and crispy, is tossed in a zesty Thai miso sauce, with mung bean sprouts adding a nice crunch and Aleppo chile giving it some heat — one of the most fresh, unique variations of calamari I've had. The tostada consisted of fresh chunks of red crab meat, smashed avocado, chopped romaine, fresno chile, and micro cilantro atop a crispy mini tortilla shell that made for an incredibly tasty and addictive starter. I probably could've eaten another eight of those. As for my main, I decided on the fried fish sandwich, which is made with tempura-battered local spiny dogfish, creamy tartar sauce, crunchy pickles, and shredded lettuce on a potato roll. The fish was perfectly cooked, tender and flaky, with a gorgeous crispy golden shell — this would be excellent on its own with some fries/chips as well. I don't think I've had spiny dogfish before, but it's delightful despite its hideous name. The potato roll was also a good choice to use for the bun, since it has an airier, fluffier texture that keeps the sandwich from being too heavy but is sturdy enough to support all the ingredients in between. What made this the perfect fried fish sandwich, though, was the addition of pickle slices. It adds a tangy-sweet flavour and an amazing crunch that works well with the texture of the fish and the bun. Just one of the most harmonious fish sandwiches I've ever had.
The space can feel cramped because it is consistently busy, but it does feel cozy and has a cute open patio. Our server was really lovely and pleasant, and though it took her some time to come back to our table to take our orders and get our drink refills because it was so busy, she did check in on us regularly to make sure everything was good. Crave Fishbar is actually one of the most popular raw bars in Midtown East, so I'd be inclined to come back just to try the oysters (they have a $1 oyster happy hour!)... but maybe not during a heatwave. 

Crave Fishbar 945 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10022 (646) 895-9585

Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill

So, after taking nearly an hour getting downtown and another hour trying to find parking for The Ex (we lined up for two parking lots, and both times, they put up the "lot full" sign just as we got to the entrance — needless to say, we were getting more frustrated and hungrier by the minute), Edward, Ronsee, and I decided to forget going to The Ex this evening and decided to drive to the Distillery District for dinner instead. After walking by several restaurants, we decided to go to Pure Spirits 'cause they still had room on their patio.
South Lake Oysters
We weren't technically looking for an oyster bar for dinner and I know we had oysters only a couple days ago, but we couldn't go to an oyster bar and not get oysters, you know? Their special today just so happened to be a half-dozen premium oysters for $16, so we just decided to get those. Today, they were offering South Lake oysters, which are from PEI and are described as "meaty, with lobster meat-like finish." As I am still quite the newb at eating oysters, I cannot say that they were particularly lobster-like at all, but they were on the saltier, brinier side that is characteristic of East Coast oysters. Not my favourite in the oyster world as I prefer sweeter, creamier oysters, but these were still refreshing and satisfied any leftover oyster cravings I had — and definitely worth the $16 special price.
Bouillabaisse of Oven Roast Monkfish
After much debate, I decided to get the bouillabaisse as it's not something I eat often and I was feeling... seafood-y. The bowl is filled to the brim with oven roast monkfish, mussels, shrimp, salmon, fingerling potatoes, onions, and tomatoes in a saffron and absinthe infused broth, and topped off with a rouille en croute. I can't be sure how authentic it is, but the monkfish was firm and meaty (almost like a really tender piece of chicken, actually), the mussels and shrimp were fresh and tender, and the salmon was silky smooth and nearly melt-in-your-mouth. And even despite all of that deliciousness, it's the broth that's the real star here: rich with flavour, smooth, almost velvety. It's so addictive, in fact, that I had to take the remaining pieces of bread just to sop it all up (and I mean all of it — my bowl was completely dry and empty by the time I was done with it). Definitely pleased with my choice this evening. 
Crème caramel with poached tarragon-infused peaches and shortbread
Finally, as we were already quite full, we decided to share a single dessert to complete our meal. We decided on the special of the day, which isn't found on their regular menu: crème caramel with poached tarragon-infused peaches and shortbread. For those who have never had crème caramel, it's essentially like crème brûlée but with a layer of soft caramel on top rather than a hard shell of burnt sugar. The custard was soft but perfectly dense and firm enough to keep its shape (rather than falling apart on the spoon). The peaches are what really perfected this dessert, though, adding a fresh crispness that kept the dessert from feeling heavy. The cookie was rich and buttery but still lightweight and added a nice textural contrast to the dessert. This is definitely something they should consider adding to their permanent dessert menu, in my opinion. 
As we didn't actually step foot inside the restaurant at all, I can't comment on the decor or cleanliness of the interior, but the patio was lovely — spacious with big patio umbrellas over every table, clean and streamlined steel tables and chairs lining the space. I liked that the tables were spaced perfectly apart to give privacy to each party but close enough to fully utilize the area, and that they set candles at every table as it was turning dark. It also helped that it was a seriously beautiful night to be sitting out; the temperature was just perfect, the humidity dialled back and kept us warm but not uncomfortably so — this is what I love about summer. The service was polite and attentive (coming back at regular intervals to ask how our food was and to clean up our table), which I think is important when sitting on a patio because many servers end up forgetting to check up on their patio sections. I'm quite pleased with our choice for dinner tonight — it may not be deep-fried butter or doughnut cheeseburgers or gelato paninis or Nutella sweet potato fries (as I had expected to be devouring this evening), but you know, I really can't complain. 

Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill 17 Tank House Lane Toronto, ON M5A 3C4 (416) 361-5859

Diana's Oyster Bar & Grill

Edward had been wanting to get oysters for a couple weeks now, so despite the pouring rain this evening, Edward, Ronsee, and I drove into Scarborough to have dinner at Diana's Oyster Bar & Grill:
Platter of assorted oysters
Malpaque Oyster (Prince Edward Island)
Pacific Tiger Oyster (Washington State)
Kumamoto Oyster (Washington State)
Since none of us are oyster experts (nor do we pretend to be), we asked our server to give us a random selection of nine oysters, so they gave us three each of three different varieties. I thought they selected a good range of oysters for us to try, from clean and sweet (Malpaque) to meaty and earthy (Pacific Tiger) to creamy and sweet (Kumamoto). Served with lemon wedges, hand-grated horseradish, and an assortment of sauces. Super-fresh, clean, and shucked to order. They offer a ton of other oysters, too, so I think it's worth going back to try out some more. It's one of the best places to get oysters outside of the downtown core, at any rate.
Seared sea scallops with arugula and endive salad
I wasn't feeling super-hungry, so in lieu of a main dish, I ordered one of today's appetizer specials instead: jumbo sea scallops on a bed of arugula, endives, radicchio, and cherry tomatoes tossed in olive oil vinaigrette. The sea scallops were firm and perfectly seared with a tender, fleshy centre, topped with a zesty tomato sauce that complemented the seafood beautifully. The salad came in a generous portion (especially for an appetizer) and was fresh, crisp, and leafy — the tomatoes added a tart sweetness and the arugula offered a nice richness, while the radicchio contrasted with its bitter flavour and the endive rounded out the whole dish with a most satisfying crunch. Simple, but very well-executed, and pretty substantial for an appetizer, too. The restaurant is apparently newly renovated, offering a small and intimate but simultaneously sleek and streamlined dining area. Our server was nice and polite, though could have been a little more attentive especially given that she only had two other tables. Though I do think it says something about a restaurant when it has more than half of its dining room filled on a Tuesday night an hour before close when it is pouring outside. 
Who knew there was such a gem in Scarborough?

Diana's Oyster Bar & Grill 2105 Lawrence Avenue East Scarborough, ON M1R 2Z4 (416) 288-1588

John & Sons Oyster House

I met up with Liz yesterday for an early dinner (or, in my case, a late lunch) at John & Sons Oyster House:

Crab cake

Shrimp tacos

Since we got there early, they were still offering their happy hour menu, so we ordered the crab cake from the regular menu, and then three items from the happy hour menu since we wanted to take advantage of the cheaper prices. The crab cake was moist and packed with chunks of Dungeness crab, with a perfectly crisp and golden exterior, and served with a tart lemon aioli on top that complimented the crab well. But we both agreed that neither the quality nor the quantity merited a $15 price tag. For that price, the crab cake should have been at least the size of a hockey puck. The shrimp tacos that we ordered from the happy hour menu were beautifully presented, served with salsa and lime wedges on the side... but sadly, weren't as good as they looked. Texturally, I appreciated the contrast between the fleshy shrimp, crunchy cabbage, and crisp tortilla shell. But there was something missing. The shrimp was coated in a zesty-spicy marinade, and the cabbage was tossed in a tart vinaigrette, but there just wasn't enough sauce to hold it all together. It's like a sandwich that's too dry. Kind of disappointing, because they had so much potential.

Steamed mussels

Deep-fried oysters

The mussels were better, served classically steamed in a white wine broth with shallots, bacon, and fennel. I thought the quality of the mussels themselves could have been better — bigger, plumper, fleshier — but they were satisfying enough. We agreed that many restaurants serve mussels on par with these ones, though the quality and quantity might differ from the version on their regular menu. The unanimous favourite of the evening was the deep-fried oysters, golden nuggets of pure joy. The oysters were big and juicy, coated in spicy panko batter that gives off the perfect crunch, and served with the most addictive chipotle aioli (which I later spread on the shrimp taco to give it some more kick). I guess you should stick to oysters when at an oyster house, right? I'm not going to write off this place just yet because I don't feel like what we had tonight was really a fair assessment of the quality of their food, since their regular menu differs quite a lot from their happy hour menu. I mean, the place was packed by 5:00, so it must be popular for a reason. I think next time, I'll stick to the regular menu and try out the raw oysters while I'm at it.


John & Sons Oyster House
56 Temperance Street
Toronto, ON M5H 3V5
(416) 703-5111

NYC — Autumn 2012: Aquagrill

We were dead set on having lunch at Pearl Oyster Bar during this trip (they're the "home of New York City's best lobster roll," after all), so we decided to go after our little excursion to the MAC Pro store. We took a cab there and what do you know, they're closed for a week because they're on vacation. (What?! Since when do restaurants close to go on vacation?!) So then we decide to walk to Blue Ribbon in Soho since it was highly recommended by a bartender we had chatted up a couple nights before at Maxwell's. When we got there, we found out that they open at 4:00 because they only serve dinner. We would've waited had we not had to get to the airport for 5:30, but no, luck was just not on our side that day.

So, given that we were in Soho, I took the girls to Aquagrill, which was as close to Pearl Oyster Bar as we were going to get. (I remember the place because I passed by it everyday when I stayed at the Trump Soho back in April. I wanted to try it then but it was always packed and I always got too hungry to wait.) We got there around 2:45, and originally, the host wasn't even going to seat us because they stop serving lunch at 3:00. We were turning to leave when the bartender said we can sit at the bar and still order lunch as long as we do it within 15 minutes. So, we each sat on a barstool and ordered within five minutes of arriving.

Oysters: Martha's Vineyard (Massachusetts) and Komo Gway (British Columbia)

I really wanted to try the oysters since that's what Aquagrill is known for (they are continually on Zagat's Top Raw Bars list), so I asked our waitress for some recommendations since I'm a oyster-eating newbie. She recommended I try one from the West coast, Komo Gway, and one from the East, Martha's Vineyard. Both were really good, but I preferred the one from British Columbia since the other one was more salty and briny. The waitress was like, "Oh, you're a West coast girl, then, huh? You prefer them sweet and creamy." Oh, man, it took me so much not to make a dirty joke just then.

Grilled Rare Yellowfin Tuna Sandwich

Maine Lobster Sandwich

Wynnie and I decided to share two sandwiches. Her choice was the grilled rare yellowfin tuna, with avocado, arugula, and grilled onions on a ciabatta bun. The tuna was fresh, meaty, and tender, and perfectly seared on the outside. The avocado offered a nice creamy contrast to the fish, while the arugula added a lovely freshness, and the grilled onions added an addictive caramelized saltiness. For $14, I thought this sandwich was entirely worth it. In lieu of a lobster roll, I decided on the Maine lobster sandwich, which they charge by market price (that day, it was $26.50). I was like, "Damn, for that price, this better be an epic sandwich." And so it was. An entire lobster tail is encased in vegetable slaw and cayenne mayo, and served on a ciabatta bun. The lobster was soft and juicy and perfectly cooked, with the veggie slaw adding a nice vinegary zing and the cayenne mayo adding creaminess and spice. Positively glorious.

I'm not sure how good Pearl Oyster Bar is, but Aquagrill has amazingly fresh seafood that is simply but beautifully prepared, and at relatively reasonable prices. It satisfied any and all our seafood cravings and I would definitely visit it again.

Aquagrill

210 Spring Street

New York, NY 10012

(212) 274-0505

Rodney's Oyster House

The gang and I decided to venture downtown for dinner last night, and ended up at Rodney's Oyster House.

Raw oysters from P.E.I.

Raw oysters from Massachusetts

You can't go to an oyster house and not have oysters, am I right? I think this is the first real time I've had raw oysters — I remember having tried one when I was really young, maybe 8 or 9, but I have no recollection of how it tasted so I don't really count it. We asked our server what he recommended as first-timers, and he said to go with the P.E.I. ones. (They had an actual name, but I don't remember what they're called.) He told us that since it was our first raw oyster experience, we should have them without sauces — just a squeeze of lemon and some horseradish. So, we ordered one for the each of us, and I think we were all surprised at how tasty they were, delicately salty with a hint of sweetness. Surprisingly, the horseradish wasn't nasal-clearingly spicy; it just added a nice zesty kick. And the lemon juice just brightened the flavour of the oyster without making them really sour. We had such a good experience with that batch that we decided to order another round, so our server recommended the ones from Massachusetts. These ones had a stronger "sea" flavour than the P.E.I. ones, a little saltier, brinier. Also delicious, but I liked the P.E.I. ones a bit more.

"Johnny Bakes"

Lobster Club

Shawn and I decided to share two main dishes. The first one was called "Johnny Bakes," which was on their daily specials menu. Two fried Caribbean rolls are split and stuffed with a generous amount of ridiculously addictive warm salt cod and spicy shrimp chunks mixed in a flavourful creamy dressing and sprinkled with parsley. The rolls may not look like a lot, but don't let their smaller size fool you — one of those bad boys is way more filling than you think. They should seriously consider adding "Johnny Bakes" to their regular menu; it's just too good to be a temporary addition. The second main we shared was the Lobster Club, which is one of their signature dishes. Huge chunks of tender lobster lightly tossed in creamy dressing, perfectly crispy bacon, fresh lettuce and tomato, and a touch of mayo layered between lightly toasted bread. Even though I think it's more appropriate for lunch than dinner, it's one of the most well-executed club sandwiches I've ever come across, and I would certainly order it again (and again and again). As for service, our waiter was very nice, polite, informative, accommodating, and attentive but not cloying. And even though the prices aren't that friendly, the atmosphere was really fun and casual and I had an amazing experience.

Rodney's Oyster House

469 King Street West

Toronto, ON M5V 1K4

(416) 363-8105