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Fishlips' tasty offerings just too good to bass up
| Thursday, May 29 2003 9:20 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Feb 10 2006 10:23 AM
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I missed Fishlips, that eccentric seafood restaurant that had a brief but impressive run at The Padre Hotel. Now that the old Alamo Tombstone is getting a face lift, Fishlips moved a couple of blocks east on 18th Street to a much larger nightclub-like location, with lots of pool tables.
I was pretty impressed by almost everything we tried, from a mere hamburger to the fish and chips to the sea bass piccata special. I haven't even touched on the amaretto bread pudding.
The new menu at Fishlips has seafood, but has added a lot more "bar food" offerings, such as a long list of hot sandwiches and burgers, and even 14 different salads including a Greek Cobb, a Waldorf chicken and a Breakers salad with blue crab and avocado.
The fish and chips are available with either cod ($8.75) or halibut ($10.75). I ordered the halibut and was given five chunks slightly smaller than a tennis ball, made with a beer batter that seemed lighter than the old Newcastle brown ale batter used at the old location. A good choice, though still not as perfect as what Mossman's Westchester Coffee Shop serves. I did like that the fish and fries were cooked in peanut oil, which always adds a nice taste.
The regular seafood entrees include grilled fish and crab-stuffed shrimp, but the sea bass piccata caught my companion's interest. It was a great choice: a generous filet of fish that was as fresh as you could ask, with a nice, light, lemony caper sauce on top. Another special of the day was the jerk salmon, which was intriguing.
My son ordered the bacon and cheddar burger ($6.95), but I was doubtful about the quality. With all the emphasis on seafood, could they pull off the beef? This was an excellent burger choice, thick with cheese, crowned with three pieces of great bacon on a toasted, high quality bun with a thick meat patty (at least a third of a pound, if not eight ounces).
Fishlips has a wine and martini list, and though it's a bar, the walls are decorated with lots of cool stuff: surfboards, album covers from '60s rock groups and license plates. It's a mix of the casual (atmosphere) with higher end (cuisine). I thought it was odd that my fish and chips and the burger with fries came in plastic baskets, but my companion's entree was served on a regular plate.
You must save room for the amaretto bread pudding, a hot and sweet treat that was so charming I thought it came from a more expensive restaurant.
Our waiter was simply excellent, a calm, centered young man who spoke softly and looked so calm I wondered if he just strolled out of his yoga class before work. He knew the menu, knew the kitchen and seemed capable of making solid recommendations. That's pretty impressive in a new restaurant.
Fishlips can be recommended for a fine dining experience.