Today I met a friend for lunch at The Fish in the West Village (next to Cork wine bar, just down from the newly opened Grimaldi’s. Has anyone been there yet? I’m dying to go. They’re not open for lunch, FYI). Anyway, I’ve only heard good things about this new place…but I thought it was pretty average. First of all, my friend and I were the only two people there the entire time (noon to one). This always makes me feel self-conscious. I drank about 17 glasses of iced tea because we were getting so much attention from the server. Secondly, I ordered yellowtail nigiri, and the fish definitely wasn’t that fresh. It wasn’t spoiled, but there was an unwelcome fishy aftertaste that I’ve never experienced before, and the texture was grainy. The salmon sashimi I ordered was beautifully presented on a bed of crushed ice, but the salmon still had pieces of the skin left on it. I’ve seen this before, and I always wonder if this happens as a result of less-than-perfect knife skills, a dull knife, or a combination of the two? Maybe SideDishers can help here. The miso soup and edamame were both fine (tough to mess up either) and the atmosphere seems like it would work at night (tall red banquettes, black leather booths, lots of outdoor seating). Maybe it’s just not a lunch place. Good service though.
On a sidenote: The bathrooms are so neat. The ladies room had a huge red settee in it, chandeliers that hang over the sinks, and elegant automatic faucets (who would’ve thought) that you don’t have to wave your hand in front of like a crazy person to get to turn on. Does anyone else have Fish experiences to share?
