Successful Spin-Off Acquires Cult Following
Apr 24 '01
The Bottom Line Extremely popular seafood restaurant located on a charming corner of West Village. Huge storefront windows provide ample people-watching opportunities. Wonderful place to mix with locals in a laid-back setting.
It has been said that a house divided cannot stand. If you want proof to the contrary, just take a stroll by Mary's Fish Camp on any given night around, say 8 p.m.
Mary's Fish Camp is the name of a new West Village restaurant opened by Mary Redding, former co-owner of the Pearl Oyster Bar. Mary originally co-founded the Pearl Oyster Bar, a postage stamp-size, New England fish shack also located in the Village, with Rebecca Charles. After a while, Rebecca and Mary decided to part ways - rumor has it that it was not an amicable divorce. Rebecca remained at Pearl Oyster Bar while Mary decided to embark on a new restaurant venture, which resulted in the success story now known as Mary's Fish Camp. It is undoubtedly Manhattan's latest sell-your-mother-to-get-table restaurant.
If you've read my past review on Pearl Oyster Bar (http://www.epinions.com/rest-review-3941-15F5EC1E-3A11614C-prod2), you would know how amazingly popular that humble, no-reservations restaurant is. Having tried to obtain a table at Mary's Fish Camp last Thursday night, I can tell you that Mary's certainly matches and probably exceeds Pearl Oyster Bar in terms of popularity. We arrived around 7:30 p.m. and were told we had a 2-hour wait. No, we didn't stick around. And I'm glad we didn't because it definitely would not have been worth it.
Saturday morning, 11:55 a.m.: There was already a line of around 10 people outside the restaurant when we arrived. From the large storefront windows, I could see the servers setting the tiny slate-blue colored tables, tossing packets of oyster crackers on each one. It was a lovely, breezy day - perfect weather for dining in the West Village, one of the most charming neighborhoods in Manhattan - a little slice of Paris. It's one of the few areas in the city where the air actually smells of flowers in the springtime instead of garbage.
Some time between 12:10 and 12:15 a.m.: Finally the doors opened and a hostess stepped out asking if there were any parties of four or more. There was one family of six. They were seated first. Then the rest of the line began filing in. I noticed a number of single diners with newspapers in hand, who happily took their seats at the curved bar, which encircles a spacious open kitchen. All along the sides of the room, rows of couples were seated side by side on plywood benches and chairs. The tables were so tightly spaced that there was literally no room in between each block of tables. Picture three tables for two, pushed together to form a table for six and that's exactly what you have at Mary's Fish Camp. Obviously not the place for some private conversation.
Still everyone looked incredibly comfortable and relaxed. The restaurant presents a different picture of Manhattan than most people, particularly non-New Yorkers, would imagine (which is one of the reasons why I decided to post this restaurant review under the People Watching category). Almost all the diners were wearing faded jeans and slouchy sweaters or sweatshirts. Not in a fashionably underdressed way, but more like in a just-rolled-out-of-bed way. Low voices, little make-up, young children and 80's music gave the restaurant almost a small-town feel. If I were a visitor to New York, I think Mary's is the type of place I would choose to observe the locals going about their everyday lives - meeting friends, running errands, walking their dogs, etc.
Looking at the menu, I was struck by the similarities between Mary's Fish Camp and the Pearl Oyster Bar. The Salt Crusted Shrimp ($10) and the New England Clam Chowder ($6) that I tried at Pearl were present as well as the Fried Oysters and Clams ($9) and the now-famous Lobster Roll ($17). I had an odd feeling that I was witnessing the personal war between two chefs. It's not often that one finds two restaurants in the same neighborhood featuring the same style of food (food served at a New England seafood shack) with virtually the same menu and (as I would later discover) the same preparation. I wonder if Mary was laying out a challenge to Rebecca - daring her to try to retain their old customers. I decided to conduct my own taste test by ordering the exact same meal that I had at Pearl Oyster Bar.
Appetizers. I started with the New England Clam Chowder while Mr. Epicure decided to try the Lobster Knuckles ($9), a dish that is unique to Mary's. The consistency of Mary's Clam Chowder is very similar to Pearl's in that it is less creamy than most chowders. The soup is more like a milky broth. But it did not contain as many clams as Pearl's did. I encountered mostly potatoes cubes, which could have been chopped finer to match the dainty pieces of bacon and chives scattered in the soup. I also remember Pearl's chowder being more generous with the bacon, which really is the magic, transformative ingredient in this soup.
The Lobster Knuckles, which came highly recommended, should not be eaten without a bib. I'm serious! It was very messy. Each time Mr. Epicure cracked open one of the knuckles, I sat on the edge of my seat ready to dodge any flying particles. He liked the Lobster Knuckles. I thought the lobster meat could have been sweeter. Also, watching him eat them, I just didn't think those little shreds of lobster meat were worth the effort. But visually the dish did look appealing - a small plate piled high with bright orange, spindly knuckles accompanied by a tiny glass bowl of melted butter.
Entrees. I was torn between the Lobster Roll, which I've had before at Pearl and the Lobster Pot Pie ($18), one of Mary's new specialties. Actually, I've never tried Lobster Pot Pie before so I was leaning in that direction, but then our server convinced me otherwise. Mr. Epicure ordered the Pan Fried Cod Sandwich ($13) (lunch only). The Lobster Roll was quite disappointing. The lobster meat was drenched in mayonnaise, so that was all I tasted even though I noticed the presence of some finely diced crunchy green vegetables - is that celery under all that gop? It was served on a brioche, which may not have gotten so soggy if it had been toasted an extra few minutes. I kept wondering whether I would have been disappointed if I had not tried Pearl's superior lobster roll first, and I think the answer is still yes. The generous side of shoestring fries that accompanied the Lobster Roll was a nice consolation prize. They were delicious! Some time during the middle of our meal, Mr. Epicure (who had already finished his Cod Sandwich) glanced over and noticed that I was neglecting the Lobster Roll, focusing my energies on devouring each skinny little fry. As I expected, he offered to help me "take care of" the Lobster Roll, and I graciously motioned for him to dig in. It's so nice to have a reliable husband.
Obviously, he had polished off his Cod Sandwich rather quickly and with good reason. It's probably one of the best dishes on the menu. The cod was very tender and flavorful. Though it was fried, it was only slightly greasy (just enough to make it taste good), and Mary's version of tartar sauce, which included capers and bits of red onion, was fabulous. Served on a giant crusty roll, the Cod Sandwich was a super-size sandwich, which Mr. Epicure always considers to be a plus. The Cod Sandwich also came with a huge serving of those scrumptious shoestring fries. Scanning the surrounding tables, we noticed that the Lobster Roll is easily the most popular dish at the restaurant, and most folks seemed to love it.
Desserts. If only Mary didn't follow the Pearl Oyster Bar formula when it came to desserts. Clearly not a central focus of the restaurant, the dessert offering included an Ice Cream Sundae, a Tapioca Pudding, and a Blueberry Tart. As I watched the family of six picking at their desserts, I decided that I would save my appetite for a cupcake from the Magnolia Bakery, which is only a ten-minute stroll away (401 Bleeker Street, 212 462 2572). I highly recommend that you do the same. Magnolia Bakery is the best old-fashioned bakery in the city. Note that I used the term "bakery," not "pastry shop" (which are so much more ubiquitous these days). Magnolia Bakery is one of the few bakeries in this great multi-cultural city of ours which is as all-American as apple pie, featuring old-fashioned vanilla layer cakes with chocolate buttercream frosting, ice box cakes with chocolate wafers, banana pudding with nilla wafers, shocking red velvet cakes, cupcakes with pastel-colored icing and rainbow sprinkles....you get the idea.
Service. The servers at Mary's Fish Camp are a touch more professional and pleasant than the servers at Pearl Oyster Bar. They seem better coordinated for one thing. Our server was prompt in taking our drink order and food order, and she was helpful in providing recommendations. However, I was a bit puzzled why couples who were seated after us received their food before us (we ordered similar items), and no one ever offered to refill our water glasses during the course of the meal. At least I did not hear them rushing anyone for their table, which did occur at Pearl.
Summing Up the Comparison. Pearl Oyster Bar wins in the food category. Mary's Fish Camp wins in the service category. And Mary's wins in the ambiance category just for having that open kitchen and West Village locale.
An Added Note of Interest. There really is a fish camp called Mary's Fish Camp down in Spring Hill, Florida on the banks of the Mud River. On the back of the restaurant's menu is a list of prices and rules for Mary's Fish Camp in Florida. The fishing opens everyday at 8 a.m. You can rent poles for $2 - $5 per day and buy packs of frozen shrimp or mullet chum to use as bait.
Address: 246 West 4th Street (corner of Charles and West 4th), New York. NY
Telephone: 646-486-2185
Hours: Monday - Saturday, noon - 3 p.m., 6 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Reservations: None accepted. First-come, first-serve policy.
Attire: Casual
Kid Friendly: Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Epicure
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 100 members
About Me:
I generally avoid temptation....unless I can't resist it.
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