It always feels like I’m apologizing for our lack of updates…well at least I have a legitimate excuse this time. I am now (for better or worse) no longer unemployed. What does this mean? Less time for updates…but on the flip side…more money to go out to eat! So if my lazy ass doesn’t get in my way, we can hope for some more updates. Now without further delay…
I’ve never been much of a Bobby Flay fan. Not since this whole debacle. (Namely, 3:30) Apparently he excels equally at both Southwestern cuisine and general douchebaggery. Sure sure, it was years ago and he may very well be a different man now. But I mean, seeing that, do we really still need to wonder why the rest of the world thinks of Americans as the rude, brash, annoying, uncouth nouveau riche? This is a grim picture of America’s cultural ambassadorship.
Well, if he’s good for one thing, it’s for leading me into this entry. See, as any of you Food TV’ers out there know, Bobby’s now doing a show called Throwdown, where he goes throughout the country, challenging people to various dish specific cook-offs. As it turns out, Phil’s Fish Market, near Monterey, CA, is the site of Bobby’s cioppino battle, going toe-to-toe against owner Phil DiGirolamo himself. (Incidentally, I caught an episode where Bobby battles previously reviewed Mama Testa’s owner Cesar Gonzalez. Cesar wins.) I don’t actually remember who wins the challenge, but this was all the context I had while visiting Phil’s Fish Market myself a few weeks ago.
Well one thing’s certain. Phil’s got a good PR/marketing guy. They’ve made no small deal of Bobby’s visit to Phil’s. Mounted TVs spool through slideshows of that day’s events, and ordering out catalogs (yeah, catalogs) are tacked on along with the menus…faithfully adorned with the Food Network logo. And who can blame the guy? This publicity has drawn huge crowds…I mean, this place was packed.
As far as ambiance goes, Phil’s reminds me of a busy Chinese restaurant. Busy, boisterous, and crowded, minus the dank bathrooms. It’s brightly lit and warm inside, like a family restaurant…but somehow Phil’s still seems to retain it’s warehouse/fish market feel. Maybe it’s the actual fish market at the other end, which still stocks fresh lobsters, crabs, and some really beautiful looking seafood…including some gorgeous tuna filets that I just wanted to take home and rub all over my body eat raw. And of course, Phil’s famous cioppino can be purchased in gallon tubs for easy-take-home convenience. Also impressive was the oyster bar, stocking both fresh-shucked oysters and booze.
So, in reality, before you even order at the counter, your eyes have already been feasting on the cornucopia of fresh seafood all about. Then you get to the hanging menu , which, in being so extensive…is actually a little intimidating.
Maine Lobster, Steamed Mussels, Fried catfish, Littleneck clams,
Grilled calamari steak, Oysters on the half-shell, Salmon marsala,
Blackened sea scallops, Fried clam strips, soft-shell crab sandwiches,
and of course, cioppino.
Apparently, if it walks, climbs, crawls, or swims…it’s on the menu. Maybe this place is more like a Cantonese restaurant than I initially thought. That said, having such a plethora of delectable sounding choices makes ordering both a exciting joy and a painstaking dilemma. I probably spent a good 10 minutes just blankly staring while annoyed customers cut ahead of me in line. Paradise is having four stomachs and a bottomless wallet.
In the end, I went with the cioppino. I mean, how could I not? Time to see what all the hub-bub is about.
Bold, messy, and beautiful. Spilling over the sides of the bowl, and mounded high with seafood, this cioppino knows what it’s about and makes no excuses. My fears of not having enough food were allayed the moment the server laid this mamba-jamba before me. Allright, so portioning is not a problem here…but what about the taste? In reality, all I had in ways of comparison was the one I had over at, well, Cioppino’s in SF. Quite frankly, this cioppino blew that one out of the water. The flavor was nice and balanced…tasting of seafood and the ocean, without being overly fishy. The crab was cooked to perfection, as were the clams, mussels, and shrimp, their chewiness providing the right textural contrast to the supple, well-cooked fish filets. And, as every good (and safe) seafood dish should be, everything was fresh.
Despite hopping on Food TV’s marketing gravy train, Phil’s still maintains what its about. And it shows, in both environment and its food. Simple, local (I think) and fresh, the menu doesn’t have much air of pretension about it, even with all the hype. It is what it is…fresh seafood that is allowed to be exactly that on the plate…fresh seafood…no miso beurre blancs or uni foam here. And while things have been spruced up and things look much more polished for the sake of family dining, Phil’s still stays true to what was, and hopefully, still is, a vibrant, thriving, smelly, local fish market. Somehow, surrounded by the warehouse walls and concrete flooring, the bustling of crowds, next to the fresh fish on ice, and being able to eat right next to the ocean and feeling the ocean breeze…that raw-ness, that immersion of “local, and right from the ocean,” it all just made some sort of primordial sense. Kudos, Phil, I am now a fan.
Phil’s Fish Market
7600 Sandholtd Road
Moss Landing, CA 95039
www.philsfishmarket.com
Someone go and tell me how the other stuff on the menu is…I’m curious to see if this place is a one-trick pony.
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