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.

Cioppino is one of those city/region specific dishes, intricately tied into the history and culture of a city and its people. Just like Chicago’s deep-dish pizza, New England’s clam chowder, and Texas barbeque, cioppino is uniquely a San Franciscan dish. It’s origins come from the early 1900’s when Italian fishermen, working on the wharf, would ask their colleagues for scraps of fish and whatever else for a family stew to be shared among all. While doing so, they would shout, “Chip in!” which, laden with a heavy Italian accent, became “Chip-een-o!” Hence, cioppino, a hearty seafood stew with a myriad of crab, fish, herbs, and whatever else was lying around, was born. (No, I’m not some kind of food historian, this was taken from the site.) Moving to present day, Cioppino’s, located near Fisherman’s Wharf, continues serving up the same San Franciscan classic, along with various seafood inspired Italian-American staples.

The interior of Cioppino’s is surprisingly big, including a full bar with plasma TVs, and a seemingly out of place fountain-type ornament in the center. Painted murals depicting the Italian countryside adorn the walls. In other parts, the murals are actually painted to present a faux village, real life awning included. A little cheesy, but not overwhelmingly so. The sheer size of the dining area made for a slight cavernous effect, amplifying sound that carried throughout the place. It definitely gave the impression of a warm, but noisy, hustle and bustle dining spot, which can either be fun or annoying, depending on what mood you’re in.

I went with a dungeness crab meat pizza, followed by the namesake cioppino. Topped with 3 cheeses, artichoke, sun-dried tomato and crab meat, the pizza promised to be an inventive and interesting starter. Unfortunately, it was a pretty big let down. The crab meat was simply overpowered by the strong cheesiness of the pizza, so that when I bit into it…all that the crab meat brought to the table was not flavor, but texture. Like a cheese pizza with strings on top. And not even a fantastic cheese pizza at that. The cheese lacked any real punch, and just about the only thing I really tasted in the pizza was the occasional sun-dried tomato. There was no synergy, no symphony of tastes, just one taste blaring loudly and flatly. In retrospect, I feel like crab has a light flavor, easily overshadowed by stronger flavors, and therefore ought to be treated simply and delicately, especially if the crab isn’t the freshest. Overall, a sad disappointment.

On to the star, the famed cioppino. For such a simple dish, the presentation was a bit dramatic and fun. The crab legs and claw hanging off the side of the bowl was a nice touch, as was the conveniently included crab bib. I’m sometimes tempted to believe that if you throw almost anything into a pot and simmer the hell out of it for long enough, it will almost always taste amazing. Throw in fish, crab, mussels, clams, and squid…and how can you go wrong? The broth itself wasn’t a overpowering punch-you-in-the-face tomato fest like I had been expecting, and I was delighted to find that the herbs and flavors from the seafood had balanced it out well. The snapper had to be my favorite part of the stew, the milder tasting meat did a lot to round out the saltiness and acidity of the broth. Eating the dish is fun in it’s own right also. Dipping your spoon into the opaque broth, you’re never really sure what will come up. Sometimes a cut of fish, sometimes a clam…add in the hands-on (and labor intensive) crab cracking to get at that elusively precious crab meat, and you’ve got a dish that’s not just good…it’s interactive.

The crab itself wasn’t as fresh as I would’ve liked..a little dry and lacking in flavor. And the broth was balanced at first, but as you start hitting the bottom, the soup becomes overpowered by the taste of fennel. A tell-tale sign that they’re using powdered fennel, which sinks with time. Indeed, towards the bottom, the soup becomes almost too salty and too herby. Despite these setbacks, the dish was altogether hearty and delicious. And honestly, if you serve me enough seafood, I’m generally pretty happy. I left surprisingly full and mostly satisfied.

As it would seem, most Bay Area folk would tell you to avoid eating at Fisherman’s Wharf. The place is usually chock full of tourists at all times, whom, to the modern day business owner, are readily separated from their money by cheap souvenirs and overpriced food. Cioppino’s, at a glance, is no different. Most of the food doesn’t seem entirely impressive, and I definitely feel the menu is overpriced. That said, the cioppino here is definitely worth a try, if not only to give it a shot and engage in city culture, but simply because it’s pretty good.

Cioppino’s
400 Jefferson Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 775-9311
Man, it’s good to be back in the bay.
Congrats to my boy Cates, hope the meal was up to snuff.