pint night. alright, i gavefishaleanother try. my friends and coworkers love their pint night and, being a homebrewer and beer snob, i wanted to get in on the fun! and that's what i had, fun? the owner was very attentive as well as my super server emily. the beer was very good (swamp ape ipa, founders breakfast stout, double. bastard ale) and the pretzel app was good. i would recommend putting a third person behind the bar at 6:00pm to meet the demand of the happy hour... took 15 minutes to get a pint, but the chill vibe and friendly wait staff made it ok:) i'd still like to see a more robust menu, and get away from the sports bar feel, because i want this place to be a east side must have!
-----06 aug, 2013-----
great idea... poor delivery. ok, so let me preface that i am not tony bourdain; however, i have cooked professionally, i have lived in and traveled to 30+ countries, and have been a home brewer for 20 years, and am now a pcb local.... so here goes:
i have heard from friends and coworkers about fishale, this wonderful oasis that a hopheaded quaffer can find refuge in, and partake of its 60+ beers, but then the mystique wears off when you actually walk in the door.
sure it looks like a converted steakhouse chain (who cares), but i am here for the beer and the grub. once seated, we're given menus and quickly asked "can i take your drink orders?" i'm thinking, "i was just handed the beer menu with 60+ beers to peruse, and i'm being hovered over for an order." come on, hand out the menus, tell us about the nightly specials (too bad, i had to prompt our waitress for it) and give my eyes a chance to take in the selection.
i ordered a pint of dogfish head 60 minute ipa and waited with my family for the apps and drinks to arrive. when my beer arrives, low and behold, i am the proud owner of a short poured pint... with its sad 2" head. gee, thanks.
(that's the reason they have those white lines on bar ware in the uk, it's against the law to 'short pour', the barman can lose his job.)
to the food... my wife and oldest boy ordered sandwiches, which they said they were pretty good, and my youngest ordered a flatbread pizza that he also enjoyed. my middle boy and i had the wing special-- being monday and its wing night at fishale. their sauces were the standard, not bad but nothing to write home about, but the dang chicken! if you are going to run a promotion, ie wing night monday, please do not either overfry your wings, or store them in the salamander waiting for a customer to order. i've snapped into a slim jim that was juicer than those wings. our waitress is fairly attentive on he drinks, although she took away the beer menu when she took our order. when i finish my beer, she asks me if i'd like another beer. it's a shame i'm not a savant and had memorized the menu. i then have to ask her for a beer menu whichfishaleshould keep on the tables all the time. this place is about the beer, right?
the restaurant in general has a great idea but the execution is horrible. the food is mediocre; i can get better at flipping applebee's. the beer was good, but the selection could be better. dogfish head, abita, pensacola, new belgium... ok, good for a start, but the rest of the lineup is what i would find in the bottle in a decent grocery store.
if the place is selling itself on the beer, then the chef/km/head cook should design the menu to focus on the beer as an ingredient. and not in a batter. that's a cop out. try sauces, dressings, braising, etc. and how about a suggested beer pairing? dude, it's beer-- use it!
lastly the interior. we couldn't tell iffishaleis going for fine dining (a la g. foley's) or beach dive bar/ sports bar (like a j. michaels.) pick one. or neither. focus on the beer. use it to focus on the food. and finally, fix the service. bad pours and crummy table work will push away the locals after the florabama crowds punch out for the summer, and i can guarantee the canadians will avoidfishaleif bad word gets around. they know food and beer.
i want this place to do well. i just moved from where we had a micro brewery 4 miles from my house... so i have a selfish interest forfishaleto succeed.
please do.