Oceanic Dinners Begin Tomorrow, Tuesday June 19-22

    

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Philadelphia Fish House Rum Punch for the Oceanic Dinners 2018, June 19-22

Philadelphia Fish House Punch, recipe dating back to 1732, will be offered as an aperitif to our Oceanic Dinners.

Concocted with house-made oleo saccharum, assorted rums, brandy, crème de poire, lemon (i.e. mostly rums with sugar infused citrus oil and pear liqueur) – $6/glass

And, if the idea of a classic Provencale bouillabaisse on next week’s menu isn’t exciting enough for you, we’re bring out a 1990 Bandol, Domaine Tempier Cabassaou. We’ve had it stashed away and it will finally be available each night by the glass. This wine has always had a strong and earthy nose, certainly well matched for a flavorful bouillabaisse.

Below is the preliminary menu, offered á la carte:

Reserve Online or Call 510.547.5356

Preliminary Menu

Oceanic Dinners 2018, June 19-22

Oceanic Dinners are a huge event for us: lots of planning, preordering, curing, smoking, prep and then next week a massive filleting. Chef Jonah and Sous Brian present us with an entirely new menu—stunning.

Below is the preliminary menu, there will be some additions. Have a good time, and make reservations now.

All items offered á la carte.

Reserve Online or Call 510.547.5356

Oceanic Dinners, June 19-22  —Coming right along

Maggie’s notes from the meeting

Step 1:  Planning Meeting with Tom Worthington of Monterey Fish, Chef Jonah, Sous Chef Brian

We met with fish supplier Tom Worthington last week and were given his best estimate of what will be available for our June 19-22 dinners. These are the fish the chefs can begin to plan the menu around. All fish in these dinners are from healthy, sustainable fisheries. Here’s the list:

Available:
-whole petrale
-sole
-good sand dabs
-sea bass
-local halibut—good availability, long-line
-Sierra and Boston mackerel
-razor clams
-scallops, possibly in their shells
-local anchovies “good to go”
-soft-shell and Dungeness crab
-Rhode Island eel
-Spanish cod tripe
-farm-raised abalone and trout
-monkfish (Marshall Islands)
-mussels
-sea robins
-octopus
-oysters
-sea urchin

Possible, Tom will work on it:
-bonita, but probably too early
-coon-striped shrimp possible
-geoduck clams possible
-limited king salmon

Not available:
-shellfish aren’t at their most plentiful this time of year
-albacore and yellowfin tuna
-spot shrimp

A little of the conversation: Tom loves Chef Jonah’s braised Spanish cod tripe, but says Jonah, “Nobody orders it.” (Sometimes exotic items on the Oceanic Dinners menu bring out a certain faintheartedness in some diners.) Tom also loves sea robin in bouillabaisse. King salmon are limited, “after 200 years of our being bad to them,” says Tom. The season opens on the first day of our event, so we can prepare them on the third day should we choose. Jonah likes to prepare eel, which will be in season from Rhode Island. Sous Chef Brian was thinking along the lines of sea urchin tart with crème fraîche and caviar, potato-wrapped oysters Rockefeller, and chilled crab soup.

We’ll report on the menu’s progress, and which fish make the cut.

Reserve Online or Call 510.547.5356

2018 Oceanic Dinners Announced:

June 19th to 22nd

We’ve been doing these Oceanic Dinners for a while (17 years). They’ve always taken place in summertime, usually June. We try to be as seasonal as we can, and June is the time when the greatest variety of fish and sea creatures from around the world are at their peak. Fish, and particularly these dinners are exceptions to our long time focus on food from local farms and producers. The best, sustainably managed fisheries frequently don’t have local markets for their catches, and we’ve felt the kind of fishing they do needs to be supported and kept healthy. Tom Worthington of Monterey Fish Market goes into overdrive to find the best fish for Chef Jonah and Sous Brian to “play with.” These are many people’s favorite dinners and we’ve always been proud of them.

We’ll be reporting periodically on how the menu takes shape, but we do book up and it might be wise to reserve now to get the time and date that you want.

Reserve Online or Call 510.547.5356