feats of eats

Crabby Patty, Fish Bar, Chicago.

Fish Bar exceeded my expectations. I wanted to go because I had gone to DMK next door a week ago and saw the great outdoor seating they had, and because, well, fish. But this was the best meal I’ve had in recent memory. Didn’t hurt that we went immediately post-beach on a 85 degree sunny day.

All of their dishes are meant to be shared, and they have daily specials of ceviche, carpaccio, tartare and a catch. That day’s catch was a whole snapper that was incredibly tempting, stuffed with lemon and limes. I’d love to go back with more people and tackle that.

The Crabby Patty had crabcake, Old Bay mayo, lettuce, tomato and red onion, and it was spicy and perfect. I’m a sucker for a flavored mayo, and this was comfort food in a sandwich.

Just as good were the fish fries we got, which are fried white bait with crispy herbs and roasted garlic aioli. They absolutely must be ordered, I think we could have destroyed multiple baskets of those.

We also had the calamari, which was tasty as well and had lots of banana peppers and jalapenos. I tried the Gali-Belgique IPA from Stone Brewing Co., and was happy with the hoppy, citrusy Belgian that tasted like a lot of beers I had on my trip to LA.

All of this was more than enough to win me over and put Fish Bar on the list of places I want to return soon, but they had awesome tots to boot! So crispy, so good. I only wish they had a separate dip for them, since dips are my favorite. But I’ll forgive them for that.

Apparently Fish Bar, DMK and Ada. St. are all run by the same people, but I had no idea until our waitress brought us a frequent diner card to sign up for. The point system didn’t seem worth it, but now I need to go to Ada St. to round out the experience. So far, Fish Bar is on top!