Go Fish

Mike and I had our first official "date night" last Wednesday, and we decided to go to Go Fish in St. Helena. I love the atmosphere: Cindy Pawlcyn's style (or at least her designer's style) makes the place someplace I'd like to live, with all the funky art, interesting colors and finishes, and lots and lots of light.

But let's talk about fries for a moment.

We are by now familiar with the "fry-fecta," are we not? 1- Skin on, 2- crispy, 3- flavorful. Period. Excellent fries are all three. "Sean's" fries were two out of three. Surreal-y crispy (I suspect double-frying) with skins present. And absolutely no flavor. Whatsoever. I can accept this from a pub, or a diner (a diner should be ashamed to serve 2-star fries) but I cannot accept it from a restaurant which serves $12 wines by the glass and $27 entrees, with which the fries are ordered-- at an additional cost-- as a side. Perhaps it is gauche to talk about price when describing the priceless experience of dining out with one's loving companion, but when it comes to fries, a buck is a buck.

Sides aside, as I mentioned, the restaurant is a great space, a vast improvement over the three former tenants, and I've lived in St. Helena long enough to have visited all three. Our server was lovely, not to mention friendly and knowledgeable. She missed a re-mark and a check-back (restaurant folks know what this is) but I noticed later she was training a new waiter, so that is forgiven.

Sushi- delicious, despite the ubiquitous "special sauce" that seems to gloppily adorn everything I order. The octopus and squid nigiri sushi were the best specimens of those creatures I have had. (What's up with my fingers on this keyboard? They are flying. Could have been the outstanding dinner we had at Pearl on tonight's date. More about that later.)

Entrees were good, but not thrilling. As Mike says about sushi, he wants to be "wowed" and seldom is. Entrees didn't wow me at all. The Crispy Skin Snapper was crispy, and delicious, but the pool of root vegetable consommee in which it swam was almost flavorless except for a slight sweetness. Not bad, just plain.

I'd still go back, because I enjoy the sushi, the sake, and the space, but I'd steer clear of the pricier entrees. After three visits, I still haven't had anything that really knocked my socks off.

We had a nice date anyway.