Fathom Seafood House (CLOSED)

200 E. Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(267) 761-9343
Website

One of the newest restaurants/bars/hangouts to the Philly scene is the latest offering by Mike Stollenwerk, of Fish and Little Fish. It's a welcome addition to the stretch of Girard that is quickly becoming a bizarro Passyunk up in Fishtown (quite appropriately). I normally try not to go places that just opened, or at least I am aware that they need to iron out the kinks, and so I either don't write about them or I cut them some slack, but in this case I had to mention how much I loved this place.

A sleek exterior gives rise to a homey, welcoming interior, that is one part bar, one part raw bar, and one part awesome. I am done trying to reduce this place to a description. Just trust me, you'll like it.

As my dining partner is not big on raw seafood, I couldn't go for broke on the oyster scene. I asked for one East Coast and one West Coast oyster, trusting my server's discretion. One from Massachusetts and one from British Columbia. Both were great, but I liked the Eastern offering (the smaller one) just a bit better. Fresh, expertly shucked, and deliciously briny, I could have eaten ten of each. They were served with a trio of sauces, which were perfect complements, but not exactly necessary, especially when I was only having one of each. Like a proper heavy child, I kept them to eat with anything else that was coming (I ended up tasting them so many times, I pretty much ate the oysters both plain), no shame in my game. The server even laughed sympathetically and admitted she knew where I was coming from.

Before I forget, I have to mention the service. I can't remember having service in any of my recent restaurant outings that has been more perfectly tailored to the situation. When we arrived, it turned out some of our friends were already there, having just finished dinner at the bar. With no reservations whatsoever, the server cheerfully acknowledged that they were going to sit with us with their beers while we ate. No attitude that they weren't on our tab or ordering more drinks from her. She was there when we needed, and gone when we didn't. No snobbery when I ordered a mere two oysters (they are offered several), nor was there any up-selling going on. We went for a quick, low-key meal/snack, and we got just that. That alone is worth going back. But the food, oh that food, was why I will be there again soon.

By the way, the sauces with the oysters were: #1, the best cocktail sauce I have ever had; #2, a creamy mustardy aioli (I believe); and #3, a traditional mignonette. So damn tasty. I can't wait to go back and hit the raw bar, hard. Also, they boast a well thought-out beer list, from delicious micro-brews to an extensive can and bottle menu, including some good old fashion domestics - the ones that other places believe they are too fancy to carry, but give a nod to the roots of the neighborhood. Well done.

I knew that the Fathom Fries had to be sampled before I got there, as I was drooling over them for months while I was awaiting their arrival. A large bowl of fresh fries, smothered in crab gravy and cheese curd. They were dangerously addictive. Everything was in balance, the gravy was not overly "seafoody" and the curd was meltingly delicious. A seafood house take on my beloved poutine, that I will be craving time and time again.

A bowl of mussels is so easy, yet so delicious. The Blue Bay mussels with coconut, panang curry, and lemongrass were an exercise in simple perfection. Nothing too fancy, but they let the plump morsels speak for themselves, while teasing out their briny goodness with a savory broth that I would drink through a straw. Seriously, I was going to ask for more bread, but found myself dipping my fingers in the bottom of the bowl. Who wants to share food with me???

The cauliflower tempura with chili mayo was another winner, and probably the best use of that dreaded vegetable I have eaten, outside of Indian cuisine. One of the biggest surprises was that the chili mayo packed a punch. My god, it's about time! I have eaten gallons (gross, I know) of mediocre "spicy mayo" in the past couple years, that were too timid to really carry any heat, thus rendering them useless. I guess I have a different opinion of "spicy" than ninety percent of restaurant establishments, but they went for it here, and it was fantastic.

Although they had only been open for two days, with Stollenwerk's track record, this place can only get better. In which case, I might have to delete this post, because I want to be able to get a seat here in six months. However for your sake, go eat there and enjoy it for what it is. A seafood house in a Pisces named neighborhood. As I told the couple coming in when I was leaving, upon being asked if it was worth going eating there "go inside and order anything, just make sure you get some fries and cauliflower to go with it."

Moules Frites

One of my favorite comfort foods is a pot of mussels with plenty of bread for dipping. Sopping up the rich, salty broth with bread is (literally) a slice of heaven in my book. When you add crispy french fries with some delicious aioli... mmmm, well it's pretty apparent the Belgians are really on to something.


I always get my mussels from Anastasi's in the Italian Market. They are clean, very few stiffs, and little if any sand (these are important traits if you have ever had sandy/still bearded mussels). Five pounds later, I was ready to go. Note: one of the hardest parts of making mussels is determining how many to buy. Five pounds is a good approximation for 4 very big eaters.


When you get home, put them in a colander, give them a good rinse with cold water, and dump them into a big bowl and cover with a wet paper towel on top. At that point pop them in the fridge until you are ready to cook. It works like a charm to keep them cool and alive until they go into the hot pot.



When you are ready to cook, assemble your base ingredients of choice. I chose onion, shallot, bacon, blue cheese and fresh parsley this time, and highly recommend the combination. You'll want to dice them up finely and have a big stock pot ready to accommodate the delicious mixture. Give the bacon a fairly larger, rough dice. Don't worry about pulling the slices apart, they will naturally separate when you fry them. First the bacon goes into the pot to crisp. I used just under a pound of raw bacon.


When it reaches your desired crispness, pull it out and drain most of the grease, but leave about a tablespoon to brown the veggies in. While the bacon is sizzling in the stock pot, put the potatoes through a french fry slicer. Depending on the density of the potatoes you are using, this can be a bit of a task (sweet potatoes are brutally difficult so I usually halve them first). If you don't have one, you can just carefully and consistently slice them to your desired thickness using a very sharp knife.


For the first fry of the frites (there will be two), heat the oil in a deep fryer or large dutch oven to 310-320. This basically poaches the fries, and you will keep them in there until they are limp and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Below is what they should look like after their first dip into the oil bath.



Your onion and shallot should be browning up nicely at this point, so go ahead and add some salt and pepper if you haven't already. Also, turn the heat on your frying oil up so that it reaches 375 degrees. Now grab two beers of your choice: one for steaming the mussels, and the other for yourself - you want to be sure to reward the hard work you have done thus far. Celebrate being almost done and get ready to really indulge. When the oil is up to 375, drop your fries back in and brown them to your desired level of crispiness. I like really crispy, brown fries, so I let them in extra long (10 minutes or so).


Shake off the excess oil, add to a bowl and toss with sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and freshly chopped parsley.


I usually whip up some smoked paprika & garlic aioli for dipping; with a little mayo, fresh lemon, crushed garlic and smoky paprika, you can't go wrong.


Here's where you will have fresh fries to pick at while you finish the mussels. Simply pour one of your beers into the pot with your sauteed dices (I used Intercourse Brewing Company's, Bareville Pilsner), and dump in your mussels. I like to throw a bit of the blue cheese in as well to add to the broth. They sell bread ends in the Italian market for a dollar a bag that work perfectly for this application.




Once the mussels have opened (about five to seven minutes or so), uncover, and add the remaining blue cheese crumbles, bacon crumbles, and chopped parsley. Make sure to give it a big stir to splash the broth all over the mussels, and as always, discard any that do no open, as they were dead to begin with, and are not edible. Bring everything to the table and feast! The best part: feeding four hungry friends with plenty of frites, shellfish, and delicious broth for dipping for about as much as mussels-for-one at most gastropubs!