Bait and Hook
By Faith Krech
Tuesday is a seemingly ordinary slog of 24 hours placed between the dreadful Monday and the hopeful Wednesday. In short, Tuesday has always been nothing special, until now. What has catapulted Tuesday to Friday status is the new phenomenon sweeping Manhattan cleverly titled “Taco Tuesday.” One such joint that boasts this outstanding deal is the East Village seafood shack Bait and Hook.
Located on 231 2nd Avenue, Bait and Hook’s sky blue awning complete with chalkboard written daily specials welcomes all patrons ready to stuff their gullets with one dollar Fish Tacos, with an alcoholic beverage purchase mind you.
The atmosphere at Bait And Hook resembles a mix between a casual outdoor dinner party and a boisterous family reunion. Friendly, attentive staff clad in black shirts with dark colored pants whisk through the maze of oak wooden tables flashing smiles and dolling out advice on which of the dishes they think is the best of the bunch.
To get the evening started, I sipped a five-dollar Summer Shandy Draft Beer, which was smooth, fresh, and had a fantastic Lemon finish.
For the appetizer, my group shared the Jumbo Coconut Prawns. These were mammoth and delicately fried in a light, crunchy, coconut batter served with a dollop of zesty Dijon and Apricot Preserves to add some “pow” to the start of the evening.
The first entree served to our table was the B & H Fish Sandwich. This pan- seared delight centered around a sizable hunk of melt in your mouth Cod Fish complete with all the fixins, namely; crisp Lettuce, juicy Tomato, and a slathering of flavorful Mayonnaise all mashed together with a buttery Brioche Bun. This dish was properly served with a generous order of Salt and Vinegar Fries, and thinly sliced Sweet Pickles to round off the meal.
The second entree presented was a heaping plate of Grilled Organic Salmon en-robed with a tangy Ginger-Rub and Apple, Shallot & Brandy Glaze. Accompanying the flaky tender fish was a bed of flavorful Garlic Spinach and a side of creamy Parmesan Grits that ended the second entree with a satisfying buttery finish.
Within minutes, the fiesta worthy Fish Tacos arrived. The three palm sized street tacos were small in stature, but bursting with flavor. Within the secure folds of a Blue Corn Tortilla, small seasoned chunks of Cod were heaped together with Mango Slices, cuts of Red Pepper and Chipotle Mayo. Three tacos were not enough to sustain our party, so we ended up continuing the evening by ordering a second basket of three more of the delectable munchies.
To finish out our seafood feast, we ordered the Chocolate Mousse Cake, which was a colossal slab of Chocolate and Vanilla Sponge Cake squished between two mountains of rich Vanilla and sinful Chocolate Mousse. This hunk of confectionery heaven was surrounded by a pool of sweet Raspberry Sauce accented with four small puffs of whip cream adding a dainty end to the sensational meal heartily devoured at Bait and Hook seafood shack.
Click here for a great sandwich shop in Manhattan.