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Fried goodness from PSFF in better times: May 08.
When it opened a year ago, Pike Street Fish Fry on Capitol Hill pomised to revolutionize the tired Seattle fish & chips scene. Lightly battered veggies, fresh fish, oysters, shrimp, homemade dipping sauces, snappy fries. And for a time, they did. We've enjoyed several quick meals at this (literal) hole-in-the-wall on Capitol Hill and at Moe Bar next door.
That was then. But turnover has been high and management supervision lax. (Co-owner Mike McConnell's been busy, starting up Via Tribunali stores in Fremont, Georgetown and Belltown.) The fourth kitchen manager confessed yesterday that the original peanut oil has given way to tired vegetable oil. And clearly the batter has changed as well. Sadly, vegetable oil doesn't produce the same lightness of flavor because it can't get as hot as peanut oil without turning everything it touches a dark, unappetizing shade of brown.
Worse, perhaps, is the disappearance of wine from the list of beverage choices. All you get now is Newscastle brown ale (fine) and Oly (but why?). Everything tasted the same, and unappetizingly greasy at that. The dipping sauces followed suit, just gooey.
A sure sign of neglect: the restaurant's blog, whose most recent entry is August 1, 2008.
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