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“The Tides”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Seafood	Lower East Side	Moderate	Good

hey were transformed from flesh to throat-choking rubber. Debbie was chewing on hers for several minutes and not making any progress before she gave up and quietly removed the offending creature from her mouth and into a napkin. But she was all over the Steamers, which were flawless ($10)—fat, briny, and sweet.

As you can see, for the most part, the apps had not wowed us, but we were having quite a great night nonetheless. Steven and his business partner Allen do a great job of making you feel at home, the service was good, and the place has a chill, easy vibe to it—hip, but not tragically so. And our entrees went a long way to redeeming our appetizers. The grilled whole fish of the night was a big and gorgeous Tilapia ($23), grilled with stalks of rosemary and thin lemon wedges slipped under the skin and into the gills, cooked perfectly so that the meat was flaky, sweet and moist and infused with the smoke of the grill and the aroma of the herbs. We turned into alley cats with respect to that fish—picking it clean with our fingers, leaving behind only a skeleton and a tail. (And I considered eating the tail the fish was that good.) The softshell crabs ($21) with black bean salsa were great—lightly battered and crispy, with a good amount of heat coming in from the salsa.

Seto’s lobster rolls (M/P) arrived overflowing with sweet juicy hunks of meat tossed with dill (LOVE THAT) and celery, with a hill of sweet potato fries. Now, the ingredients in the lobster roll were terrific—the lobster meat was plentiful and divine, and the dill added a great herbaceous sweetness to the mix—but the problem was that the aioli was very runny, almost like a sauce rather than a mayonnaise. Rather than bind the lobster together like a salad, it turned the dish into a lobster roll as pond, with the sauce soaking the brioche hot dog bun, turning it into a sponge for the liquidy mayo. Look, we still licked our plates clean, but I think a little attention to the aioli might work wonders. And while the sweet potato fries were cold and limp, they were still quite tasty. Seto’s sides (all $4) were fun and inventive, and were quickly devoured. Her sweet corn pudding, also served room temperature, was rich and fluffy, like a fallen soufflé, and grilled haricot verts were perfectly done, and the carrot jicama slaw tasted just like summer—like it belonged on a gingham tablecloth covered picnic table next to a ... [more, click below]

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Posted: September 19, 2005

Other restaurants in Lower East Side :
+ Mojo   + WD-50   + Schiller's Liquor Bar   + Azul Bistro   + Barrio Chino   + 71 Clinton Fresh Food-- Closed   + Little Giant   + Kuma Inn   + Falai   + The Stanton Social   + The Tides   + Thor   + The Orchard   + El Bocadito-- CLOSED   + Bondi Road   + Rayuela   + Suba   + Bun (boone)   + Sorella   + The Fat Hippo   + Pulino's   

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