Michael Klein: Fathom Seafood House offers comfort food in a barroom atmosphere

February 24, 2011|By Michael Klein, Inquirer Columnist
  • Owner Mike Stollenwerk at the bar of Fathom Seafood House. It's his third Philly seafood restaurant, joining Little Fish and Fish.

Mike Stollenwerk offers refined takes on seafood at Little Fish in Bella Vista and Fish in Center City. So at his new pub in (appropriately) Fishtown, he will not be a fish out of water.

Fathom Seafood House (200 E. Girard Ave., 267-761-9343), across from Johnny Brenda's, has that old-time corner barroom look, including a 24-seat, concrete-topped bar. The comfort-food menu includes peekytoe crab fritters, marlin tacos, tuna-noodle casserole, fries topped with crab gravy and cheese curd, lobster grilled cheese, and riffs on traditionally non-seafood classics: cod pierogis and swordfish schnitzel. There's corned beef on a pretzel roll, too. All $14 and under.

Story continues below.

The beer list has 10 on draft (including locals, such as PBC, Flying Fish, and Yards) and 40-plus in bottles and cans. It's open from 4 p.m. weekdays, noon weekends. See the menus at www.philly.com/fathom.

 

Cook to cook

The corner of 20th and Rittenhouse Square Streets, previously Salt and Snackbar, is getting a whiff of dining excitement, though it won't be a restaurant. Cook - led by Audrey Taichman, who owns Audrey Claire and Twenty Manning Grill on the same block - will be a collaborative kitchen modeled on Stir, in Boston. Guest chefs (famous and not) will show up to prepare meals and host demonstrations for no more than 16 people. Taichman expects to have it running by June. "It's not so much about making money," says Taichman, who considers it a way to "celebrate the culinary arts."

Besides meals, demonstrations, and kids' cooking classes, Cook can be rented for engagement parties, rehearsal dinners, wine dinners (the liquor license remains), and corporate events. Customers can provide their own chefs, or Taichman can draw on her stable. It will sell books and utensils, says Taichman. Philadelphia magazine is a sponsor.

She says the idea grew out of Feastival, last fall's fund-raising event for the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe.

 

What's new

Jolly Weldon plans to move his Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar into the restaurant space at the Academy House (1420 Locust St.). He started the entertainment concept at 2006 Chestnut St. He says he needs more room and hopes to open at the new site by March 31.

David Lin says he is a few weeks from opening Mikawa, a sushi specialist, at 425 S. Broad St., next to the Bain's Deli owned by former Flyers star Keith Primeau. Lin owns Johnny Chang's Asian restaurant at Broad and Shunk Streets.

 

Briefly noted

Georges' in Wayne now serves Monday dinner.

Ralph Flannery has spun off his South Jersey Fuddruckers franchises in Voorhees and Turnersville under the name Prime Burger Co.

 


Contact columnist Michael Klein at mklein@phillynews.com. Follow his blog at http://go.philly.com/insider and on Twitter @phillyinsider.

 

|
|
|
|
|