Madfish Grille, Gloucester, MA
Went to Gloucester last night for a ride on a schooner, followed by dinner at Madfish Grille to celebrate my partner's birthday. It was our first time eating there and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I had considered the Franklin Cafe Gloucester, but changed my mind since we have one here in Boston. First of all, the service was terrific. I had mentioned in passing on the phone that we would be getting off a boat around 8 pm and so we'd like the table around 8:15 pm and that this was for my boyfriend's birthday. The woman who greeted us (I assume the owner?) asked us how the boat trip was and we were both surprised that she remembered that fact. Also, B stepped away to the men's room and she shot over to our table to ask if I wanted something sweet for his birthday. Again, I was so delighted that she remembered (it was a male voice who I spoke with).
We started with warm bread and house made hummus. Not as much as garlic as I usually like in my hummus, but a nice way to start. Then we had the tuna sashimi app. Delicious (although I could have used a few more slices, or thicker slices), served with seaweed salad and a tangy crunchy lightly slaw of different types of cabbages and carrots.
I chose the seafood risotto. It was chock-full of sea scallops, shrimp, and lobster. It tasted initially a little salty, but that faded away bite after bite. Really delicious and creamy, but light at the same time due to all of the fresh-tasting seafood in there. Nice consistency to the risotto.
B had the honey-glazed salmon, which was perfectly cooked and quite delicious. Nice crust to it and accompanied by jsamine rice and crisp veggies.
And of course, they brought out a rich, almost fudgy chocolate cake at the end (they had to scramble to find a candle).
Nice experience...funky, fun ambience, too. It would've been a great view (it's right on the water, with windows lining the entire side) but there was a gigantic yacht parked right in front. I had been warned on the phone about the boat...again, nice of them to tell us. We will be back, and not just for a special occasion.
