Blackfish

Lately, there seems to be an outcropping of what I like to call ambitious restaurants.  You know the type -- they feature sometimes unidentifiable, exotic ingredients with at least one foam or gelee and manage to cram 10 of these type of ingredients into a 2" x 2" section on a 12" plate.  Don't get me wrong, I fancy myself ambitious, too, and I'm all for fresh, unique taste combinations.  But if Mica and Noble are any indication, Philly doesn't always pull off the ambitious restaurant, leaving my disappointment in its wake.

Blackfish restores my faith.  It delivered the goods, pleasantly surprised my palate and remained down-to-earth but professional in its service.  Best of all, it is BYO and usually offers Tuesday night tastings.  After enduring a number of $65 Jose Garces email offers for Chifa empanadas with Dogfish head tastings (yeah... but for $65?), TFRB and I jumped at the "Lobster Tasting Menu" email when it arrived. 

 And here's what we got:  5 courses of lobster based dining (dessert was not lobster based, thankfully) for $45.  The first of which was this lovely amuse bouche of lobster broth that did what it was designed to do -- whet our appetite for more lobster (as if we needed prompting). 

The lobster salad with celery and tarragon also delivered its objective -- highlight the lobster itself with just enough background flavor to enhance the meat and make the salad cohesive.  

The next course, lobster tortelli with english peas and beurre fondue, offered a nice pop of lobster flavor, but the fresh peas in cheesy butter was close to tempting me to lick the plate. The crowning achievement was of course the roasted lobster tail, pictured above, with "'creamed' corn" and saffron-vanilla. Not sure exactly how the heavenly cloud on which the perfect piece of lobster was perched had been formed, but I didn't care, I just enjoyed.

The caramel beignets with english cream were a pleasant, albeit unnecessary end to the meal.  TFRB, a bit of a beignet connoisseur, placed them somewhere between "very good" and "New Orleans." Despite my seeming indifference, I managed to eat ... every bite. 

What can I say?  Thank you, Chef Chip Roman for living up to the hype of the restaurant and offering such awesome deals that would lure a city dweller to Conshy and exceed her expectations.  And as for you, faithful readers who are not my parents, get on the email list to get the Tuesday tasting announcements when they happen.  Oh heck, my parents should, too.

Blackfish is located at 119 Fayette Street, Conshohocken, PA, www.blackfishrestaurant.com