I caught Crave Fishbar on 2nd Avenue a week ago and all I have is one word to describe this restaurant…. WOW! I feel like you know a restaurant is going to be good when their staff is eating there on their days off and bringing friends to join them. From the friendly attentive hostesses at the front, to the welcoming management team, happy hour could not have been more fun! This crustacean friendly bar features a great happy hour with $1.00 oysters, $7.00 specialty wine and cocktails, and a great beer selection. Happy hour at Crave Fishbar takes place Monday through Friday from 5-7pm. The menu alone was my hardest decision, as I could not pick just one item to devour.
I started out with the Black Duck Salt Oysters from Hog Island Bay Virginia, which literally tasted as if they jumped out of the ocean onto my plate of ice. They were so fresh they still had salt water in them! Alongside the oysters came an option for cocktail sauce or a mango mignonette; of course I chose the mango. This sweet yet slightly spicy topping was perfect over the salty oysters and paired with my sparkling wine, which was a happy hour Marquis de la Tour… pure heaven.
Their cocktail menu is very inventive and enticing so I tried the Baby Jagger. This cocktail consisted of apricot puree and sparkling wine and was absolutely incredible. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable, as well as the oyster shucking staff, who politely wait as orders come racing in.
My main course I will be dreaming about for weeks to come, or until I can get back to Crave. The Squid Ink Pasta was one of the best things I have ever had. Between the creamy sauce, the tender cuttlefish, peas, and the greens, this dish just screams perfection. I was a little hesitant when it came to squid ink pasta, but I was also very curious. My decision could have not been better and Chef Todd produced a magnificent meal.
The food alone could certainly make this restaurant, but then again once you see the giant beautifully painted octopus sprawled across the top floor ceiling you will be in awe. The decor, as Brian, the co-owner, explains it is, “nautical, but not too nautical.” They found the perfect balance within the restaurant with the variety of raw bar, the limited, but often changing menu, and the variety of wine and cocktails–Crave Fishbar is not one to miss! Crave is a great restaurant for friends or a date because the portions are big enough to share and the menu is so enticing that you will want to try every dish. I wanted to try everything on the menu but couldn’t even get through my entire pasta dish…it was hard to stop eating that creamy, steamy, oh so perfect pasta!
Crave Fishbar is located at 945 2nd Avenue.
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