Little Fish: High Standards

Mike Stollenwerk may not be able to be at Little Fish every night but Brian Freedman finds that with Executive Chef Chad Jenkins keeping the standards high, Stollenwerk can attend to the rest of his little empire.

Malpeque oysters, for example, are sparked to life by sherry vinegar and shallots: Fairly standard, and executed well. But the real stunners are the Miradas—ripple-shelled oysters from Washington state whose own whiff of melon was amplified by an ingenious garnish of minced cucumber, lime and tamari. These are as fresh and refreshing as oysters get: Mollusks as mouthwash.Those cukes are an indication of this kitchen’s swerve with textures. The rice noodles tangle up in a densely concentrated, almost woodsy hot-and-sour broth and are joined by carrots and daikon that has been shaved to almost exactly the same width. Beneath it all, a thumb-sized minaret of butter-poached king crab leg, brilliantly pink and sweet.

Little Fish: Big Flavor [Philadelphia Weekly]
Little Fish [Official Site]