mary’s fish camp

We’ve been really lucky with the weather here in New York – the past couple days have been glorious – proper summer weather. Sitting at Mary’s Fish Camp, with the warm balmy air wafting through the open windows we felt as if we were holidaying in a tiny seaside town, rather than grabbing lunch off the concrete-paved streets of Manhattan’s West Village.

We started with a bowl of Fried Oysters and Clams with a Fish Camp Tartare Sauce. The batter was light and airy, the shellfish sweet and fresh. We especially liked the oysters which were plump and sang of the sea. The chunky house tartare sauce was great too and I couldn’t resist a spoonful or two of the stuff long after we had polished off the deep-fried morsels.

Conch Fritters were slabs of corn bread embedded with cubed bacon, conch bits, corn kernels and diced onion and red peppers. They were more filling than expected (we had envisioned them to be similar to the amazing smaller conch-heavy ones we enjoyed in Turks & Caicos several summers ago) but tasty and I loved the spicy Matouk aioli that came with them.

The main event was the famed Lobster Rolls (available daily, until they sell out) – large chunks of juicy lobster doused in a seasoned mayonnaise and loaded into warm buttery brioche rolls. We chased bites with crispy shoestring fries and gulps of refreshing lemonade. Fantastic.

Wanting to grab an ice cream elsewhere we ended with a bowl of Spicy Florida Conch Chowder instead of dessert. The tomato-based soup actually worked well to wash the heavy creamy mayo off our palates but we didn’t really need it – we were stoofed.

I totally recommend this rustic laid-back joint. Really loved it.

Mary’s Fish Camp
64 Charles Street
(at the Corner of 4th Street)
New York, NY 10014

t. 646-486-2185

~ by gourmettraveller on March 20, 2012.