In some way or another, most of us know the image of a dozen gleeful clowns pouring out of a tiny little taxi at the circus. Now, imagine a restaurant run in a similar fashion. Little Fish is a charming seafood nook a few blocks off South Street that is about the size of my double room in High Rise North. However, don't let the small size and cute name fool you, because the place really packs a punch.
The menu, which is presented on handwritten cards, changes every night depending on the taste of Chef John Tiplitz and whatever fresh fish is available. Mr. Tiplitz personally prepares his dishes in the open kitchen, only a couple of feet away from your seat. For any given night, the menu will have about eight appetizers ($8.50), eight seafood entrees ($23) and a selection of home-made cakes for dessert. The appetizers vary quite a bit, however the focus of the dinner is on the main course.
Each main course is pan-seared and garnished with a wide variety of sauces, vegetables, balsamic reductions, cheeses and just about anything else you could think of. In general, the portions are small, but you definitely won't leave hungry. My lovely dinner companion and I both had a breaded tuna steak surrounded with ratatouille and polenta. The pan cooking means that the centers of the fish are often slightly undercooked, but the freshness of the fish means that it's absolutely safe and only adds to the variety expressed in a single dish. Like the tuna, the ratatouille in the dish was very fresh, zesty and went well with the mild polenta.
You won't be able to go to Little Fish knowing what you will eat and you might leave unable to remember the obscure fish you just had. However, the staff is as helpful with explaining every dish as they are nimble in their navigation between the packed tables.
Because the restaurant only holds 20 people, reservations are a must and groups can be no larger than six. Little Fish is also a friendly BYO restaurant, so anyone bringing wine can have it opened and chilled at no cost. Despite the quick table turnaround and the number of people that manage to comfortably cram into the restaurant, the atmosphere is fairly sedate -- so walking in sometimes feels as though you're crashing someone else's romantic dinner. However, once you are given your special corner of Little Fish, you'll feel like part of the family.
