Fisher’s

I just visited Fisher’s in Polanco. I’m stuffed. I couldn’t quit eating. It was that tasty.

I’ve been to almost every restaurant in Mexico City worth going to. A couple of hundred or more. And, honestly, I’ve been putting off going to Fisher’s. I’m not sure why. It doesn’t rate highly on consumer review sites and it looks a bit “raw” from the outside. More like a cantina than a restaurant. It just wasn’t on the front burner.

But now I’ve been. And I’ll be back.

As I said, the place looks a bit like a cantina. In fact, it looks a lot like a half dozen or oyster bars I’ve been to back in the States. There are big blue awnings covering tables on porches that surround the building and a massive interior space with multiple dining rooms. I’m guessing the place sits close to a couple of hundred people when it’s full.

The interior is bathed with light from a vaulted ceiling covered with Plexiglas and the walls are covered in a mosaic ceramic tile. When it’s busy it gets a bit noisy in there and the glass and ceramic tile surfaces don’t exactly help with the acoustics issues. It’s the type of place that appeals to those that like a busy, somewhat raucous atmosphere.

At the Polanco location, by 2 pm every day there’s a minor wait for a table. Then again starting at about 6 to 7 pm for dinner and it stays busy up until close at around midnight.

I arrived early for lunch around 1 pm on a Tuesday. At that time, the restaurant was approaching capacity but there were still available tables. I was dining solo and didn’t want to take away one of their valuable two-tops so I gladly offered to sit at the bar.

The menu is the placemat. Or is that the placemat is the menu? Whichever it is, you don’t have to wait for a menu. It’s right in front of you filled with every type of seafood and accompanying sauce or condiment you can imagine.

The left side has the crudo preparations. Oysters on the half-shell, ceviches and sashimi. And a single sushi-roll (maki). A handful of soups and chowders. A seafood salad or two. And then several dozen options for preparing a host of seafood filets. Bass (robalo), Red snapper (huachinango), and Mahi-mahi (Dorado) are among the most frequently ordered varieties.

They also have jumbo prawn (langostinos), lobster (langosta) and shrimp (camarones) dishes.

And, of course, you can have tacos stuffed with your choice of the above with about any sauce you desire.

On this visit, I opted for a half-dozen oysters on the half-shell followed by a filet of bass Arrienda (topped with caramelized sliced onions and serrano chili peppers).

The oysters arrived within a few ticks of the clock. Cold and fresh. By Texas or Louisiana standards, these are pretty small oysters. About the size of a quarter. But substantially bigger and better than the horrible oysters I’ve been served on rare occasions in Argentina and Chile.

There were three bottles of hot sauce within reach at the bar so I sprinkled a little Cholula (which I am familiar with and really like) and something I hadn’t previously seen that is bit hotter, called Don Capitán. There was also some unlabeled homemade sauce they’d bottled. I sprinkled a few drops from each bottle onto the oysters and began to down them, along with an accomopanying bite of a saltine cracker, also available in a basket within reach.

These oysters were small, but pretty tasty. Nothing great. But better than no oyster at all, right?

Within about five minutes after finishing off that half-dozen, my fish main-dish arrived. It had been heavily sprinkled with some mild chili-powder, as had the sautéed onions and peppers. The dish was spicy. A bit hot, but not overly so. It would be too hot for an Argentine. But it was just right for this ole’ Texan. And that bass was cooked perfectly. Slightly beyond translucent. It was flaky white, but still perfectly moist. It tasted great.

The dish was accompanied by some steamed white rice and refried black-beans. We eat lots of refried pinto beans in Texas. And I’ve had refried beans dozens of times in Mexico. I’m going out on a limb here, but I think these were the best refritos I have ever eaten. They were delicious. A bit fatty. Well-seasoned. I could have eaten a bowl of those alone. The rice was perfectly cooked too.

The only supplemental seasoning I did was to lightly salt the inner portions of the fish filet.

I’ve read consumer reviews complaining of slow service. I didn’t see that. The service I received, although not flawless, was very good. No lengthy waits. No finished plate sitting around without being cleared. It was totally acceptable in every regard. The waiters were also informative, answering all the questions I had about the various types of preparations and sauces (which are not explained on the menu).

To sum it up, Fisher’s is a high-energy oyster bar and restaurant that morphs into a bit of a cantina in the evening hours. Not an ideal location for a serious business meeting or a romantic night out. But for high-quality, fresh seafood, that’s well-executed at a price that’s reasonable for the location and style of restaurant, Fisher’s is an excellent choice.