one fish, two fish. red fish, Big Fish

SURPRISE! I'm not dead! Yeah yeah I know. It's been a while. I just started a new job a couple months ago, plus I've been swamped by holidays and family things and birthdays, my best friend just got married (congrats Booty Doo!) so, yeah. A little nuts.

I have LOTS of things I want to talk about this summer, and I promise to be more proactive about posting them! For reals!

First I want to start with one of the most unique, fresh, and flavorful restaurants I have had the pleasure of eating at. It's called Big Fish Grille, and it's located in the Geneva Commons (1602 Commons Drive, Geneva, IL). We were there for my parent's birthdays last week (they were born 4 days apart...awww).

What's so great about it? How about the fact that they print their menus...DAILY. I know! Isn't that awesome!? It's awesome because it means that whatever is freshest is what goes on the menu. Notice the date located at the top of the page. Our waiter told us that most of the seafood on their menu has been out of the water for a maximum period of 32 hours, which for us Illinoisians is about as fresh as we're likely to get without driving 1,000 miles in either direction with hopes of hitting a beach. Giggidy!

Our family went a little nuts with the menu. We ordered a couple maki rolls which were really great, but my dad and I opted to try the Large Oyster Sampler which offered us two of each of the four oysters they offer at this bar. Yeah, four!! These tasty morsels were nestled on a plate of ice with cocktail sauce and vinegar sauce in the center. The four choices were Blue Point (Connecticut, by far my favorite), Kumamoto (British Columbia), Malpeque (Prince Edward Island), and Wellfleet (Cape Cod). Dad and I each tried one and they were all pretty spectacular. Clean and briny, plump and juicy. Perfectly oysterly delicious. Unfortunately, we scarfed them down so fast I didn't get a chance to snap the photo before they were gone. Trust me when I say they were flippin' good.

Now...don't go judging me for choosing the dinner I picked. I realize I was at a fish place, but honestly, this sounded so good I seriously couldn't help myself. I love going to restaurants that have more options than just what they specialize in. You know that they aren't just a one trick dog, knowwhatImean? So, I had the New Zealand Lamb Shank, which was the most incredible, fall-off-the-bone, pot roast style heaven on a plate. Seriously. So. Good. It had a real wine-y flavor and a super amount of sweetness. There were also bright sparks of lemon explosions that helped lighten this super rich dish. Complete with a bed of garlic smashed potatoes. Notice the photo on the left. That bone is cleaner than a bar of soap!! Oh, and there was a little bit of marrow peaking out from the end of that bone which was almost better than the meat itself, so if you get this don't you go throwing it out or I'ma have to come teach you a lesson. 

We also noticed that before the dinner rush hit, we saw the head chef peeking out from time to time to check on how all the tables were doing. We were right by the kitchen door, so he was watching us. My dad mentioned that he saw us sharing our dinners with each other and commenting on how amazing everything was. We ordered desserts (try the key lime pie, but only if you're a fan of the super tart because it is TARTY!) and the Chef stopped by to talk to our table. My parents informed him that I graduated culinary school last year and spent two weeks in Italy, so of course I was completely shy and awkward talking to the man who successfully created a restaurant I am sure to have as a favorite for a very long time.

OH! I almost forgot!!! Check out these amazing bar specials and deals straight from their menu:
Brewers Night Monday's - Enjoy any of our craft beers, bottles or 16oz. draft, for only $3
Tropical Tuesday's - Sail into any specialty Rum drink for $4
Wine down Wednesday's - Enjoy any bottle of wine from our list at 1/2 price!
Martini Madness Thursday's - Any of our specialty martinis for only $5.
Sunday Bloody Sunday (um, ok, any restaurant that references U2 is officially phantasmagorical) - Enjoy our signature Big Fish Bloody Mary's made with Absolute Peppar, our spicy mix and a jumbo shrimp $6
AND
Oysters, Oysters and MORE OYSTERS! $.50 oysters or 1/2 dozen oysters rockefeller $6 (in the bar only)

Big Fish Grille

SO yeah, go. GO NOW!! It's monday night, so get a beer! Go tomorrow and get some rum! OMG GO ON SUNDAY AND GET A BLOODY MARY AND SOME RAW OYSTERS!

Seriously. Get there. Immediately.

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