BLT Fish

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/41417129/new_york_ny/blt_fish.html

The "Shack" at BLT Fish is the lower level of a two floor establishment. The upstairs level is the definition of NY 'shishi' (does anyone actually know how to spell that word?) while the downstairs Shack level provides a more casual dining environment, attempting to resemble a seaside fish/clam shack of sorts. We entered the place with exactly that experience in mind..not terribly hungry, but just in the mood for a quick snack and drink.

While the prices still dont quite remind me of being in Maine, this place definitely fit the bill of a busy, fun and casual place to get good quality seafood. The shellfish selection is quite extensive; we started off with an assortment of oysters and our waitress was fairly knowledgeable in explaining the differences. I will say that this eating expereience was solid enough to get me interested in oysters enough to spend about an hour at work the next day reading about all the different varieties. That must count for something....

I then had the Manhattan Clam Chowder. The waitress prefaced the order with "do you like bacon?" which seemed like a somewhat odd question. This made complete sense though when the soup arrived as the aroma of bacon was suddenly everywhere (a sensory injection which i can't say i really mind). The chowder had good size chunks of clam and I would recommend as a great starter.

I would recommend the Shack as it does exactly what it set out to do; try to bring a little bit of the seaside to the city.