Pike Street Fish Fry to Open

There have been rumblings on the blogs that Michael Hebberoy was taking over the old Frites space at Neumo's, and I just got word from the One Pot organizer himself that it's all true.

Sometime soon -- perhaps next weekend, maybe a little after that, he doesn't want to specify -- Pike Street Fish Fry will open up, serving food from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. about five days a week. The restaurant is a partnership between Hebberoy, Jerry Everard (Neumo's, Sole Repair, etc.), and Mike McConnell (Caffe Vita and Via Tribunali). Monica Dimas, who's worked at Campagne and Le Pichet, will be heading up the kitchen.

Though Hebberoy claims that Fish Fry's kitchen is actually as big as the one in many bistros, the premise behind PSFF is simple street food. Hebberoy says it will offer five or six kinds of fish a day, from cod to Spanish mackerel, lightly battered and served with a choice of 5-6 sauces made from house-pickled ingredients (homemade tartar sauce, preserved-lemon aioli). They'll also be serving fries, grilled octopus, and some red meat. "What I’m hoping," says Hebberoy, "is that when people walk in, your average foodie will notice that we’re canning and preserving vegetables and have whole fish on ice, while a drunk kid at 2 a.m. is stoked he can get fries and fish balls, or a grilled piece of steak."

The partners have expanded into Neumo's old box office, which now has banquette seating for six, while the rest of the tiny space has SRO tables. If all goes well, Pike Street Fish Fry will open for lunch. It also may supply food for the happy hours at Moe Bar next door.