The Anchovy Bar

General Notes

Excellent seafood restaurant, owned by the same people who manage State Bird Provisions and The Progress. Most seafood-forward restaurants tend to be pretty bland / uninteresting flavorwise, but this was definitely not the case here. The flavors were incredible while still showcasing the natural flavors of the ingredients. Not surprisingly the anchovies in particular were incredible -- definitely get some. Also definitely get their focaccia. I like that everything is small plates style -- you can try all kinds of things on their menu. It's a little bit on the pricier side, but a great choice for a seafood enjoyer for a special occasion. Some of the dishes can be a bit overseasoned.

Dishes Tasted

• ★☆☆☆ shrimp and squid meatballs -- lemongrass makrut sambal. A bit of a weird flavor and a bit too salty for my taste.
• ★☆☆☆ japanese cucumbers -- mushroom conserva, almond furikake. Not my favorite dish, a bit too strong / salty.
• ★★☆☆ broiled oysters -- The red wine butter one tasted a little odd, I liked the smokey date & bacon sambal butter
• ★★★☆ heirloom tomato salad -- calstelvetrano olives, anchovy salt. Quite good, I enjoyed this
• ★★★☆ smoked fish chip & dip -- excellent, nice to munch on
• ★★☆☆ anchovy pintxos -- smoked castelvetrano olive. pretty tasty, i like that the olive also has a strong anchovy flavor. The anchovy itself is way too salty though
• ★★☆☆ albacore -- albacore 'au poivre' cara cara, castelvetrano olives. Pretty good, solid flavor
• ★★★★ local pickled anchovy-edamame toast -- the anchovies are SO GOOD. The toast is also nice (has a sesame flavor), and the edamame puree rounds it out nicely. Definitely get some pickled anchovy in some way.
• ★★☆☆ gulf shrimp -- served with green curry + salad. shrimp is solid but not particularly noteworthy, the green curry is a nice touch though
• ★★★★ mussels -- served with a kind of green sauce, it's super good and comes with a couple of mussels each.
• ★★★☆ clams -- cherrystone clams, tomatillo-jalapeno, nuts, seeds. The flavor combination of this is delicious.
• ★★★☆ oysters -- mignonette, atomic hot sauce. Solid oysters, the yuzu mignonette is a nic touch. $4.5 each is a bit much though.
• ★★★★ Focaccia -- focaccia & whipped butter, some of the best focaccia I've had, this tastes so incredible.