Fish!

Dear blog followers (most of you are relatives).

Adam is my boyfriend and he wants to be involved too. After close inspection of his writing sample, I have allowed him to be a co-author of THE FOOD IS ALRIGHT. Although he doesn't really cook or decorate cakes or have the same zangyness as me, he appreciates food nonetheless. Below is his first post.

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Ordering a whole fish is dangerous.  They are easy to overcook, frequently over seasoned, and often not worth the effort.  Ordering it fried only compounds those issues, and adds an ungodly amount of calories to the mix.  Still, when they are done right it is a real treat.

TenPenh in Washington, DC does it right.  Their crispy whole fried catfish ($17) remains flaky and tender despite its oil bath.  There is no hint of chewiness, no second-guessing your order, and certainly no sharing.  At one point, as others around me began to offer tastes of their dishes, I realized that I was eating with my fork and guarding my plate with a pair of chopsticks (eventually I relented and shared a bit).

Two important considerations when ordering a whole fish:  (1) Whole fish don't just look cool, they come with all kinds of tasty parts you wouldn't get if you just ordered a filet (or steak).  Make sure to eat the cheeks, the meat in the shoulder and head, and the fins.  (2) Know your restaurant.  If they also have mozzarella sticks on the menu (and you can't see the ocean out the window), I would pass.