Blackfish BYOB — Restaurant in Conshohocken

Let me start off by saying that this place comes closer to a 5-star than to a 4-star. Nevertheless in my world, the bar to achieve a 5-star is prettyyyyy high and Blackfish falls just a little short of those standards.

My wife and I were here last evening for our anniversary dinner. We reserved our spot using OpenTable and it certainly didn't hurt that they were offering 1,000 points for booking on OpenTable. We had been in the area just a few days back to dine at another restaurant and so were aware of the fact that most places (including Blackfish) do not have attached parking and street parking is what one has to look for. We therefore left a bit of time to spare but street parking was easy to find that evening and we found ourselves at the restaurant sharp at 9 p.m., the time of our reservation and were promptly seated.

Part of the reason for having chosen BF was that they have a 4-course tasting menu on Tuesdays and last evening's tasting menu centered around prawn, one of my favorite items. Therefore, my choice was made simple - I went for the 4-course tasting menu. For my wife, she was interested in trying things off the menu and she went with a smoked salmon appetizer and lamb saddle for the main course.

My first course was a chilled sweet pea soup with lemongrass, coconut, and prawns. It was brought out at the same time as my wife's appetizer. My second course was comprised of toasted almond milk, black quinoa, smoked marjoram, again with prawns. I found both of these dishes to be excellent and it whetted my appetite. However, the third course (the entree) was somewhat disappointing. The centerpiece of that dish was pork belly and I did not enjoy having it one bit. It was hard to cut through, appeared under-seasoned, and had its edges overcooked. Everything else on the plate, e.g. grilled zucchini was excellent and the sauce (I believe romesco) was one to die for. My final course was dessert comprised of Strawberry Gazpacho. While it tasted great, the presentation was a tad underwhelming. Overall though, I was very satisfied with my meal and had to work hard to stop myself from licking the sauce off the plates - the sauces were just that good. My wife's experiences were also very positive when it came to the food. Besides the items I mentioned, she got beignets (donuts) for dessert and those came with a side of molten chocolate and raspberry jam, both great accompaniments to the donuts.

The food was complemented with wonderful service. Our servers were very polite and attentive to details. I would go as far as saying that the service was distinctive. I had made a note on OpenTable that this was our anniversary dinner and the server brought out a candle with the desserts. My wife, who had ordered the lamb, had failed to mention that she wanted it well-done and so when it came out cooked medium, she brought it to our server's notice and it was promptly corrected.

In the end, great food and great service don't come for free. This place certainly delivers a culinary experience that more than justifies the price tag it comes with. I wouldn't hesitate going back again to the restaurant and being impressed by their culinary skills and...

My wife and I had game tasting menu dinner at Blackfish on Tuesday 3/4/3014. We often come there for the Tuesday tasting menu as this is a good way to try something new and/or different. This time the dinner was very disappointing. The first course (venison tartar) was quite good - very fresh and gently spiced. The second course (braised rabbit) came under smoked tea sauce which was so heavily spiced and salted that we could not even taste the rabbit itself. My wife had to return the dish and request it without the sauce. The third course (roasted grouse) was so heavy on fat (quarter of inch under the skin, and chunks of fat in the meat itself) my wife also had to return it in exchange for the second helping of the tartar. I was brave enough to finish the dish, but as I was approaching the end of the fairly minimal portion I started filling increasingly sick with indigestion from eating so much of heavy bird fat. I had to take two alka-zeltser tablet when I got home to fight the indigestion. The dessert (soufflé) was also quite good. Hence - two stars only (two busts and two fines). I asked the manager if the boss Chip Roman was in the kitchen this night. He was not, being at his other resto (Mica). I wonder if Blackfish will go the way of some other BYOB resto in Phila, when the owner decides to improve bottom line and to open another more profitable venue with the full service liquor bar. Very often this expansion bids the end of the whole venture. I hope this is not the case here, but several poor reviews over the last few months might be rather indicative of the downhill slide...

More like 3.5 stars. We did the 7-course tasting menu ($115 per person), and I’m really not sure how I should feel about it. Part of me feels the tasting menu tonight is a bit of a letdown.

1. The caramelized onion with cream sauce is super salty to the extent that I couldn’t eat it. My husband was hungry so he ate both without much thinking, but later he said the high sodium level became obvious towards the end.

2. One of the two main dishes: the scallops are super salty too! But I still ate them as there are only three medium-sized scallops anyway.

3. Seating is super tight, almost uncomfortable. You’re literally on top of each other. So the restaurant became very loud and it’s hard to hear clearly what the servers are saying. We didn’t hear the “inedible sea grass” part, so I was poking the sea grass after I finished my single oyster. The lead female server almost “yelled”‘at me. We also witnessed her harshly tell the male server to move faster to clear one table, which we find unnecessary as he was already moving as fast as the tight space allowed him to. But our tall young female server is very friendly—her warm mannerism makes us feel better during the long wait between courses.

My favorite out of the seven-course tasting menu is: the smoked salmon with poached egg. It has a very balanced flavor and the texture combination makes the dish interesting.

Maybe it’s better not to do the tasting menu especially if it’s your first visit, as it doesn’t allow you to...