Up until the opening of Desert Fish late last year, Albuquerque seafood restaurants were designed to feel as if diners are actually next to the ocean — fake boardwalks, mooring lines and bollards, ponds, buoys, etc. Fun stuff, sure, but the fact is, we’re not anywhere near the ocean and most diners are very aware of that. Based off its name alone, one of Nob Hill’s newest culinary destinations is using its desert locale as its main selling point.
Fresh fish, oysters, clams, scallops, crab and mussels are certainly at their freshest when pulled from their underwater lair, cracked open and eaten on the spot. That obviously can’t happen in the high desert. But what diners should know is that five out of the six days a week that Desert Fish is seating, seafood is flown in and delivered to the kitchen. Sure, it’s not flopping around on your plate fresh, but it’s pretty fresh, and skillfully prepared at that.
The interior of the restaurant — a sort of ode to the Pacific Northwest — is all exposed blonde wood beams, sleek lines and huge windows letting in much more light than the building’s previous incarnation (the beloved dive, Sonny’s Bar & Grill). Since there is live music on weekend nights, a unique sliding door closes off the south dining room. A 15-foot tall totem pole is the central focus of the north dining room, which merges naturally with the full-service bar.
Read the complete article from Local IQ.