Yelp, why are you doing this to me? I've been curious about PassionFish for several years as it was written up in various magazines as a notable NOVA restaurant to try. When a place is $$$ and there are so many great reviews on Yelp, I have certain expectations. I was disappointed on every single front.
The most important part of the experience is the food, right? So I asked our bizarre waiter (more on that later) for recommendations. The first thing that caught my eye was the clay pot Red Thai lobster Curry, until I saw the price tag of $45. Not that I'm cheap, but I wasn't paying for the evening and didn't want to be that girl who orders the most expensive thing on the menu. That's really expensive, even for lobster. Oh ho, if only I had trusted my initial instinct. Anyhow, the waiter automatically says I HAVE TO get the Red Thai Curry Lobster because it is TO DIE FOR and it has been written up as THE BEST DISH. I expressed hesitation and he pushed the issue and went on about how I should treat myself because it's the holidays. I honestly felt pressured. As I was eying it in the beginning, I decided to go for it and my boyfriend went with the waiter's second suggestion, the Fisherman's Wharf Cioppino.
Man, wtf, I hope that lobster ended up in lobster heaven because i feel bad he (or she) had to die for that dish.
First, it came to the table shockingly fast, which means it was prepared god knows how long in advance. The guy brings out a bowl with this little mound of rice in the middle, and a separate container (not a clay pot so maybe the clay pot is used to cook it in the kitchen??) that contains the lobster curry. He then proceeds to make this display of pouring the stuff into the bowl with the rice, which was weird, unnecessary, and added no special element to the dining experience. Maybe this was so that the little mound of rice didn't fall over between the kitchen and table? Save your waiters the trouble and bring the dish out fully assembled with the rice on the side.
Second, the flavor was uninspired and nothing special in the slightest. The dish is literally a small pile of rice, mediocre curry (if I had paid $15 for it at my usual Thai joint, I would have said it was pretty good, but $45 though...), probably only a half pound of overcooked lobster (I'm very familiar with the approximate size of a pound of lobster as I have eaten many 1 lb lobster rolls in my life), and some chopped up pineapple that may have been from a can. There is nothing about this dish that is worth $45. If you're thinking about going for it because it must be something special, you are wrong. Even if it's someone else's money, even if you can expense it to your job, do not go for it. It is an absolute waste of money and you will be pissed at yourself.
My boyfriend had the seafood Fisherman's Wharf Cioppino and that was also mediocre. I tried it and was unimpressed with the broth. The prawns were delicious. It should be served with more than one piece of bread.
Dessert is my favorite thing of all time and I was so disappointed in the entree that I skipped dessert.
Also, the drink menu is dull with only very standard cocktails being offered (martini, mule, gin and tonic, etc.). Most restaurants that are in the same category as what PassionFish is trying to be offer craft cocktails and I was disappointed. My boyfriend said the wine menu left something to be desired.
More on the creepy waiter, he walked away in the middle of our order twice without saying anything (just walked away...no warning) to do something with another table. He did say at the beginning of the meal that they were very busy with two events, but that does not excuse wandering off in the middle of taking someone's short order. He didn't clear the unused place settings at the table at the beginning of the meal, which I don't care about, but then reached over me while I was eating to clear the unused place settings. Didn't like that. He was friendly enough, yet also pushy and abrasive. He wouldn't make eye contact with my boyfriend and barely acknowledged him (paid plenty of attention to me). He reminded me of the stereotypical creepy used car salesman.
I was really disappointed, I will not be back, and I will never recommend it to anyone. Two star dining experience for a $$$ price. PassionFish missed the mark in every conceivable way...except for the decor. The decor was nice. read more