Paperfish

This restaurant held high promise for Westsiders who were eager for a destination seafood restaurant of their own comparable to further-east spots like Water Grill and Providence. And despite being helmed by Chef Joachim Splichal and his Patina Restaurant Group, it didn’t immediately connect. After a bumpy start, which saw the departure of the original chef, the restaurant is hoping to now right itself. The decor resembles an upscale IKEA showroom, with a curvy ceiling, white walls and wide orange-red and white chairs, and diners have found it pleasantly subdued and a nice antidote to the ultra-trendy places nearby. The conceit of the menu, hence the name, is fish cooked in parchment paper, though there’s only one dish on the menu that benefits from that technique. The raw dishes are good, especially the oysters, and the grilled lobster is a standout.

TIPS: Give the chef one day notice, and he’ll make an entire fish for you. It’s only the second Patina restaurant (after Patina) to charge a corkage fee, and it’s high – $20 a bottle – but it’ll be waived for every one of their bottles you buy.