The Mermaid Inn

Get your ass out from behind your desk and go down to the Mermaid Inn and get some food. I'm serious- I've eaten in a lot of places in this town and I haven't had a meal this good in four or five months. The restaurant is amazing- Cape Cod atmosphere- unpretentious feel- food that will knock the jadedness right out of your mouth. Gothamist's recommendations? We started with a selection of the appetizers: fried oysters, spinach and crab dip, clam fritters, artic char tartare. The clam fritters were the clear winner- doughy, warm, satisfying. For mains, we went with the salmon, scallops, Atlantic cod, and the seafood plateau. I ate that last one all by myself- the oysters and clams were top-notch, and the shrimp cocktail was amazing. And Gothamist is sort of a connoisseur of shrimp cocktail. All along the wait staff was great- funny, quick, laid back.

For dessert everyone gets pudding. Don't think you are special if that's what you get- that's all they've got. Delicious, with whipped cream. With the check they bring super-cool Fortune Telling Fish. And another surprise with the check: this place is crazy cheap. Not hot dog on the street cheap, but still.

One drawback: be prepared to wait. We had to cool our heels at Global 33 for an hour while they found us a table.

Mermaid Inn, 96 Second Avenue (between 5th and 6th Streets).