weird fish

Weird Fish: "Under Old Management"

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

We've had a sort of love/hate relationship with Weird Fish.  Initially, we couldn't get enough of their food (and offshoot at Bender's, R.I.P.).  But then Bain Capital bought them out or something, the restaurant kept changing hands, the food became shittier and shittier and we stopped wasting our time.

Well, apparently it's time to give them another shot, because our buddy Jefferson ate their last night and it sounds like everything is back in order:

You'll remember Weird Fish started out super vegan-friendly. Waitress said they got a new owner who hired a new chef who brought in meat. Non-fish meat. The pescatarians and the vegans showed up to find all the vegan options gone from the menu. It was lame. I stopped eating there.

But the old owner took over again a few months ago.  They brought back all of the vegan options. My dinner last night was great. Battered tofu and chips with a vegan tarter sauce and vegan cheesecake.  They also had a vegan chorizo tostada on the menu and two kinds of vegan tacos.

The waitress said they wanted to put up a sign that said “Under Old Management.”

[Photo by Cameo Wood]

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Weird Fish Kills Off "Buffalo Girls" (Again)

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Big news in seitan: the bipolar chefs over at Weird Fish have once again taken their renowned Buffalo Girls off the menu.  Now before we all go over there and slap the shit outta them, let's remember that this is basically the third time they pulled this stunt this year.  First they pulled their satellite kitchen out of Bender's Bar, a move akin to renouncing one's religion and marrying a capybara, and completely gutted their old menu, ditching the B Girls, among other killer dishes.  Then a month later, they brought the menu back following a bunch of so-called “vegan outrage.”  Then it was gone again.  Then back again in June.  It all seemed good at this point, even a month ago I could still order their famed seitan dishes.  Well, they are up to their old antics again.  When I asked about getting Buffalo Girls, the waitress had a quick response, “We aren't making those anymore.”

“But they were so good.”

“They were, but we're moving onto other dishes.  We're trying to keep the menu experimental and weird.”

Mind you, Weird Fish might just be calling wolf again hoping to send the foodie blogs into a tailspin, but they seem way too committed to ditching their best dish this time around.  An hour after ordering food, a table sat down next to us, tried to order the Buffalo Girls, and was delivered the same, scripted response from the waitress.

Not really sure what it is with Mission chefs killing off some of their popular dishes.  Mission Burger did it in the fall of 2009 when they abandoned the vegan burger.  Mission Chinese Food ditched the chinito over the summer.  Now Buffalo Girls are gone.  Perhaps it is the same reason Radiohead refuses to play Creep at their shows: artists getting bored with the hit that made them popular.

I'm crying rivers for their plight.

(photo by Ray Everett)

Weird Fish Really Stepping Up This Whole Gringo Street Food Fad

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Yeah the seitan tacos were delicious but LOOK AT THAT FUCKING BIKE.  Trash can, place to wash your hands, A FUCKING GRILL NEXT TO THE HANDLEBARS.  This motherfucker could cook my ass a tofu scramble during critical mass and never even need to stop pedaling.  All he needs to do is put some turntables, a kegerator and a Phil Wood hub with some Japanese cog on there and he'll become the envy of American Apparel burners everywhere.