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October 24-30, 2002 cover story Fishing ExpeditionA Brit and a Yank seek the city’s best version of a U.K. staple.
Oh, the lure of the exotic dish. Certain foods -- let’s face it -- travel about as well as regional humor: They’re much imitated but rarely as splendid as the original. Fish and chips, served in the U.K. and Ireland in pubs or wrapped in newspaper from a chippie, have been translated in the U.S. to an Approximate Version -- which, in turn, has grown into something of a staple of Philadelphia’s bar menus. Is it possible that anyone here is getting it right? The answer is: sort of. In most cases, according to our inexact expertise, certain essential requirements were observed. The batter was mostly golden, rather than an unappetizing brown -- or, even worse, a "healthy" breadcrumb coating. (Let's not even pretend this dish carries health points.) Malt vinegar was widely available, ready to be doused upon and soaked up by generous fries, the chunkier the better. And the best places were those that served it simply. It's not rocket science. It's fried fish. But as we learned, there are certain pitfalls to the preparation. We stumbled on one version, served at the Dark Horse Pub, which arrived beautifully battered but almost completely raw inside. After sending it back, we received another portion that, again, looked unpleasantly translucent. Making the opposite mistake with equally inedible results, The Bards presented a plate of fish so overcooked that its crisped flesh curled at the edges. Nevertheless, there were successful attempts, too. London Grill, while relying on disappointingly slim fries, perfected the sort of crispy batter that cracks satisfyingly at the first slice. At the other end of the spectrum, Fado produced an enormous portion of fish coated in soft, fluffier batter than was usual; their huge wedged fries, seasoned with parsley, were closer to the original spirit of the dish than their stringy counterparts. Somewhere in between those two extremes, then, we found our winner: Northern Liberties' N. 3rd restaurant, whose version not only hit the mark for beautifully flaky fish and crispy, peppery batter, but did so without sticking to a freakishly authentic ideal. After all, fish and chips isn't a museum-piece dish: Doing it right isn't quite as important as doing it well. N. 3rd, 801 N. Third St., 215-413-3666 
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