Hankering for Haddock?

Well, we make the best in town, baked with a fragrant, herby tarragon and rosemary breadcrumb dressing. But if you think we’re inviting you over for dinner again, forget it. Not after the, um “underwear incident” last time you were a guest here. And considering the Jamaican Iditarod team has a better chance of making the trip than a piece of haddock does emerging edible from your kitchen, what to do? Randomly calling local restaurants to see if they have it on the menu is one option. The smarter play? Call Bob’s Seafood, 314-993-4844. Be polite. And quick. Bob and his crew are hauling in, cutting up, and selling an extravagance of fresh fish and seafood and they’re busy (their place is on Olive, just east of I-170). Ask him, though, which local restaurant chefs have just been in to buy haddock. Or swordfish. Or grouper, or big, meaty slabs of Atlantic cod. Rare is the St. Louis restaurant that doesn’t source Bob’s for fresh fish. (Rarer still is the serious seafood cook who isn’t a regular here, with its spectacular and constantly changing selection. This is the only place in town we trust for sashimi.) And if it’s crawfish etoufee or crab gumbo or blackened gator, those chefs will be collecting the mudbugs, the blue crabs, or the alligator at Bob’s. Whatever fishy monkey is on your back, chances are Bob knows who’s bought it locally. Call him and you’ll know who’s likely to be serving it. --Roger Androscoggin, Seafood Editor