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FishNook, Four-Seat Kitchen Table Inside Of Shaw's FishNet - $65 + $35 Drinks Pairing, 7 PM Mondays and Tuesdays - Reopening Mon-Tue Nights Starting Aug 1-2, 2016


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ok, this is going to be a picky question...but...I understand that this will be fish/seafood oriented meal, but is it a pescatarian meal (ie: will land creature meat be used...say chorizo as a garnish or chicken broth in a sauce).

I personally have no problems, but certain dining companions love all things seafood/fish but won't eat land creatures.

Thanks for allowing me to be difficult!

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Don,

This is special to Shaw. I do not have the required equipment or the seating arrangement in College Park. Menu will be very different from the regular dining room menu. Also, I have not been to Roberto`s 8 so no comments on that.

Tweaked, for now the entire menu is seafood oriented but eventually when the weather gets a little colder I plan on adding a red meat course. I make all my stocks and sauces and all of them are fish based (or vegetarian). There is no chicken here (except for the family meal).

 

There are raw/barely cooked courses which I hope will not be an issue. I wish I could accommodate other restrictions but I serve only 4 seats so other issues can not be taken care of.

Here is a link to a picture

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I've been thinkging about where I want to go for my birthday this year and got excited when I saw this.  Then  I noticed the date it starts, three days after my birthday.  Dang it.

We shared the Chef's Table last night with a young woman who was celebrating her birthday (which is actually tomorrow). Ferhat told me that he is booked through November. Since only 8 people a week will be able to indulge in this, I wouldn't hesitate to make a reservation for whenever you can get in.

I could list the menu, but next week's will be very different. The menu we had featured that last of this season's local corn. Next week? Even Ferhat doesn't know, yet.

There was a lot of food, some of which I brought home, and a lot to drink. All of it was very, very good. Ferhat knows from wine. And, not a "foam" in sight. Just straight forward perfectly prepared seafood dishes garnished in unexpected but delicious ways--except for dessert (there were two!), which didn't contain seafood.

A little bird told me who will there next Monday and they just happen to be members of this site. I'll be interested to read about their experience. I hope it will be as delightful as ours.

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We shared the Chef's Table last night with a young woman who was celebrating her birthday (which is actually tomorrow). Ferhat told me that he is booked through November. Since only 8 people a week will be able to indulge in this, I wouldn't hesitate to make a reservation for whenever you can get in.

I could list the menu, but next week's will be very different. The menu we had featured that last of this season's local corn. Next week? Even Ferhat doesn't know, yet.

There was a lot of food, some of which I brought home, and a lot to drink. All of it was very, very good. Ferhat knows from wine. And, not a "foam" in sight. Just straight forward perfectly prepared seafood dishes garnished in unexpected but delicious ways--except for dessert (there were two!), which didn't contain seafood.

A little bird told me who will there next Monday and they just happen to be members of this site. I'll be interested to read about their experience. I hope it will be as delightful as ours.

Good to hear. And I think you mean Tuesday. ;)

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I have very little to say about this meal except WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A RESERVATION YET?

$55:

* House made potato chips

Ceviche - Florida red snapper, local corn, avocado

Soup - local corn, Maine lobster

Sea scallop - Massachusetts, baby bok choy, cauliflower puree

* Fresh shrimp on garlic mashed potatoes

Risotto - lump crab, butternut squash

* Fried perch

Japanese Aji (mackerel) - garlicky eggplant puree, local vegetables

* Vanilla ice cream with porter and nutella mousse

Tiramisu

The starred dishes were extra items not on the printed menu, as me and my dining companions have known Ferhat personally for years. Nevertheless, even without the extra bites, the $55 is a value for what you get.

Go.

Now.

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I have very little to say about this meal except WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A RESERVATION YET?

The starred dishes were extra items not on the printed menu, as me and my dining companions have known Ferhat personally for years. Nevertheless, even without the extra bites, the $55 is a value for what you get.

Go.

Now.

Yes, it was very good and worth the trip. For those of us that have known Ferhat from his server days it's fun to see him working behind the line.

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Hi All,

I have two seats available on November 17th for FishNook (due to a misunderstanding). If interested please contact me here or rsvpfishnook@gmail.com.

Thanks,

If you are reading this, free that night - and if you're not emailing right now, you've just made a huge mistake.

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Hi All,

I have two seats available on November 17th for FishNook (due to a misunderstanding). If interested please contact me here or rsvpfishnook@gmail.com.

Thanks,

It's nice to see you're doing this well! You should consider requiring a credit card, and having a 48-hour cancellation policy (*) - it someone bails on you after you bought the ingredients (which I assume are purchased specifically for FishNook), it's not fair for you to shoulder the entire cost.

Too many diners cancel with a sense of entitlement - I'm hoping more and more restaurants do this type of thing in the future because it would keep costs down for the rest of us.

(*) If someone faxes you a receipt from an emergency room, I seriously doubt you'd charge them. Having this policy doesn't make you mean; it keeps you in business, and allows considerate diners to continue enjoying FishNook in the future.

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My husband and I enjoyed our meal at the counter last night.  It was good to see Ferhat again.  I hadn't seen him in some time.  My husband has seen him more recently than I have, due to lunch stops at Fishnet when he has work commitments out around College Park/Greenbelt.  I hadn't even made it to Fishnet before yesterday  :o .

There were three extra courses beyond the six on the menu.  By the time we got to the last pre-dessert course, Turkish salt-baked dorade with local vegetables, I'd hit a wall.  I only took a few bites and we brought the rest home for my husband's lunch today.

The extras were shrimp cooked on a pink salt block, fried catfish, and Port City Porter ice cream, plus an amuse bouche of potato chips with thyme.   The shrimp were delicious, and it was cool watching them cook on the salt block.  I forget how many hours ahead Ferhat said the slab had to be pre-heated.  The catfish was served right before (?) the dorade, and I couldn't manage to eat any of that either.  My husband had no problem eating the whole portion, no surprise ;) .  It's good I took a breather on some of the later courses, since then I could eat dessert.  I especially loved the ice cream.

The 6-course menu:

Ceviche - Florida red snapper, corn, avocado

Soup - Local purple cauliflower, Parmesan

Sea Scallop from Massachusetts - Turnip puree, baby bok choy

Risotto - Maine lobster

Turkish Dorade - Salt baked, local veggies

Tiramisu

I thought the ceviche and risotto were especially outstanding.  The quality of the ingredients shone through for all of the courses, though.  It was fun watching everything be prepared.

For $25, I got the beverage pairing, which my husband took some sips of here and there.  I thought the wines were well-paired with the various courses, starting bubbly and white and ending with red. (I didn't take any notes on the wines, but I know the last was a pinot noir.)

As others have said, this is an amazing value.  It was a lovely evening.  I couldn't believe how much time had passed when we left to head back home.

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Maybe I'm just being a grump, but this seems an awful lot like trying to get preferential treatment.

More like belt and bracers, as I'm always slightly paranoid about email communications with restaurants and their interaction with my/their spam filter, given some past mishaps.  :-)

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Amazing experience.  My fiancee and I loved the food, drinks, and (by some random coincidence) the amazing couple that joined us!

Ferhat was awesome (even entertained some of our rather silly questions), the dishes were delicious.  I would describe the dishes more, but Choirgirl21 pretty much has all the bases covered.

I'm thinking the fiancee and I might make this a regular tradition.

5 stars, 10/10, call it whatever you want, it was awesome.

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Ferhat is amazing, and this is an absolutely amazing dinner.  Easily one of the best in the city.  Every one of the courses was delicious, and when asked at the end if we had a favorite dish, each of the four of us named something different that we utterly adored.  What a great experience.

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Four of us had dinner at FishNook last night and it was a really special experience in every way: food, service, ambiance.  The evening began around 7:15 and went on until well after 10:00, so a 3-hour extravaganza of wonderful food and conversation.  The setting is really nice, kind of cozy, actually, and the stools were very comfortable.  Jazz was playing and that created a lovely atmosphere without being too loud to impede our ability to hear one another.  Ferhat was a one-man-band, simultaneously filling the roles, of Chef, GM, Sommelier, Server, and Busboy "“ and he did it all with finesse!  Even though he was in constant motion, he happily conversed with us and it was really interesting to learn about his thought process, his cooking techniques, how he chooses dishes and ingredients, how he prepared for opening FishNook, and so much more.  He is also really charming and quite funny!

The menu we were served consisted of 6 on-menu dishes and 3 off-menu dishes, so 9 "˜courses' altogether.  It was very similar to what choirgirl and others described upthread, so I won't go into much detail about each dish, except to note where we were served something a bit different.  I do want to say that EVERY course was really delicious.  We also had the wine pairings and we enjoyed them immensely.

As an amuse, Ferhat gave us thin waffle potato chips with thyme that were even better than Fishnet's french fries.  Next was the Ceviche with red snapper, corn and avocado.  Some of the best ceviche we've ever had.  The soup course was a white Cauliflower with a Parmesan Crisp "“ this soup was very fine and showed the influence of Tom Power on Ferhat "“ he said that he learned to make soup from Tom.  The parmesan crisp was the perfect accompaniment.  The Sea Scallop dish was well-described above and I have to emphasize just how perfectly cooked the scallops were and how beautifully the squash puree and baby bok choy combined with the scallops.  I also really liked the dishes these were served in "“ hammered metal bowls from Turkey "“ I'm not one to take pictures in restaurants, but I wanted to with this one.  It was a lovely presentation.  Next, we were each served one Shrimp on a skewer that was cooked in olive oil on a salt block "“ I'd never seen this done before and it was fascinating to watch.  That was followed up with shrimp on a skewer that had been cooked in butter on the salt block.  Ferhat asked us which we preferred and interestingly, the men preferred the butter-cooked shrimp, while we women preferred the olive oil shrimp.  It was a tough choice, though, because both were delicious.  After this, Ferhat broke down a Maine lobster and that was fun to watch.  He added it to a Risotto with Green Peas.  Yet another lovely dish.  The final savory offering was the Salt-Baked Branzino and Garlic Eggplant Puree.  Rather than whole fish, Ferhat chose to bake fillets and he explained why and how he did that.  Once again, both the fish and the eggplant were perfectly cooked.  After that came the desserts.  First up was an off-menu "˜Beer Float' described upthread, made with a Port City Porter and ice cream; one of our party was abstaining from alcohol, so Ferhat made him the same dish with root beer.  We all loved this dish.  And, finally, our dessert was an Apple Galette, which I have not seen described above.  Made with Braeburn apples because, as Ferhat explained, they don't give up their juices.  We had the pleasure of watching him construct the whole thing before baking.  When done, it was served with Moorenko's vanilla ice cream.  The perfect end to a perfect meal.

What an experience.  And, consider that this whole meal was only $55 per person! And $25 for the wine pairings, which were generous and perfectly matched to the food.  This dinner is an incredible value.  But beyond that, it's just a very special experience all the way round, with a delightful host.  All four of us couldn't stop exclaiming about it on the way home.  We hope to repeat it very soon.

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My wife and I "finally" made it here on Tuesday night and it was a great dinner and a really special night.

The menu was nearly identical to what's listed above (we didn't get the beer float though), but Ferhat said once the weather changes (read: spring/summer) the menu will change as well.  He's all about using local ingredients (I'm talking veggies here) , in season, so don't hold hour breath for tomatoes!

The food, as described above, was great but what really made the evening special was the setting and Ferhat himself.

He's very funny and charming and witty, which is impressive if you're speaking your native language, but doubly impressive when it's your second language.  We spent the night talking about his home country (Turkey), his history in cooking, the worth of a Vitamix, his unsuccessful attempt to eat at Rose's Luxury, how he made this dish or that dish, etc., etc.  It was like being at a dinner party......no, scratch that.....It was like having dinner in your cool, talented friend's kitchen.

He really needs his own TV show!

Can't wait to go back in 6 or 8 months!

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I can't add much to Laura's and Bart's accounts, which are spot-on.  Our meal last Monday was similar, except with a delicious burrata instead of the root beer float, and a luxurious parsnip soup instead of cauliflower.  Terrific, relaxing meal with a great host.  Kudos!

My wife and I "finally" made it here on Tuesday night and it was a great dinner and a really special night.

The menu was nearly identical to what's listed above (we didn't get the beer float though), but Ferhat said once the weather changes (read: spring/summer) the menu will change as well.  He's all about using local ingredients (I'm talking veggies here) , in season, so don't hold hour breath for tomatoes!

The food, as described above, was great but what really made the evening special was the setting and Ferhat himself.

He's very funny and charming and witty, which is impressive if you're speaking your native language, but doubly impressive when it's your second language.  We spent the night talking about his home country (Turkey), his history in cooking, the worth of a Vitamix, his unsuccessful attempt to eat at Rose's Luxury, how he made this dish or that dish, etc., etc.  It was like being at a dinner party......no, scratch that.....It was like having dinner in your cool, talented friend's kitchen.

He really needs his own TV show!

Can't wait to go back in 6 or 8 months!

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Happy new 2015 to all of you!!

If anybody is interested, I have 2 seats open for FishNook on January12th (rest of the month is accommodated). Please email me at fishnook@fishnetdc.com

Thanks,

I'm assuming these have already been snatched up, but if not, wondering how much the menu has changed? I've noticed changes in what folks have been posting since we were there, but not drastic changes.

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Not only had those 2 seats not been snatched up but the other 2 opened up as well so 4 of us headed to Fishnook this past Monday for another great meal.

We started off with the thyme waffle chips and some bubbly, which frankly has become a favorite way of mine to start a meal (at home I do store bought chips sadly and whatever cocktail I happen to be drinking) followed by a scallop ceviche plated beautifully in the scallop shell. I think I have a slight preference for the tuna ceviche, but this was also very very good. And the homemade tortilla chips are so good alongside.

We followed that with the soup, this time I was thrilled to see it was local sunchoke soup with dried (I believe shiitake) mushroom. Again, Vitamix for the win (seriously, Ferhat knows how to make a good soup)!

Some of the seafood hadn't arrived as it was supposed to so Ferhat was left to plan on the fly so our next course was actually a pasta course, cacio e pepe. I was impressed at how much of a sauce you can get using water and just slowly cooking the pasta in the pan.

Our next course was a braised and grilled octopus in a "green sauce" (with tomatillos as the base). The octopus was simmered slowly via stovetop in advance, then just hit with the grill to warm it up and get a good char. One of my top 2 dishes of the night - I don't think I've ever had octopus so tender and the bright green sauce was a lovely compliment to the char of the seafood.

Our final savory course was a Turkish stew. Ferhat had made the tomato based stew ahead of time. He then put cubes of local Rockfish and cooked blue potato into clay ramekins, ladled the stew on top and heated them through until the fish was cooked. Another top dish of the night, hearty, with some caramelization from the clay pots and just a ton of flavor.

Then a course that wasn't on our menu - buffalo mozzarella fresh from Wisconsin with olive oil, s&p and a little micro green salad. I adored the freshness of this mozzarella with a center that resembled cottage cheese.

For desserts we were treated to a small ramekin of a lavendar creme brulee that was absolutely delicious and an apple galette made from scratch. Word on the street is that you should just buy your puff pastry as it takes far too much time and work to make from scratch, which people won't appreciate, but I dare say I did appreciate it. This simple dish of homemade pastry, braeburn apple and turbinado sugar was the perfect finale to the meal. In addition to orders not coming in, Ferhat was also facing some challenges in the kitchen with an oven on the fritz so at one point he worried that the galette wasn't going to work out - bonus for us as we were treated to some nutella cocoa that he whipped up on the fly while we waited on the galette.

Again, delicious food all around and generous wine pairings to boot. The dishes are often "simple" in terms of number of ingredients, but Ferhat knows how to finesse them to bring out maximum flavor and I am always picking up tips to take home with me. This time we even had a little fun doing a sea salt tasting (did you know that some salts can be salty for salt? :P) and honestly, interacting with Ferhat has become my favorite part of the Fishnook experience.

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Not only had those 2 seats not been snatched up but the other 2 opened up as well so 4 of us headed to Fishnook this past Monday for another great meal.

We started off with the thyme waffle chips and some bubbly, which frankly has become a favorite way of mine to start a meal (at home I do store bought chips sadly and whatever cocktail I happen to be drinking) followed by a scallop ceviche plated beautifully in the scallop shell. I think I have a slight preference for the tuna ceviche, but this was also very very good. And the homemade tortilla chips are so good alongside.

We followed that with the soup, this time I was thrilled to see it was local sunchoke soup with dried (I believe shiitake) mushroom. Again, Vitamix for the win (seriously, Ferhat knows how to make a good soup)!

Some of the seafood hadn't arrived as it was supposed to so Ferhat was left to plan on the fly so our next course was actually a pasta course, cacio e pepe. I was impressed at how much of a sauce you can get using water and just slowly cooking the pasta in the pan.

Our next course was a braised and grilled octopus in a "green sauce" (with tomatillos as the base). The octopus was simmered slowly via stovetop in advance, then just hit with the grill to warm it up and get a good char. One of my top 2 dishes of the night - I don't think I've ever had octopus so tender and the bright green sauce was a lovely compliment to the char of the seafood.

Our final savory course was a Turkish stew. Ferhat had made the tomato based stew ahead of time. He then put cubes of local Rockfish and cooked blue potato into clay ramekins, ladled the stew on top and heated them through until the fish was cooked. Another top dish of the night, hearty, with some caramelization from the clay pots and just a ton of flavor.

Then a course that wasn't on our menu - buffalo mozzarella fresh from Wisconsin with olive oil, s&p and a little micro green salad. I adored the freshness of this mozzarella with a center that resembled cottage cheese.

For desserts we were treated to a small ramekin of a lavendar creme brulee that was absolutely delicious and an apple galette made from scratch. Word on the street is that you should just buy your puff pastry as it takes far too much time and work to make from scratch, which people won't appreciate, but I dare say I did appreciate it. This simple dish of homemade pastry, braeburn apple and turbinado sugar was the perfect finale to the meal. In addition to orders not coming in, Ferhat was also facing some challenges in the kitchen with an oven on the fritz so at one point he worried that the galette wasn't going to work out - bonus for us as we were treated to some nutella cocoa that he whipped up on the fly while we waited on the galette.

Again, delicious food all around and generous wine pairings to boot. The dishes are often "simple" in terms of number of ingredients, but Ferhat knows how to finesse them to bring out maximum flavor and I am always picking up tips to take home with me. This time we even had a little fun doing a sea salt tasting (did you know that some salts can be salty for salt? :P) and honestly, interacting with Ferhat has become my favorite part of the Fishnook experience.

What a great writeup!  Ferhat is one of the nicest and most hospitable of chefs in DC as well as talented.  Haven't yet made it to FishNook; a definite 2015 resolution!

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TGIF!!

I dropped the ball on managing the reservations this month and now I have February 9th and 10th available for four people each night.

Email me at fishnook@fishnetdc.com if you`like to book the seats and see my hair transplant!!(see at your own risk)

You looked good without hair!

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I still do!

There was a certain "pirate look" you had that made owning a seafood shack all the more appropriate; now, I'm going to have to lower you from Italic in the Dining Guide.

Here it comes ... "What the hell is this place doing in the Multiple Locations guide?! How are people supposed to ...."

Well, Fish*nook* is in the DC Dining Guide, haranguing hell-hags, so Har Har Har!

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I have yet to attend my first FishNook, a situation that will be remedied by Spring.

But, was in last week and got one old standby (those cleverly named "fish sticks") along with a great mahi sandwich and some seriously velvety and tasty parsnip soup.

That Ferhat guy....he's more than "alright." :-)

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We had a great meal at Fishnook last night and were fortunate enough to be the only diners at the chef's table. I'll post some thoughts but this is a must dine, IMO.

ok, here are some thoughts written by my wife that I've modified:

My husband treated me to the 4-person chef-side dining experience called Fishnook. Since the other two seats were never filled, we had Chef Ferhat's undivided attention. And what an experience it was. I documented each course on Facebook, much to the envy of my friends. Ceviche with Carolina wild caught shrimp, subtle taste of cilantro, and just the right hint of lime followed house-made waffle potato chips with imported EVOO, fresh thyme, and truffle salt. The lobster risotto was sublime -- every item's unique flavor came to life, particularly the fresh baby peas that tasted of spring. We had never had a traditional Turkish red snapper stew, served on a spicy and herbed tomato base in an individual clay pot. The simple, apple galette was a perfect ending. We also opted for the $25 wine pairings (cheap and cheerful but nothing was undrinkable) -- a different, generous pour for each course. That said, Ferhat seemed open to diners bringing their own wines. Ferhat is a genial, informative host and I'm surprised how little attention he's received from the various food critics.  [/size]This is a great experience that we can't wait to repeat![/size]

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 Ferhat is a genial, informative host and I'm surprised how little attention he's received from the various food critics.  This is a great experience that we can't wait to repeat!

Totally agree.  The food was fantastic, but what I really loved was "hanging" with Ferhat, asking him questions, and hearing his stories.  I'd love to see him on Top Chef............he'd be a fan favorite for sure.

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Totally agree.  The food was fantastic, but what I really loved was "hanging" with Ferhat, asking him questions, and hearing his stories.  I'd love to see him on Top Chef............he'd be a fan favorite for sure.

That's a brilliant idea! He's even self-trained. He'd be a huge fan favorite. How do we make that happen?:-)

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Fishnook is your party and Ferhat.  Not "and a sous-chef".  Not "nearest the kitchen, where plates come to you fastest".  No, Ferhat cooks for you, right in front of you, and serves it to you.

Does it matter that here might be one of the most tender presentations of octopus in the city?  Or lobster that is neither overcooked nor accidentally too raw?  Or a dazzling spicy curry that shames many a local Thai joint?

Or that you might not be able to get a single thing I mentioned because each menu is heavily dependent on what's freshly available that day?

Go.

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Hi there,

I have 2 seats opened up on May 19th, Tuesday. Please email fishnook@fishnetdc.com

On this note, I am switching to an online reservation system(possibly starting next month) where you would see the available dates and seats for the upcoming months and purchase your tickets. This will save you(and me) a lot of time and email exchange.

Thanks,

Freddy`the machine gun` Ferhat

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Double your price, Ferhat. Double your price, and sell tickets instead of taking reservations. Your one mistake is that you've underestimated the cost of staying in business. You're too damned nice, and it's going to cost this city one of its treasures unless you start taking care of yourself before trying to take care of everyone else.

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Double your price, Ferhat. Double your price, and sell tickets instead of taking reservations. Your one mistake is that you've underestimated the cost of staying in business. You're too damned nice, and it's going to cost this city one of its treasures unless you start taking care of yourself before trying to take care of everyone else.

For those living in caves, Fishnet (and hence Fishnook) in Shaw closed August 2nd to regroup and reemerge.

Ferhat, if you're reading, let us know what's going on whenever you can.

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For those living in caves, Fishnet (and hence Fishnook) in Shaw closed August 2nd to regroup and reemerge.

Ferhat, if you're reading, let us know what's going on whenever you can.

My husband was at the College Park location a little while back and asked about the Shaw Fishnet reopening and was told it was going to happen fairly soon.  FWIW.  (Ferhat was not there at the time.)

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