By Russ Hoefer
 Today, with more people traveling and experiencing different types of cuisine from around the country and world, there are more dining options available to travelers and residents than ever before.
Is it fresh or frozen? Of course the best seafood is fresh, not frozen. Signs of freshness can be seen in restaurants that present their seafood in glass cases. A restaurant we like that does this is Mitchell’s Fish Market at Glen Town Center in Glenview. Mitchell’s orders only what they need for each day, therefore they get daily shipments from around the world.
Another sign of freshness is using seafood last caught before the fishermen come back into port. Mitchell’s Fish Market buys this seafood designated “top of the trip” to ensure their customers get the freshest of the fresh.  Mitchell’s also buys from only reputable sources. With seafood coming from around the world, knowing your supplier ensures your guests will get the best of what they ordered.
Like upscale steakhouses, successful and well run seafood restaurants like Mitchell’s Fish Market trim their seafood in the restaurant instead of ordering portion controlled fillets from their supplier. This adds another level of freshness and quality to the meal you get. 24 hours after it leaves the water, Mitchell’s Fish Market seafood reaches each restaurant where it is unpacked and trimmed in custom-made refrigerated seafood preparation rooms. These unique rooms, on display for guests to view in each restaurant, maintain a temperature of 36 degrees—the ideal temperature for fresh and high quality seafood. The fish is then filleted for each lunch and dinner shift and displayed beautifully in the glass case at the entrance of their open kitchens.
While Mitchell’s is primarily a restaurant, you can buy this fresh trimmed fish from behind a glass counter just like in an old fashioned fish market (reason for the name?). They print their menus twice daily in order to keep up with changing availability from their many suppliers.
Finally, you can tell if a fish is fresh if it has moist, shiny skin; bright red gills; firm flesh, and  only a mild saltwater smell. You can see all of that in the seafood they display in their cases.
Mitchell’s Fish Market serves a wide variety of seafood from almost 4 pound lobsters (which you can see in their tanks) to Red King Crab, and all with an excellent selection of moderately priced wines. For example, their fresh Wild Sockeye Salmon from Copper River Alaska pairs well with St. Supery Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc as the wine cuts through the rich Salmon flavor. The light Island Spiced Tilapia pairs well with their buttery Sonoma Cutrer “Les Pierres” Sonoma Chardonnay. This is just a sampling of the many choices which include 25 wines by the glass from the west coast, Europe including Germany, South America, Australia and New Zealand.
We particularly like their “under 3 After 4” small portion menu offering snacks like Codwich Sliders, and California Blackened Tacos – perfect for a quick meal before or after the  movies just a short walk from the restaurant.
While it is fun to try all of the new restaurants concepts being introduced in the Chicago market, freshness in food, especially seafood, is crucial and sometimes hard to find. We like what we see at Mitchell’s Fish Market. Their food is great and I love the model sailboats in their dining room. They remind me of the summers I spent on the New England coast.
Mitchell’s Fish Market
2601 Navy Blvd.
Glenview
847-729-3663
www.mitchellsfishmarket.com |