Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Bait & Hook opens today on 14th Street and Second Avenue

Signs went up for Bait & Hook here at East 14th Street and Second Avenue back on Aug. 29, as we first noted. ... taking over for the short-lived Meatball Factory ... (which took over from the Pizza Hut-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's combo).

Anyway, Bait & Hook opens today... and here is the official news release, cut-and-paste for your pleasure and my laziness...

On Wednesday, September 12th, the East Village will welcome its newest eatery in the form of Bait & Hook, located at 231 2nd avenue on the corner of 14th street. Bait & Hook will serve comfort seafood classics including: the signature Lobster Roll, smokey New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Mac & Cheese as well as original dishes like the Crab Chorizo Corn Pizza, Chicken Waffle Sandwich, bacon-topped Scallop Roll, White Clam Pizza and Shrimp Scampi Pizza, along with a fresh Raw Bar selection. Executive Chef Joe Bachman developed the no-nonsense menu for Bait & Hook, incorporating fresh, local ingredients to dish.

Bait & Hook offers a laid-back, relaxed atmosphere where seafood is the star. Diners can enjoy a reasonably priced meal without compromising high-end, quality cuisine and service. Bait & Hook provides the perfect destination for a quick bite, affordable date or a group gathering, with something on the menu to please everyone in your party. Including non-seafood items as well as vegetarian options.

"We wanted to open a place that offered New Yorkers an affordable, casual dining experience, with the feel of a seafood shack but the taste of an ocean-side eatery," said Executive Chef Joe Bachman.

With Labor Day behind us, Bait & Hook gives New Yorkers a chance to experience a summer treat all year long. The nautical-themed restaurant will transform the corner of 14th and 2nd into a New England hang out with a 23-foot bar serving 10-12 local craft beers and wines.

After stints at Park Avenue Café, Fulton and Neuman's Catering, where he created menus for high-profile clients like Angelina Jolie, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Bill Clinton and Richard Branson, Executive Chef Joe Bachman was brought on to head the kitchen at Bait & Hook. Bachman brings his knack for creative dishes and high quality cuisine to the restaurant.

Bait & Hook will be both a neighborhood classic as well as popular New York City destination. Open seven days a week, serving lunch from 12PM-4PM and dinner from 5PM until late, Bait & Hook is an ideal spot to grab lunch on the go or a bite to eat after a long day of work with daily lunch and happy hour specials. The East Village location seats over 50 guests, allowing guests to enjoy the luxury of comfort-style seafood.

You can find the menu via the Bait & Hook website here.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like overpriced fast food. Reminds me of those New England beer batter fish and chips joints that charge 25 bucks for a plate of grease and starch.

Anonymous said...

I would sooner cut my left nut off than eat anywhere on 14th. Scary!

blue glass said...

$23 for a lobster roll?

"We wanted to open a place that offered New Yorkers an affordable, casual dining experience..." said Executive Chef Joe Bachman.

On 14th and second avenue in a "shack" that allows guests to enjoy the luxury of comfort-style seafood.

WTF does that mean.

nygrump said...

You guys don't get it, this guy CREATED A MENU FOR CELEBRITIES. STARS ATE HIS FOOD. He touched the sky.

DrGecko said...

@bloo glass:

"Comfort" means "fried." "Comfort style" means with mayonnaise.

duh

Incidentally, while there affordable dinners obviously exist, there's no such thing as an "affordable dining experience."


glamma said...

I'm all for keeping the a-holes baited & hooked west of Ave A

pinhead said...

I feel compelled to dress like a pirate.

Marty Wombacher said...

This post brought back a Fast Times flashback for me.

THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N. said...

Good luck bringing a "relaxed atmosphere" anywhere near 2nd Avenue! It's one Woo-Hoo!!! institution after another from 14th Street to 4th Street. Even a quick trip to a bodega requires a sequins top and 4 gal pals.

AC said...

Sounds good in theory. But it is difficult to obtain that New England clam shack vibe with a KFC, Subway, 7-11 and IHOP are within shell-shucking range.

Uncle Waltie said...

Do they have nice bathrooms? Every now and then, when I'm on 14th Street (not very often)I feel the need to...

Crazy Eddie said...

N.E. clam chowder $7.00 at this place, $6.45 at the Grand Central Oyster Bar Restaurant? WTF? $10.00 for mussels? Go down to Cucina Di Pesce, have a beer at the bar and suck down the free mussels. Pizza? Oh yeah, they'll do that well. Why don’t the owners just bite the bullet, embrace the douche bag chain store NYU sprawl of 14th street between Second Avenue and Irving Place and become a Red Lobster. Marty, they WISH they could be a Captain Hook’s Fish and Chips.

Laura Goggin Photography said...

Sea Galley 2.0.

East Village Eats said...

This doesn't look good at all. UGH. I'll probably still go just once so I can write a blog post about how terrible the experience was.

Anonymous said...

Angelina Jolie eats?

Anonymous said...

How is it that the comments here are so over the top crazy negative? This is two blocks from where I live so I'll hold my judgement until I've tried it. Looks really nice, & we need a good seafood restaurant, so I think it may actually be a great addition to the hood. My God, people-give them a chance. This is about a new restaurant that none of us has even tried yet-take a deep breath & put aside all the lame biased I hate the East Village, 14th St. crap & give them a chance at least, before you pronounce them dead on arrival.

Makeout said...

I feel like having a Trout dog right now!

Anonymous said...

Yes! It seems people online just enjoy being bitchy for no reason-such a cliche at this point. I'm looking fwd 2 trying it out.

Anonymous said...

I passed by and grabbed a bite on my way home and found the food absolutely amazing. I had the scallop roll and the lobster mac n cheese. The flavors left me speechless. The staff and new owners were also on hand, super humble and attentive. Definitely give these guys a chance!

Anonymous said...

Not buying it Anon 3:46. Try using some subtlety next time and maybe some people will fall for it.

Anonymous said...

Heard Chef Joe Bachman is hot. Haha. I try and avoid 2nd Ave. as much as possible, but might come by to see him. Relax with the hatin, people.

glamma said...

Nice to see so many employees of bait & hook posing as commentors. NEXT

Joey said...

So I go to this area a lot and I thought I give it a try. I tried their signature lobster roll. Now, I'm somebody that loves lobster rolls and frequent all the places w/best loster rolls and this is probably the worst one I ever eaten. Try Luke's not so far away and you'll see what I mean. So this is more expensive and less lobster meat. And forget about getting tail meat. I then tried their raw bar and they only one selection of oyster and one selection of clam? What kind of seafood place is this? I might as well go to a steak place and there will probably be more selection at the raw bar. After eating this, I only pray I don't get food poisoning. Does not taste fresh at all and there is a funny taste. The ambiance reeks of cheap and tacky. It looks exactly like the Meatball factory with just minor alterations. The crowd is very blue collar trash. Think Penn Station crowd. If that's your crowd, you're good! I sat next to one of those loner guys that buys only one drink the whole entire night just to chat w/strangers. I won't be buying Lotto anytime soon. Just when I was about to leave, there was a party singing Happy Birthday. If I ever have my birthday celebration there, I would just kill myself on the spot.

Anonymous said...

I came here today and thought it was great. Simple. Good and great prices for I had. I hope this place makes it. I enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

Hello fellow readers,

I ate here on Sept. 19 and enjoyed it. I'm a stickler about shrimp cocktail, so I asked the waiter where the shrimp is from. I was told they're wild, from the Gulf of Mexico. Three bucks a pop. So far, so good. Well, great in fact: I ordered six, then two more when I finished. They were super fresh, super tasty and really good. Looked expensive, but well worth the price. Clam chowder had a thin-to-medium stock and plenty of ingredients (bacon!). Service was good, but it was not terribly crowded. If it gets crowded, management will want to add at least one or two more wait staff. I would go back and try out some other eats --- they have plenty of options. They showed the Yankee game on two big flat screens, but the place isn't a sports bar at all. Give it a try. The proprietors seem to have a pretty good thing going, and I wish them luck.

Anonymous said...

"The flavors left me speechless."

And yet here you are ... speaking about the flavors.

"Heard Chef Joe Bachman is hot."

"Heard," but have no actual evidence of said chef's hotness -- so why comment?

"I'm a stickler about shrimp cocktail."

... really?

Why is this thread so trolly? It stinks like UrbanDaddy in here.

Anonymous said...

Please do not patronize. They have been lying to me about their concern for their neighbors quiet enjoyment of their homes. This quiet is removed by their exhaust fan. This can be moved to a better much less noisy position. Their employees have witnessed the noise and even commented on how noisy it was. They said they would fix it . That was 2 weeks ago now they have done nothing and seem like they don't want to or care. There are better fish places in the neighbor hood Mollys on 3rd Ave and 22 street has the best Fish and Chips. www.MollysShebeen.com There is also a great japanese place www.Kanoyama.com with sushi and great cooked seafood.. at 2nd Ave and 12th street Their fried rock shrimp is the best. They don,t disturb neighbors.
So please go to the better places and if you must go to Bait And Hook please tell them to be good neighbors and stop disturbing the two buildings full apartments with their noise from their kitchen vent .Ask them to spend some change to move it out of line of sight of 20 bedroom windows plus living spaces too.