
NOVEMBER 20, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015, 7:26 AM
BY ELISA UNG
THE RECORD
Upon entering the new Fish Urban Dining Ridgewood, it’s best to look up. Gazing high provides glamour and drama: ceilings that soar, dramatic chandeliers fit for a ballroom, swaths of fabric crisscrossing tall windows, intricate molding and second-floor private dining areas with lovely views of the entire scene. All perks of dining in a venerable old bank building.
But looking at your plate can be a mixed story. Over my two meals, there was a flawless bowl of raw ahi tuna poke that could have come straight from a Hawaiian luau and a bountiful, well-seasoned crab cake. But there was also a drab-looking, bitter-tasting bowl of monkfish and a plate of limp, undercooked scallops. Fish’s food has a ways to go before it matches the scenery.
Owners James and Karen DeGilio opened Fish in July in the historic landmark First National Bank and Trust Co. building on Ridgewood Avenue that was most recently home to Bank of America. Their original Fish in Asbury Park also occupies a former bank building, and when they decided to start another restaurant, they were drawn to renovate the landmark in Karen’s native Bergen County. While they won’t say how much they spent on the renovation — James admits growing “dizzy every time I say that number” — the job was clearly extensive and meticulous. Workers salvaged marble from the teller windows, which then became part of the raw bar and the bathroom vanities.