Is Whole Foods really the best place to get fish in Chicago?

I tried to search and I didn't find a consolidated posting for fishmongers. If I am mistaken, please just point me in the right direction.

That said, I lived virtually my entire life on the east coast: Florida, SC, NY, NH, CT; therefore, my expectation for fresh seafood is quite high. I understand paying a premium for fresh saltwater seafood in Chicago, but I cannot believe that Whole Foods is the best purveyor in the area.

I like to see my fish whole whenever possible. I want to look it in the eye and eat the sweet meat behind the eye. Does anyone know where I can find truly quality seafood in the area.

no, but I am not a big fan of Whole Foods for any food purchases truth be told.

I like Supreme Lobster on North Ave. in Villa Park

www.supremelobster.com

I used to buy from them when I bought fish for Hyatt, and now buy from them for my kitchen.

Here is another recommendation. It is located off of Halsted near Kendall College.

Isaacson & Stein Fish Co.
800 W. Fulton Market, Chicago
Tel: (312) 421-2444

Much of the stock at Isaacson & Stein is whole fish (including scales & guts) - that should be right up your alley. Note the odd weekday hours though (when they're open for retail business).

If you can make it to the 'burbs - you can try Super H-Mart in Niles or Assi Plaza/Lotte in Niles - threads abound on LTH re: them. Chinatown market in Chinatown as well as the other (name escapes me) have live tanks and an assortment of seafood "oddities" not typically found in Western markets.

Jay K wrote:If you can make it to the 'burbs - you can try Super H-Mart in Niles or Assi Plaza/Lotte in Niles - threads abound on LTH re: them. Chinatown market in Chinatown as well as the other (name escapes me) have live tanks and an assortment of seafood "oddities" not typically found in Western markets.

I plan to hit H-mart later this week. I'd like to steam a fish Chinese style, but I'm not sure what kind of fish to get. Can someone give me a recommendation for what type of whole fish and fillets (for smaller group) to get? Thanks.

Dirk's Fish Market has excellent selection and quality, and Dirk and crew are very helpful. Prices are on the high side, you'll find better deals at somewhere like Isaacson (where you'll need to be a savvier shopper to get the top quality stuff), but for a retail fish merchant Dirk's is first class.

Dirk's Fish
2070 N. Clybourn
773-404-3475
http://www.dirksfish.com/dirks/whatsnew.htm

Plus they have trilobite.

Try the Fish Guy. People also like Dirk's. Check out this thread (among others)

viewtopic.php?t=1890

The Fish Guy
4423 N. Elston Ave. Chicago, IL 60630.
1-888-fish-guy
http://www.fishguy.com/

Pucca wrote:I plan to hit H-mart later this week. I'd like to steam a fish Chinese style, but I'm not sure what kind of fish to get. Can someone give me a recommendation for what type of whole fish and fillets (for smaller group) to get? Thanks.

If you're going to steam a fish Chinese-style, you'll have to get one from the live-tanks - since it's available, no sense in steaming something long-dead.

H-mart often carries live tilapia, catfish, as well as striped bass I think.

Assi/Lotte (just up the street) typically has live tilapia, catfish, eel and recently had live fluke as well as "stone head fish" (sorry don't know the species in English).





Chinatown Market carries live tilapia, catfish, eel, striped bass (?) and some sort of rockfish I think.



Any one of them would be fine depending on what you have a taste for...

Incidentally, Chinatown Market gives you gratis green onion and ginger (at cleaning) w/ all their live fish purchases for steaming at home.

Striped bass (?) from Chinatown Market; I've never been one to plate things well (parsley would have been nice too)





Incidentally that was the only time I've steamed live-fish in Chicago; The wife was grossed out by the rigor mortis (undulating flesh) of the recently dead fish once I got him home and was finishing its prep.

Gtomaras,

Dirk's is my clear favorite, wide selection of pristine fresh fish, informed staff. Whole Foods a solid choice as well, but it's a crap shoot if you are going to get a staff member who has a clue. Fish Guy is fine, but it's much closer to my house than Dirks and I most always make the drive to Dirk's.

Isaacson & Stein has a wide selection, good prices but it's a bit rough and tumble, fish is out in the open, not unlike Peoria Packing, and some basic knowledge is necessary to take full advantage. H-Mart has a wide selection, and is a cool as hell Korean mega-mart, but I'm only running about 70% pleased with the fresh fish offerings.

In a recent Chicago Reader Best Of Chicago, Whole Foods was the Readers' Choice, Dirk's the Reader's Choice.

Past thread on Best Fish Markets in Chicago --> here

Enjoy,
Gary

A few comments based on my experiences at places mentioned in this thread...

I avoid-like-the-plague the fish counter at Whole Foods on North Avenue. Clueless, unhelpful staff and poorly-stored product. On the other hand, my experience at the Whole Foods on Ashland in lakeview is exactly opposite. The staff go out of their way to make sure you get exactly what you want, and the fish is much better kept.

Mike identifies Dirk's prices as "on the high side," which is a significant understatement, imo. Dirk's prices are better described, imo, as completely outrageous. In terms of the staff's helpfulness, here's an approximation of my recent dialog on a Saturday when I was in pursuit of caviar.

Kenny: "Can you tell me when you got this caviar in."

Dirk's staff member: "Not long ago at all. All of our fish is very fresh."

Kenny: "Any chance you could find out exactly when it came in?"

Dirk's staff member (screaming toward the back): "Hey, when did the caviar come in?!?!"

Person in back (screaming): "Last week"

Kenny: "Sorry to be a pest, but do you remember or have a record of what day it came in?" Last week could mean anywhere from 7-13 days ago, and I don't want to buy it if it's closer to the 13."

Guy in back (walking out front now): "Listen, all of our stuff is as fresh as you're gonna get anywhere around town. Do you want it or not?"

Kenny: "I'll pass."

...and, after seeing the shocking prices on everything else (e.g., $35 per pound for king crab, $20 per pound for horrible-looking, way-overcrowded, barely-alive lobster, and $21/lb for halibut that looked no better than the stuff being sold for half that at WF), I'll also pass on ever returning to Dirk's.

Kenny,

I'm with you on Dirk's. If you get Dirk himself, then you get a knowledgeable, helpful fishmonger. Otherwise you're paying almost double for most of what is the same elsewhere. I gave up on shopping at Dirk's almost two years ago.

The Fish Guy is ok. The prices are more reasonable than Dirk's, but their focus is not really on the retail business and I find their selection limited. But, they do satisfy requests, which is nice.

I find the Whole Foods at Peterson and Cicero to offer a good selection of well-kept fish and a reasonably knowledgeable and helpful staff.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:I'm with you on Dirk's. If you get Dirk himself, then you get a knowledgeable, helpful fishmonger. Otherwise you're paying almost double for most of what is the same elsewhere.

I can confirm this sentiment. It's like night and day depending who you get to help you there. The only thing I go there for anymore really is shellfish and they have some good (and surprisingly cheap) squid.

I haven't been to fish guy yet, but I hear great things about him. His hours suck for picking something up after work (M-Sat 10am-6pm) and I never seem to think of him until its too late.

Wheattoast wrote:I haven't been to fish guy yet, but I hear great things about him. His hours suck for picking something up after work (M-Sat 10am-6pm) and I never seem to think of him until its too late.

This was always a big problem for me with the Fish Guy. When I worked until 5:30 or 6 every night, Fish Guy was simply not an option. (Now I'm regularly home before 5, so Fish Guy is in play).

I asked Bill (owner) if he was willing to pick even a night or two during the week to stay open until 6:30 or 7 and he was not. His staff is working before dawn to service their non-retail customers.

It's really a shame, because I think they could be a great resource for the neighborhood if they were open when people came home from work.

Best,
Michael

Another place that hasn't been mentioned that is a bit more "mainstream" in the northern burbs is Sunset Market. I think they usually have very nice fish (especially the Northbrook and Lake Forest locations)

The Burhops in Wilmette can be OK, but I have had too many dissapointing experiences at other Burhops (esp the one in Glenview) to count- I simply won't go there for anything.

Also Akai Hana in Wilmette has a Sushi Take Out across the way (blanking on the name and I go there all there time!) that sells fish that is of very nice quality.

Most importantly, regardless of where you are is obviously to smell whatever you get before you let them wrap it up (unless it is alive of course)

I'm sorry to hear about Kenny's experience at Dirk's, because my experiences have tended to be as knowledgeable and helpful as you could hope for.

As far as Whole Foods goes, I don't know about other ones but I agree that the fish counter at Ashland seems to be always very well run these days, no crap shoot in terms of getting a good or clueless fishmonger.

irisarbor wrote:Also Akai Hana in Wilmette has a Sushi Take Out across the way (blanking on the name and I go there all there time!) that sells fish that is of very nice quality.

Sea Ranch. There's another one on Dempster just east of Chicago in Evanston.

Because of my eat local prescription, I do not often find myself on the hunt for fish. Still, my diet allows for farmed Midwestern fish as well as Great Lakes fish. I find that Whole Foods is a pretty consistent source for Rushing Waters trout, which, while on the mild side, I like. I typically buy at the River Forest Whole Foods. For freshwater fish, my favorite schlep is Robert's on Devon. Now in the able hands of the very kosher Arturo, this is fish worth buying. The whitefish is often a day old, and I mean a day as in a day outta water. Like a lot of foods, you just cannot beat that kinda freshness.

I do accept, however, that the flavor and texture of freshwater fish is not for everyone.

Robert's Fish
2916 W. Devon Avenue
Chicago, IL
CRC
(773) 761-3424

We are new to Chicago. Can any one suggest a couple of good fish markets in town? Went to Calumet Fisheries which was terrific - but looking for fesh (not smoked/prepared fish) Thanks. Bemelmans

Welcome to LTH.

A few to get started:
www.dirksfish.com
www.isaacsonandsteinfishcompany.com
www.fishguy.com

Whole Foods seafood counter is one of the most reliable places to consistently purchase Lake Trout which I'm very fond of and usually it is priced very reasonable from $6.99-8.99lb.

That said, my two most frequent go-to fish monger places are Boston Fish Market in Des Plaines and Heinen's in Glenview.

Also if one is a Chase credit card holder, which I am, I received two offers (one offer for two of my Chase cards) of buy $50 worth of groceries at Whole Foods & get an immediate $20 statement credit, great deal ! Note: not all my Chase cards got the offer.