New Chef Makes Me A Feast At American Fish

As I reported several weeks ago, Josh Crain has replaced Sven Meade as Executive Chef of American Fish.  I was a huge fan of Meade, who helped land the Michael Mina restaurant a spot in the first two editions of Eating Las Vegas: The 50 Essential Restaurants.  But I’m also a fan of Crain, who made me plenty of amazing meals during his time at Mina’s Nobhill Tavern.  So I’ve been curious to see what changes he would make to one of my favorite menus in town.

The answer is none – so far.  I dined at A.F. Thursday night, and the menu was exactly what I remember.  In a ways, that’s inevitable.  The entire kitchen was built around four cooking styles: ocean water poaching, cast iron griddling, baking in sea salt, and wood grilling.  That’s unlikely to ever change.  But Crain tells me he might start putting some personal touches on it in a few months, most likely starting in the appetizer section. For now, things don’t seem to have missed a beat during the transition.

I should note that the bar has become a bit more casual – although that has nothing to do with the chef change.  There was a time when the cocktail-driven mixologists would never dream of pouring a shot of Jager, or just about anything else.  Today, it’s readily available, alongside Pabst Blue Ribbon (served in American Fish beer cozies).  For my meal, however, I stuck to a great wine pairing by the sommelier Robert Gamble – but knowing my penchant for slumming it, Crain had him include a PBR!

Thanks to everyone in the Mina Group for another amazing meal.  Here are some pics.