It’s funny how, as kids, many of us didn’t eat fish. Fish was super ew and super gross and the only way we’d ever eat it was if it was stuffed between the bun of a filet-o-fish. And shellfish? Not a chance. A raw oyster was just about the most disgusting thing we’d ever seen (it’s like, raw and slimy), and the idea of eating something’s mussel sounded pretty bad too. Slowly but surely, of course, things changed. We had our first taste of sushi, salmon became tolerable, and we’d even order shrimp cocktail at a restaurant. One thing led to another and before we know it we found ourselves slurping oysters at happy hours like there’s no tomorrow and ordering the “whole grilled market fish.” How this happened it’s hard to know, but we’re damn thankful it did. Because otherwise we would’ve never seen the light, never appreciated the perfection that is raw oysters or a whole steamed lobster, and we would’ve never sought out Greenpoint Fish & Lobster. And that, friends, would’ve been a real shame.
Greenpoint Fish & Lobster is the sort of place that you walk into and breathe a sigh of relief, because chances are you’ve been searching for a place like this for a while. It’s a fish market in the front and a sit down restaurant in the back, so you can choose to grab and go or wine and dine. Either way, rest assured that you’ll be swimming in good food, good vibes, and with good people who know what’s good with fish, and that’s why we love it here.
We’ve been really into this restaurant for a while now, so last week we sat down with owners Adam (brown jacket and man who handles things in the kitchen) and Vinny (white t-shirt and man who handles things at the fish market) to pick their brains on all things fishy. And, of course, we stayed for oysters.
Photo Cred: Vanessa Granda
Where were you born?
Adam: New Jersey
Vinny: Lat: 42° 33′ 51.5154″ Long: -70° 52′ 30.6624″
First oyster you ever ate. Do tell:
Adam: Wellfleet oysters in Cape Cod, MA
Vinny: Not sure I remember but I’m sure it was good
Most underrated fish:
Adam: Bluefish
Vinny: Lionfish
First concert:
Adam: Widespread Panic at PNC Bank Arts Center in Homdel, NJ
Vinny: Fugazi in the late 90s
Photo Cred: Vanessa Granda
Dream city to eat in:
Adam: New Orleans
Vinny: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Best way to beat the NYC summer heat:
Adam: Get out of NYC altogether or find a friend with a rooftop or backyard
Vinny: Go North!
Where can I find you on your night off?
Adam: Music Hall of Williamsubrg, Bowery Ballroom, Torst
Vinny: Probably in bed
Best thing you’ve eaten in 2015:
Adam: Everything I ate in Thailand and Cambodia on my honeymoon in February (highlights: lemongrass steamed river snails, yellow curry soft-shell crab, khao soi)
Vinny: Probably something at Greenpoint Fish
Photo Cred: Vanessa Granda
So let’s start from the beginning. How do you two know each other?
Adam: We worked in the music industry together. Vinny is an entertainment lawyer and owned a record label and I booked and managed bands. I managed a band that released a record on his label.
Vinny: I owned a record label and was managing this band. Then this guy [Adam] came to manage the band I was working with. The rest is history.
Did you guys always dream of opening a restaurant? Or was Greenpoint Fish & Lobster something you never saw coming?
Adam: I don’t think either of us dreamed of opening a restaurant. I was frustrated that there was nowhere to buy or eat really great seafood in North Brooklyn and was becoming more and more passionate about food and cooking. I knew Vinny had a family background in seafood so I shared my idea with him and we both thought it was a no brainer if it could be done right. Initially, we had planned to just open a fresh fish market, with maybe 3 or 4 seats for a quick bite.
Vinny: We were at a music industry holiday party and Adam pointed at me and said he needed to talk to me. I worried that it was going to be a lawsuit and he immediately saw that I was nervous and he said “nope, I want to talk to you about fish.” The rest is history.
Tell me about the concept of Greenpoint Fish & Lobster. Why Greenpoint and why seafood?
Adam: We have found that in such a food centric area like Brooklyn (and North Brooklyn in particular) there aren’t a lot of fresh seafood options. In North Brooklyn you can find some amazing spaces that specialize in carrying the best meats, cheeses, wine, beer, spirits, etc. in America but there is nowhere to buy high-quality, seasonal and traceable seafood. It was totally missing from the area. We chose Greenpoint because it’s where we live and we feel it’s the right sort of tight knit community that would really appreciate our concept. Greenpoint is sort of isolated from other neighborhoods and major supermarkets (for the time being) and it just felt right. There is also a strong fishing community who actively fish along the East River piers, etc.
Vinny: Exactly what Adam said. We live here and it felt right.
Photo Cred: Vanessa Granda
What about the market aspect of the restaurant. How does that work and where did the idea come from?
Adam: We originally intended to just have a market. The restaurant was actually the afterthought. We wanted to make sure we could move product so we could keep it fresh and bring in new fish daily. We met with some other fishmongers and markets in the New England area. Everyone we met said if they could do it again they’d incorporate a prepared food component so they could better minimize waste. Having dine in seats also enables us to sell beer & wine which is critically important in the current commercial real estate climate. Rents are nearly impossibly high and businesses need every opportunity they can just to keep the doors open.
Vinny: Exactly, the market was the idea. The restaurant was secondary!
You get seafood shipped in from all over the US. What are some of the items that you get most excited about when they come in?
Adam: I get really excited by the exotic specialty and seasonal products we get in from time to time. Vinny will text me and tell me he’s got a surprise coming for me the next day. I’ll arrive at the shop and there might be a 30b giant octopus from California in the walk-in. Or an 80b halibut, tuna, wahoo, etc. I also get excited by underutilized species like sea robins, butterfish, and porgy, or invasive species like snakeheads, lionfish, wild blue catfish. These are species you don’t see in markets very often but they are delicious and by selling them we help combat their spread throughout the US. The more people we can convince to buy and enjoy these fish, the better it is for everyone. It’s not a challenge to sell tuna, salmon, and halibut. But we get a real sense of pride when we convince a whole neighborhood of people (and beyond) to try new and different species of fish to eat.
Vinny: Fresh seafood is always exciting. Once you reach a certain age, all your friends and colleagues seem to be posting baby pictures all over their social media accounts. I’m still the guy going down to the docks and taking a picture of the nicest looking fish and sending it to everyone I know, with no regard for how receptive that person might be to it. I recently linked up with a friend who is sending in fish from the Florida Keys and every time I open the box, it’s as if I’m a kid on Christmas all over again. Lately, the beautiful handlined snappers and groupers from Florida are what gets me into gear. However, I’m not above getting starry eyed over some good ole’ fashioned New England groundfish.
I notice a lot of Asian influence on your menu. Where did that come from?
Adam: Growing up (and still to this day) my father spends a ton of time traveling throughout Asia for work. I grew up in a family eating Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese food multiple times a week. I’m a sucker for it. The flavors are so intense and often times so simple and the region has such a strong seafood culinary culture there are seemingly endless ways to prepare seafood.
Vinny: What Adam said. We love the flavors.
What’s been the biggest challenge in opening your own restaurant?
Adam: the little things you don’t see coming like the walk-in being down or a cook calling out. Things like that disrupt the general flow, but we’re really lucky to have a great staff of managers who are incredibly dedicated to helping us run the business and step in wherever they’re needed.
Vinny: New York City. The amount of permits, licenses, fees, bureaucracy, hearings, fines, inspections that pile up are daunting for a small business. Staying on top of them is a full time job. Price you pay to live in the second greatest city on the east coast!
Photo Cred: Vanessa Granda
And what’s been one of the most rewarding moments?
Adam: I don’t think there has been just one. It’s been a crazy ride since the day we opened our doors. It’s our first restaurant so being able to come into work every day and do something you love is pretty awesome.
Vinny: When we first started this venture, there were certain people who told us we were nuts for even trying. We’re still nuts, but now they’re eating crow and we’re slurping oysters!
What’s it like working with a best friend? What are each of your strengths, do you think?
Adam: It’s definitely challenging. Once you go into business together it’s like going from best buds to suddenly getting married. We work well together because we each bring critical elements of the business together. I love the consumer facing side of things – creating a great experience for customers in the restaurant and market, marketing, branding, etc. but I am terrible with numbers. Vinny on the other hand is amazing with the technical business side of things – sourcing seafood, ordering, inventory, accounting, taxes, #s. I swear he somehow got an honorary CPA degree in the last 10months.
Vinny: Challenging, for sure. I come from a legal background, where the idea is that when two opposing parties fervently advocate their positions, the truth will come out in the end. I feel that this is how Adam and I work. We both know that while our personal opinions are not entirely correct, and the other’s opinion certainly has merit, the best outcome comes out of the head-butting.
This is my favorite question: tell me something about the other that most people don’t know?
Adam: Some people may know this but Vinny has some of the most diverse music tastes of anyone I know. He is equally into the New England hardcore scene as he is Katy Perry and Alan Jackson. Our music in the restaurant is always a surprise. He is also one of the best parallel parkers I have ever met.
Vinny: Even as hard and long as Adam works at the shop, he still finds time for a green thumb. He’s got a garden in his backyard in Greenpoint and always has amazing tomatoes. If you’re lucky, he’ll invite you to one of his legendary bbqs in his backyard where we grill up fish and burgers alike. Also, he doesn’t eat meat, so our kitchen is meat free! You don’t notice it until it’s pointed out to you, but who needs it!?
Other than Greenpoint Fish & Lobster, what are some of your favorite NYC restaurants?
Adam: It should be no surprise that I love Southeast Asian restaurants. I love this little Balinese restaurant in Greenpoint called Selamat Pagi, the Vietnamese spot Bunker in Ridgewood, Queens, and the best Thai food in NYC, SriPraPhai in Woodside, Queens. I also love the tacos at Matamoros in Sunset Park and this little Mexican grocery in Wburg called Mexico 2000. It’s the best and Vinny and I had a number of our earliest business meetings there over $5 plates of Heuvos Rancheros.
Vinny: Monte’s Trattoria on MacDougal Street in the city. Old school Italian with portions the size of a VW. Also, Alameda in Greenpoint is where you can find me most nights.
The restaurant has it’s first birthday coming up, am I right? What plans do you guys have to celebrate, and what can we expect in year #2?
Adam: Still working on it. Planning to make year #2 bigger and badder than year 1.
Vinny: I will be 30 by then, so probably drinking more beer and wallowing in self-pity wondering where the golden days of my youth have gone. Also what Adam said.
Describe your dream food day if calories and health were of no concern and you could teleport anywhere?
Adam: New Orleans – Half & Half (oyster & shrimp) po’boys at Domilise’s, Charbroiled oysters at Dragos, Beignets at Cafe Du Monde, oyster loaf at Casamento’s, crawfish etoufee, etc.
Vinny: I hear the cuisine of the Neptunian moon of Triton is simply divine.
Greenpoint Fish & Lobster is located in Greenpoint (duh) at 114 Nassau Ave.
They’re open every day for lunch and dinner. So come and grab a seat or just grab some fish to go.