A breezy East Village fish house worth waiting in line for.

The Scene
Mismatched maritime photos and framed maps decorate white walls; wine-sippers and diners who'd rather stay put and dig in than wait for a table pack the bar nightly. Despite the casual, come-as-you-are air, there's an easy refinement to the place. In fact, it feels so much like a misplaced West Village restaurant that diners could easily mistake the place for Mary's or Pearl.

The Food
Whatever you do, don't miss the fried oysters; barely cooked and paired with a simple tomato butter, they're perfection. Dip lovers won't be disappointed with the blue crab version, and the clam fritters aren't too shabby, either. Entrees, though, are the high point. Catalan seafood stew, packed with lobster, scallops and cod, is spicy and excellent, as are the scallops in a bacon-butter sauce. Dinner ends with a demitasse cup of pudding--a sweet and appropriately simple ending.