'Casual, upscale' seafood spot opens in York
In appearance, Rockfish Public House looks like a high society restaurant you might find in New York or Philadelphia. But get on the other side of the giant, plate glass windows and you’ll get a different vibe.
It’s the kind of place where ‘90s rock classics mesh with the wood and brick décor, but where patrons will wear nicer jeans and a shirt to feel comfortable.
“We are casual upscale, but we don’t want to put anyone off by being upscale,” Amanda Kraut, Rockfish bar manager said. “There’s something on the menu for everybody.”
Rockfish held a soft launch last month and officially opened Tuesday at a North George Street space formerly occupied by Maewyn’s Irish Pub. The restaurant’s main focus is on seafood, with oysters at the heart of the menu.
While the restaurant offers several varieties of oysters, the Rockfish Public House oyster is grown and harvested specifically for Rockfish by Madhouse Oysters in Maryland near Jerome Creek.
“It’s an honor for them to harvest that area just for us,” Abby Shelley, Rockfish executive chef, said.
Brandon Hufnagel, Rockfish general manager, explained that the Rockfish Public House oysters are a balanced oyster that are “a bit salty and a bit sweet.” After they're shucked, the top shells are sent back to Madhouse Oysters, where they are then ground up and reused to grow the next year’s crop.
Hufnagel said a large portion of the menu is sourced from within 100 miles of York, with some of the seafood coming from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Aside from oysters, which are served steamed and on the half-shell, the menu features a range of options from the $18 Lobsta Roll — fresh lobster sauteed in a clarified butter on a roll — to the $9 Bad Clama Jama, which features lightly breaded flash-fried super clam strips on a roll.
The bar displays a wide range of local and national draft beers, a varying wine selection and a wall of liquors.
For Hufnagel, a 39-year-old Glen Rock native who has worked at the Belvedere Inn in Lancaster and was executive chef at Regents Glen, coming to Rockfish was a chance to come back home.
“I’ve always loved downtown York,” Hufnagel said. “It’s nice to see the patrons I’ve gotten to know over the years again."
Anthony J. Machcinski is the Food and Drink reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter, or email him at amachcinski@ydr.com.
If you go...
What: Rockfish Public House
Where: 110 N. George St., York
Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight, Tuesday through Saturday