There are a lot of reasons to come to Mystic — the Mystic Aquarium, the Mystic Seaport Museum — and more and more because it’s a restaurant destination. And among many dozens of restaurants, Shipwright’s Daughter and the Oyster Club stand out as places to go.
David Standridge was named 2024 Best Chef in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation for cooking at Shipwright’s Daughter that is rooted in the Connecticut shoreline — kelp, slipper limpets, whelk, black cod, monkfish mortadella.
Though it’s not so austere as its Nordic cousins, and his burger is really rather good, it’s fair to say that Standridge’s cooking at Shipwright’s Daughter is not exactly inexpensive or kid friendly.
Which is perhaps the magic of his new casual fish shack — Mystic Fish Camp — opening August 25 on Main Street in Mystic by the drawbridge, which aims to provide a family-friendly counter-service outlet to try Standridge’s cooking, at a price point that won’t break the bank.
Head to the Seaport or the Aquarium with your family and then try the classic fried fish ($28) a local fish of the day in tonic batter, with bay leaf tarter and mermaid fries or seared a la Plancha ($18). Standridge skips the trucked-in lobster, and serves instead a “poor man’s” lobster roll, Connecticut-style, of poached monkfish in green crab butter ($26). “Real deal” fish sticks ($14) are fashioned from the fish of the day, breaded and fried.
On Monday night, at a soft opening, David Standridge looked every bit the dad, his young son in one arm and his daughter in the other, welcoming a crowded room of friends, press and local somebodies. His wife Kathleen Standridge, Creative Director for Heidenreich Hospitality Group, which backs both Mystic Fish Camp and Shipwright’s Daughter, worked the room in camp style.
In the corner, a vending machine sold campy souvenir socks, lunch boxes, etcetera.
Think James Beard + Wes Anderson.
Offered a chance to comment, Standridge’s son said he liked the JR. Scout Meal — grilled cheese and fries ($12).