One of the cool things I love about vacation travel is the joy of discovery. This is how I learned The James Beard Foundation recently recognized Executive Chef David Standridge of The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic, Conn., as Best Chef in the Northeast.
I arrived in Mystic last Thursday and immediately knew I wanted to explore a culinary experience at one of Chef David’s tables.
What I did not know then was the fact of Chef David’s recent award. Not surprisingly, the first available reservations for Friday and Saturday night started at 8:45 p.m. I chose a 9 p.m. seating on Saturday.
Upon arrival, I immediately ordered this monkfish mortadella snack with parsley pesto and pistachio on garlic toast. A very satisfying taste sensation to start things off.
Monkfish is always an easy choice for me, but in choosing this over these Fishers Island oysters, well, I will be back in Mystic in November.
The reason I went with the monkfish mortadella is that I had eaten lots of oysters earlier in the week in Provincetown. But none of those were dressed with kelp stipes, basil, shoyu, and Pearl Street Caviar. Next time, though, this is where I will start.
In fact, I ordered the roasted organic chicken with chicken fat potatoes, little gem lettuce, and salsa verde as my entree because I had also had scallops twice in Ptown. But The Shipwright’s Daughter offers seared local scallops with green crab fried rice, garlic aioli, chili crispy, and cilantro.
Let’s pause for a moment: What do you really know about green crabs? Apparently, this small crustacean is one of the most destructive invasive species of all time. Who knew?
According to Greencrab.org, “invasive green crabs eat native shellfish species and destroy vital seagrass habitat when foraging for food.” While conservationists have sought to remove green crabs, others devised a different solution: eating the problem. Why not?
Who is David Standridge?
Readers of this column may automatically associate Mystic, Conn., with the 1988 movie “Mystic Pizza.” Some have called this early Julia Roberts classic “cheesy,” which is not wrong. Since then, Mystic has branched out to become a culinary destination with an emphasis on local ingredients.
Enter David Standridge. A New York City transplant, he opened “The Shipwright’s Daughter” in June 2020. As he noted, this was “probably the worst time in a hundred years to open a restaurant.”
Yet Standridge understands just how hard it is to run a restaurant. He also appreciates sustainable, local, wild seafood. As he said while accepting the James Beard Award, “We are in a town where people want lobster rolls and fried clams and we’re serving fish primarily that no one’s ever heard of before.”
Even so, my non-fish-eating vegetarian partner thoroughly enjoyed Max’s tomatoes, a small plate of heirloom tomatoes, herbs from the garden, and whipped ricotta. She then had the roasted seacoast mushrooms with sprouted lentils, black pepper mole, salsa verde, and mushroom chips.
The entire ambiance of The Shipwright’s Daughter put me at ease, a priceless thing in these troubled times. From their sleek website to their thoughtful drink menu, The Shipwright’s Daughter’s top-notch service and regional fish-forward approach left me hankering for more.
Congratulations to Chef David Standridge and everyone at The Shipwright’s Daughter!
