Eclectic New Seafooder Opening Soon in Washington Square West

On the corner of 12th and Pine Streets, a pizza shop closed after 32 years of business. Pine Street Pizza was a prominent fixture in Washington Square West, its corner location virtually unchanged since it first opened in the once-dicey/now-desirable neighborhood. Now, a new tenant has moved in, his name is Peter Dissin, and he's opening Pinefish, a neighborhood seafood restaurant opening by the end of May.

Ask him about his restaurant background, and he'll humbly respond, "I ate at one last week." Obviously, there's more to it than that: Dissin's father, Henry, was a restaurant mogul of sorts, owning and operating a few restaurants across the bridge (during the era when New Jersey restaurants were all the rage). Henry's at the Garden State Park racetrack, Calico Kitchen, Mr. Fish & Henry (a great name) were among the many notable New Jersey operations he had under his belt; even Philly had its own Dissin-restaurant, Henry's Son, in Center City. As of late, Peter has been consulting around the city, helping open Isabella in Conshohocken and 500 Degrees in Center City (both are now closed). When he saw the space open up on Pine Street, he decided nab it for his own venture.

Pinefish will be a neighborhood spot with Wonderland-esque interior (pictures to come) — mismatched chairs, elaborate upholstery, multicolored chandeliers, ornate mirrors, etc.

Its menu will be, of course, primarily seafood-focused, "kind of like Dmitri's", all items available two ways: the chef's preparation, or, if you're more inclined, simply-cooked — "naked", as Dissin calls it. Oyster lovers, get stoked: Pinefish will offer a buck-a-shuck happy hour and other fun preparations of the glorious bivalve, be it bong-smoked — covered in glass ramekins seasoned with smoke pulled from a blend of lapsang souchong tea, orange blossoms, and peppercorns — or floating atop a "house bloody mary" served with thick-cut bacon and pepperoncini. Hard-to-find king crab legs will make an appearance, along with Jonah crab claws, basically the smaller form of the coveted stone crab claws. The menu is priced for a neighborhood-feel, few things exceeding the $30 mark — even 1½ lb. lobsters.

The bar (new to the property) will offer six beers on tap, a handful of cocktails, and 10 wines available by the glass and bottle. Drink specials will be offered during happy hour.

Right now, the restaurant is prepping for its health inspection, and soon after, Dissin will open the doors, presumably, in the last week of May.