New Seamore's serving up lots of local fish

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - All the seafood served at Seamore's Restaurant is 100 percent local, 100 percent sustainable, and 100 percent wild. And there is a lot of seafood at Michael Chernow's massive new Seamore's in Brookfield Place, his sixth Seamore's and biggest restaurant yet.

220 people can eat dinner inside, while another 75 can eat outside. Michael says it's insane. The restaurant opened in mid-July 2018.

The brand itself is a complete 180 for Michael, who started his career as a restauranteur opening The Meatball Shop back in 2009. Michael says he owes his life to meatballs—or at least his career. But seafood is his passion.

Michael, who grew up in Manhattan, has been fishing since he was a kid. He was part of an after-school program that would get kids, their parents, and coaches together on Sundays to head out to Long Island and fish on the party boats in Freeport and Captree.

Seamore's started as a fish taco concept, something that Michael says, he has never gotten tired of. It's also something that Seamore's does incredibly well. But the mission here is about so much more than tacos.

Michael believes that their small little company can change the way people think about and eat seafood, because, he says, if we don't, there won't be any more fish in the sea. And that means serving some less familiar seafood like Acadia redfish and haddock.

Michael says there are several species of fish that people love to eat like salmon, tuna, shrimp, scallops, and cod. You won't find a lot of those here, but you will find plenty of lesser known local fish that are healthy and abundant in New York, like porgy.

Michael grew up constantly catching porgy but says you rarely see it on a menu. Seamore's serves it regularly. The orange spoons on the Daily Landings wall let you know what Seamore's is serving.

The night before we visited, Michael says, they had an amazing day boating for scallops and winter skate from Montauk.

Whatever Seamore's is serving, the goal here is the same.

Michael says he is passionate about people walking in their doors with some sort of desire and walking out with a full belly, that desire completely fulfilled, and a big smile on their face.

Seamore's Brookfield Place (open daily 11:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.) | 250 Vesey Street, New York, NY 10080 | 646-585-7380 | seamores.com