Star Fish Brasserie - Bethlehem

OKay I had to give the place four stars. Not really a solid four stars but I will explain why later. We were a party of eight and there were two other parties there when we arrived. One was a birthday group (8 people) and the other a small table of three. We sat and were not rushed in any way. The server came over and provided the wine and drink lists and the menus along with other specials of the night. He came back after a bit and asked if there were any questions, answered them and then said he’d come back in a moment to take our orders. They had a $35 prix fixed for appetizer, entree and dessert. Sounded good so we all took this option. The appetizers are very well done and somewhat large for appetizers. The salads were not all that different than normal salads but did have good presentation. The veal was very well cooked and the pate was rather large. All in all the appetizers were well done and I would give them 4 stars. The entrees were muddled. All those who had the steaks had them over cooked and they were dry. My fish was a tad over cooked (asked for rare to medium rare) but the other fish was done very well (salmon). There was a dusting of some fish rub on my fish that was unfortunately over salted at times but the fish was very fresh. I would recommend this restaurant for their fish because it is not farm fish and is wild caught. You don’t find that many places. So for the entrees I would give it three stars because of the steaks being over cooked. Yes, we could have sent them back but that would have been three of the six dinners and that wasn’t a wise way to spend our dinner time. Dessert was great. We sampled many different items. Key lime pie, flour-less chocolate cake, sorbet, ….. They were all very well done. The coffee was strong (excellent) the tea selection was good and the port wine was nice. Their wine selection is also good and organized well for people who aren’t sure. It isn’t simply red and white. Dessert and drinks are a solid four stars. Service was excellent. Decor and ambiance were right up there. Prices were in line with the food being served. I think it was a good value even though it was expensive. You were filled at the end of the meal, you were never rushed and the waiter was always there to help with questions.

I am a seafood snob. I really wasn’t sure about this place, but had high hopes. Started off with some mussles. The taste was there, but the mussles were a tad small. Maybe have been the season. I like the big NZ Green Mussels. Once again, the sauce it was in was amazing. I think I licked the plate. I took a chance with the Shrimp Curry. It was a good move. The curry was perfect. I have had curries from Vancouver and BC that weren’t as good. It wasn’t too spicy and the taste was wonderful. It will surely bring me back even if the prices were on the high side. The other dish we had was not as special. I don’t know what all the rave is about Barramundi. They say it is Australia’s favorite fish. I hope that is just marketing ****. It is like Tilapia, but more fishy. I’d skip it and try something else. Even farmed salmon has more potential. How about some wild salmon on the menu?