Kingfisher

Chef Peter McCarthy's previous seafood spot, Pier 5736, was a neighborhood joint with time-warp appeal, festooned with Sox paraphernalia and held up by Gladstone Park locals holding court at the bar. There, the super straightforward fish dishes and standard sides carried a certain small-town charm; now at Kingfisher, in an ambitiously large Andersonville dining room, the cracks begin to show. Undercooked scallops are plopped onto a mess of apple wedges, citrus segments and avocado; sturgeon arrives mushy; and shrimp tastes past its prime. Even the servers seemed out of sorts, unsure whether to fake fancy or keep it familiar. Meanwhile, we kept wishing that the whole team had left well enough alone.