“The fish you eat today swam last night in the bay.” So reads the menu of a restaurant on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Zauo, a Japan-based restaurant chain that plans to open in its first American satellite in Chelsea next February, can go them one better, boasting “The fish you eat today was caught minutes ago — by you.” It doesn’t rhyme, but the prospect of catching your own dinner and eating it too is not without appeal for true devotees of fresh seafood.
The New York branch of Zauo will span three stories. Patrons buy bait on the bottom two floors and cast their line into a tank stocked with about ten types of fish, then head upstairs to dine on their catch. Cooking options include grilling, deep-frying, or enjoying the fish in its more-or-less natural state as sushi.
One conceivable downside of the exercise relates to the skill level of the angler. Since you pay for what you catch, if you accidentally hook a more expensive species than you planned, you end up on the hook as well.
