Posted by Max Hauser, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Dec 22, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Max Hauser is a member (registered user) of Mountain View Online

Thanks for an informative and splendidly photographed article on Scott's Seafood MV (formerly known as Cantankerous Fish).

The article cited the (mid-2012) remodeling and name change, but didn't mention that (according to employees over the years) the restaurant was already partially owned by the Scott's group on opening in 2003 as "Cantankerous Fish" (in the then-new Fenwick-West building), and became completely a Scott's property well before the facilities and name update this year.

Of maybe more interest to readers is this restaurant's strong, deeply discounted bar dining program. The article touches it only briefly, but (like competing offers at other downtown restaurants I'll mention) this deal has been extremely popular with locals in the last five years, many of whom regularly visit Scott's for it. A diverse $8-$10 small-plates menu, always available at the bar, becomes $6 per plate late afternoons until 6:30 seven days a week (basic bar drinks also are discounted then). These "small plates" are substantial: two people can make a classy meal from 2-3 of them.

I pay close attention to downtown MV restaurants. Of the several that currently offer attractive, diverse "happy-hour" early bar dining, I think Scott's does it for the longest hours (three hours each weekday, two on weekends). Other downtown restaurants with competing "happy-hour" menus, where people can eat very well for a few dollars per person, include Tied House, Don Giovanni, Bushido, and especially Xanh (with creative flair) and Scratch (whose "happy-hour" menu is vast, elegant, includes various small meals at $4.50 to $6, and the signature flatbread pizzas that current chef David Root brought in this year).

These "happy-hour" menus are hidden gems of downtown MV dining, much appreciated by the local residents and workers who frequent them. Might be a good topic for a future Voice "Food Feature."