Columnist Muriel Stevens: English keeps adding to his culinary empire

Friday, Sept. 22, 2000 | 8:54 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping column appears Wednesdays. Reach her at muriel@lasvegassun.com or 259-4080.

Celebrity Chef Todd English is on a roll. His four Olives restaurants in Las Vegas, Aspen, Washington, D.C., and the original in Boston are booming, and a fifth is due to open in November in Manhattan's new W hotel.

In addition, his new seafood restaurant, KingFish Hall, in Faneuil Hall in historic downtown Boston is a runaway success. The concept and the food are glorious.

Dinner at KingFish Hall was the dining highlight of a recent trip to Boston and Cambridge. Though casual, the restaurant's decor is smashing. Shimmering, gleaming mosaic tiles display "the colors of the world's most exotic fish." A mobile made of glass, paper, metal fish, coral and bubbles dominates the center of the two-story dining room. Walls are covered with food veneer panels, bamboo and fabric screens. KingFish Hall vibrates with excitement.

Everywhere you look there is something of interest. At one end of the serpentine bar on the first floor is a vertical grill designed by English. He calls it the "Fish Dancer." Whole fish rotate on spokes that grill them much like the Native Americans did so many years ago. My friends and I watched as the fish cooked. It was a mouth-watering sight.

At the other end of the bar is a huge lobster pot for cooking one of the house specialities, New England lobster boil. Cooked in specially designed netted bags are a lobster, steamers, kielbasa (Polish sausage), corn on the cob and baby red potatoes,

KingFish Hall is a busy, informal place. It can be noisy, so we chose to dine in the upstairs dining room. There were only three of us, but I was determined to try as many dishes as possible. The dinner menu is large with so many appealing choices. We ordered four appetizers. From the Asian grill, grilled sea scallops atop Boston baked navy beans on griddled brown bread, and grilled quail satay with a ginger-peanut sauce and Asian slaw, and from the "Quick Bite" selection a sauteed crab cake and a classic lobster roll.

The grilled sea scallops were large and succulent; the rich beans and dense, dark brown bread were a delicious complement. The crusty crab cake, perched like a flying saucer on a launching pad of corn relish, was divine. Never have I tasted a better lobster roll -- chunks of lobster meat were bound together with just the right amount of mayonnaise; on the side a small brown paper bag filled with irresistible homemade potato chips, and a small dish of baked beans. Any of these dishes could have been a meal. Only the quail were appetizer size.

The KingFish salad, composed of salad of lump crabmeat (a generous amount), smoked salmon, Boston greens, frisee, shaved radishes, chopped egg and Russian dressing, was topped with a mountain of warm, crisp skinnier-than-shoestring potatoes. It was more than enough for the three of us, with some left over.

Had we known how generous were the portions we probably wouldn't have ordered three entrees. Even gluttony has limits! We took home with us the whole seabass and portions of the nut-crusted baked cod and pan-seared skate wing.

Blissfully sated and happy after such a delicious meal we agreed not to have dessert. "You must have at least one," urged our charming server, Mary. "But which one?" "The fresh peach and blueberry crumble with homemade ice cream," was the answer. For the sake of research only, we ordered one crumble. Mary was right. This homespun dessert was exceptional.

You'll find KingFish Hall in Faneuil Hall's South Market building. Lunch and dinner are offered every day. In addition to the dining rooms there is an outdoor patio. Food prices are moderate, ranging from $5-$18 at lunch; $6-$35 at dinner. Parking is not: It will cost at least $14 in the adjacent parking garage. Don't even try to find a parking space elsewhere -- it's possible, but could be a long walk.

More Todd English: KingFish Hall is English's eleventh restaurant and there are still more to come. He's already working on a Latin-themed steakhouse scheduled to open at the Park Plaza hotel in Boston by 2001.

Executive Director hones skills: Rio Executive Director of Food and Beverage Luc Akellino recognizes that there is no end to what can be learned in the hospitality industry. His passion for learning and study has continued unabated throughout his illustrious work history. In addition to creating programs for Cornell University (he attended Cornell for seven consecutive summers earning a Certification in Hospitality Management) he recently earned an Advanced Certification in Hospitality Management.

Akellino now serves as guest speaker for Cornell students for their F&B classes. He has been active in recruiting from Cornell and UNLV for the Rio and other Harrah's properties for a training program he created: MATP -- Management Apprentice Training Program. Students who successfully complete the program are more than likely to have a future with Rio/Harrah's properties. Meanwhile Akellino says he'll never stop learning and developing additional educational programs to assist students.

28th Greek Food Festival: Today through Sunday the 28th Annual Greek Food Festival will take place on the grounds of St. John Greek Orthodox church at 5300 S. El Camino Rd. (near Jones Boulevard and Hacienda Avenue). The venerable festival will once again offer a veritable feast of Greek foods and pastries, Greek bands, folk dancers, a bazaar, coffee taverna and fun and games for the entire family. Get there early if you want to buy pastries to take home. For more information call 248-3896.