Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Seafood'.
-
Has anyone heard anything? I know most of the new restaurants are opening in the Sept-Oct range. -
So far as I know, all of the places down there on the waterfront suck (with the possible exception of Agraria and the jury is still out on that one). Sequoia is on its umteenth owner and probably only turns a proft from the Miller Lite in plastic cups it serves by the gross at its outdoor bar in the summer. That whole area seems to close up after the weather turns chilly in the fall and after the interns all go back to school. The 2 areas in the middle, Tony & Joe's and Nick's are both owned by the same people. ETA: But that doesn't mean I don't go down there once in a while for cold cup of beer and a cigar. -
When you work in the business day in and day out, often we lose sight of simple pleasures in eating out. The wife and I, she being 7 months pregnant and I, use to working on Saturday nights, were thrilled to have a saturday night to go out and eat. Thanks DP! So we decided to visit Regine Palladin over at Pesce, my wifes former employer. Simple decor done well, small room that does get tight, but hey, as long as everyone takes a shower before, I don't mind. The best way to describe what Pesce is all about is....food from the sea. No turf in this restaurant. Cut to the chase on the review, here we go. Wife started with the Smoked Trout Salad. Good. Trout wasn't overpowering in taste, thus allowing the pears to add some sweetenss to the greens. Minus Gorgonzola dressing, a no-no while pregnant, and she was very satisfied with the App. She then ordered whole roasted flounder with maple-glazed root veggies. Again, simple dish, great flavors, and not deep fried as many do when serving whole fish. I started with Squash Soup. Well done, huge bowl, maybe a bit too big actually, all in all, great flavors. Not overly earthy, just the right amount of sweetness and spice for balance. Then I had the brandade. I love Brandade. Since my days working for Mr Buben I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Brandade done well. This dish was spot on. Just the right amount of Garlic and Salt Cod as not to overpower with a fishy taste. Lastly, Sea Scallops with a Mushroom Risotto. Good. Extremly rich,maybe that is why I had to take half home with me. All in all, a great meal that hopefully will not be the last time out before TBD arrives. If you get the chance to visit, give Regine a hug for continuing to produce simple dishes with overdoing. -
I searched for a thread on Johnny's but could only find a few comments here and there. Most comments saying how it's gone downhill, not as good as it used to be, etc. Since I've never been, I have nothing to compare it to previously. First attempt at a late lunch, we were turned away from Firefly, so we walked up the street to look at our options, and lo and behold, Johnny's was still serving after 2:30pm. Service was very friendly and unobtrusive, and our meals were fabulous! I ordered the soft shell crab with Old Bay Buerre Blanc sauce atop a corn (souffle?) something, and co-worker had the shallot, beer-battered fish and chips. First off, the bread was just so-so, and the butter was rock-hard cold. I can live with that, since the soft shell was divine. The Old Bay was subtle, and just gave the sauce a "melt-in the mouth" type of experience. The sauce also had fresh basil, which added a nice complexity to the mix. The corn, which I can't recall what they called it, was incredible. I'll try my best to relay...imagine sweet corn just shucked off the cob, still with a bit of a crunch, held together by something that did not in anyway interfere or hide the flavors. It would also have "melted in the mouth," had it not been for the slight crunch of the corn, with sweet juices in every bite. The complement of the sweet corn with the tanginess of the Old Bay was perfect. When I ordered, the menu said "crabs" (plural) so I was a little afraid that I'd have to leave some on the plate...but the crabs were small, so it was a perfect size for me to eat and not be completely stuffed. My co-worker hadn't ever ordered fish and chips before, since he did not like fish in his youth, but thought the perfect time to try it would be here, since he loves shallots and loves beer! He was not disappointed, and said the fish was incredible. I snagged a taste of the very tempting chips---they were crisp and hot, and if I hadn't been savoring my own meal, would have tried to snag a few more! Dessert was shared; an apple crisp topped with fresh cream. It was not "sweet" as most apple dishes tend to be...nice tart apples, no overwhelming flavor of cinnamon. In fact, both of us though we could detect a savory flavor, such as basil? But we asked the waitress and she said maybe it was the type of apples used. She said it was simply apples and cinnamon. Sorry to be so long in the tooth, but FWIW, Johnny's Half Shell is a nice spot, nothing too fancy. In some ways it's good to compare a place to what it was before, but in other ways, those same comments may prevent new customers from giving the place a go. And from my first trip there, I will definitely return. -
With so much uncertainty about (sadly) restaurant operations, I would appreciate suggestions where one will find the above in Northern Va. Birthday gift for an ardent fan of the dish. I had planned on the Rappahannock River Co stall at Whole Foods Boro Tysons or Brine in Mosaic. Both are closed. Black Salt is a possibility but hoping for a NoVa address. Thanks.
-
John's Grill is a pretty good restaurant. The bar is small, and so is the rest of the place, but scoring a seat and settling in is one of the better ways to enjoy a feeling of old San Francisco. First, let's get some history out of the way. It was the backdrop of The Maltese Falcon, and its walls are covered by celebrity pictures of those who dined here over the past 110 years or so. Think of a place where the Postal Service rolled out its commemorative Humphrey Bogart stamp here, with Arnold Schwarzenegger joining a rendition of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" at the ceremony. I've eaten (and drank) at John's on every one of my annual visits over the years, and the food is quite good. This isn't fine-dining, but for those of us from the Washington DC area who enjoy the The Monocle on Capitol Hill, Martin's Tavern, Old Ebbitt Grill, or the Occidental Grill, it's somewhere in between all of these sorts of time-worn establishments. I've had an absolutely perfectly executed Negroni at the bar, and I've enjoyed some truly great Cioppino in the dining room. This is also a good restaurant for steaks and burgers, at a good price. And a club sandwich for lunch one day was worth ordering again, as was the perfect side of fries, hot out of the fryer. I'll continue to frequent John's whenever I'm in town. The ongoing subway construction is an impediment, but if you're on foot, it's not much of a problem.- 7 replies
-
- 4
-
-
- Union Square
- American
- (and 5 more)
-
Inspired by the daring forays of Todd Kliman, I took it upon myself to do something people who frequent these internet food boards rarely do: I drove my car down New Hampshire Avenue from Langley Park into the District of Columbia. Cheesesteak Mike's in Hillandale? Might as well have been Flaps in Potomac. Tiffin at the intersection of University Blvd? I'd sooner go to Rasika. No, my friends, I went, and I went deep. Threading in and out of pothole-ridden parking lots, I walked up to places previously unthinkable, and even looked through the windows. One of my dicier moments came when I walked into an Guyanese-Caribbean market, and was immediately assaulted with a snootful of rodenticide. A quick lap, and I was gone. Down a side street (a side street, mind you), just past the Takoma Park post office, inside a gated parking lot, sat a tiny little Bangladeshi - perhaps even Sri Lankan - market, imposingly decrepit from the outside. I walked in quietly, asked if they had any ready-made food, and breathed a small sigh of relief when they told me, in broken English, that they did not. I came upon Mid Atlantic Seafood, near the old Allen theater where I used to go to the movies with my dad when I was a child. There was a small group of people gathered at the front door, so I drove to the back of the lot to park my car. I opened my door, got out of the car, and in the distance, somewhere down New Hampshire Avenue, I heard a jackhammer that sounded a LOT like sniper fire, so I crouched down, and ran as fast and as hard as I possibly could, eventually making it to the front door of the restaurant. Stuffed Whiting ($12.95) was three filets arranged as a triangular prism, stuffed with a baseball-sized pile of crab in the middle. So how's the crab? Gloriously full of the "hanger steak" of crabmeat: cheap little shards of claw, the parts that are traditionally shunned by the so-called food cogniscenti. Lovingly breaded throughout, with little flecks of onions, red and green pepper, it made a perfect soak for the juices of the frozen whiting. Black-eyed peas? You bet. Topped with a squirt of "hot sauce" which is nothing more than Tabasco. The whole thing was brought into balance by a scoop of steamed, white rice, taken straight from a rice cooker. I made it back to the car, and pulled out of the parking lot, looking behind me, my forehead moist with beads of nervous perspiration. Turning right onto New Hampshire Avenue, driving across the district line, and then heading down North Capitol street - my door unlocked the entire time - I ate my meal with a sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-satisfaction - it was the kind of feeling one can only find after participating in a fundraising walk, giving a dollar to a homeless person on Christmas day, or perhaps on a smaller scale, allowing someone to change lanes in front of you on the beltway. Philanthropic, honorable, urban derring-do at its absolute finest. Cheers, Rocks. -
That's the salt cod. I worry about what that does to his business, because it probably turns a lot of people off. The fish is actually very fresh-- never had a problem. They supply a lot of restaurants in the area. -
Has anyone ordered from ProFish? -
I'm the first, really? Maybe my post can moved down below the positives which will be coming. I'll start with the fact that I'm not an oyster or a clam kinda guy, so take the review with that grain of (sea) salt. My mom was in town, so Mrs DrXmus and I made a reservation through Open Table for 6P last Friday night. Brine had been open for a little over a week, I think. Every time option was available, so I assumed the place hadn't been slammed yet with people interested in the new food joint in the Mosaic area. The seats were about 1/4-1/3 occupied inside and about 1/6 occupied outside. There are about 10-15 outdoor small tables. We were seated quickly by very nice hosts. Complaint number one, IT'S CRAZY LOUD INSIDE!! Note that I said the place was about 1/3 full. I got readings of 87-90 dB on my Decibels app on my phone. Two days later in Fairfax, we happened onto the parade of motorcycles heading into DC for Rolling Thunder. We were 20 feet away from the bikes and my app was reading 90-93dB. I saw absolutely no move to deaden sound in the restaurant. Admittedly, this is a soapbox issue for me, but the noise will keep me away from Brine and its noisy ilk. The beer list is very good. It draws from mostly local breweries, which is always nice to see. We wondered aloud whether Brine would serve bread. I expounded about how bread service is going the way of the Dodo and other things I've learned on this board. About 10 minutes after ordering we received a metal bucket containing 5-6 freshly baked, soft yeasty rolls brushed with butter. They were delicious and much-appreciated. Good job Brine. As a knock, though, they were quite late in arriving to the table and one of the runners (who admitted it was her first day when there was some confusion about a side dish) took the bucket away with a roll still inside toward the end of our meal! This is like taking away my beer glass when I still have a swallow or two remaining! Server foul! We didn't get apps, but as you can assume, there are a number of raw shellfish options for your choosing and some shrimp. We were disappointed the menu isn't what's posted on their web site. Alas, no fish and chips. Personally, I think this should be a staple on the menu. My mom had a crab cake on a little bed of greens. Her take is that it was "OK" and my Baltimorean wife's take was "it's not good". My take is that it was a single, medium-sized crab cake for $16 with no side dish. Oh, so about the sides, they're extra, although the asparagus we got was quite a large order - plenty for two, too much for one, but not quite enough for 3. Mrs DrXmus had a dish which was called something like "seared scallops with something greens and something or other mushrooms". Because of the description, she didn't get a side dish. It turns out the non-scallop things were garnish only and she should've gotten a side. I had a special of rotisserie roasted croaker, 3 oysters and 3 clams. The oysters were fine. The clams were bitter (are they normally?), small and had to be mutilated to get tiny pieces out of the shell to eat. The croaker was cooked well, but Jesus was it unpleasant to eat. I thought I was doing pretty well separating bone from meat, but let's just say I'm better at other things than this. By the third and final croaker, I was disgusted and frustrated and just wanted to quit. Now, I'm happy to admit I may have ordered the wrong thing and I would've been able to enjoy something else, but I didn't enjoy this dish in the least. In fact, I got tired of the oily/herby drizzle during the meal, too. I had some small mouthfuls of what I thought was all fish that was a high percentage of bone that I ended up spitting into my napkin, which I feel terrible about but after swallowing and chewing many bones already, I started to freak out that I would end up in the hospital with some bizarre croaker rib intestinal perforation. I eventually gave up after 2.5 croakers. As the raven says, nevermore. No dessert for us, so I can't comment. It was getting louder as the seats filled and I was just done with eating. I trust they'll work out the kinks in service and table-busing (there were other minor problems with the busing), but as for the menu and food and ambiance, I'm not inspired to return.- 32 replies
-
- 4
-
-
- Merrifield
- Mosaic District
- (and 4 more)
-
On what seemed like the hottest day of summer so far, we took a field trip to eat some fried fish. If it weren't so hot, I think I would've enjoyed it more as a quintessential DC experience. Horace and Dickies, 800 12th Street NE, serves up their fish fresh, right out of the fryer, pipin' hot. They're known for their deep fried croaker but we opted for their 6-piece whiting filets, some potato salad and mac and cheese for about $10. The fish is coated with a corn-meal based batter, and the pieces are huge! 6 pieces could feed 2-3 adults. Two small plastic containers of hot sauce, tartar sauce and 2 slices of white Wonder Bread come with the fish. The sides cost extra. Someone else had the croaker and said it was fishier (and bonier). The collard greens are good, the potato salad is mustardy and on the sweet side, the mac and cheese is not creamy, more lumpy (but still delicious IMO). The menu also has fish sandwiches (literally several pieces of fried fish sandwiched between white bread), crabcakes, shrimp, chicken and seafood platters. The hot sauce tastes like Frank's and extra containers of sauces can be had for eleven cents. In the refrigerator case, there were mini pies wrapped in plastic that were labeled "bean custard pie". The place is takeout only, no ambiance to speak of. It's just some deep fryers, a counter to order, and some refrigerator cases for drinks and sides. They have an old Zagat's Guide write-up on the wall that actually says, "in a sketchy neighborhood, so exercise caution." I didn't see any reasons for caution, except for the quantity of food you get for the price. whatta deal. Gotta love a place where I asked, "What's good here?" and the lady at the counter says without missing a beat, "Everything's good here, baby! It's all good." -
Never - btw, the only time I've seen Sugar Toads in DC (which isn't definitive by any means) was at Kinship last Spring.
-
I'd be interested to hear more about Kinkead's from those of you who have visited recently. Of course, it's a Washington institution and therefore hardly obscure, but it's one of those places one seldom reads about on this site or elsewhere. I've had oysters, drinks, and entrees at the bar recently. Everything was good--especially the oysters--but I remember being wowed by this kitchen's cuisine in the past; now the menu as a whole seems a bit tired. Is it just me? -
It's amazing we don't have a thread on The Shrimp Lover (website). a Thai-owned quasi-seafood shack, located in a strip mall just off Route 28, very convenient for Washingtonians traveling to Dulles Airport. I went for lunch today, had wonderful service at the bar, and a kick-your-butt shrimp plate that's worth knowing about. Seated at the bar, I was asked what I'd like to drink - I wasn't drinking alcohol, so I got a Diet Coke ($2,50, unlimited refills) while I waited for one of the most interesting raw seafood dishes I've had in quite awhile: Shrimp Nam-Pla ($12) - five (the menu said six, but I got five) large, split, raw shrimp in a cold, Thai-ceviche-like broth that was a combination of lime, intense salt, pepper, and heat (and I do mean heat), each shrimp topped with a small piece of bitter cucumber and raw garlic, and the entire dish topped with a few basil leaves. While officially an appetizer, this was more than enough for a small lunch, and while the intensity of the "severe ceviche" might take some getting used to, heat-lovers will really enjoy this. The combination of the dish itself, the wonderful atmosphere, and the uber-friendly staff makes me take note of The Shrimp Lover anytime I'm close to Dulles Airport, and you should too.
-
_svg.thumb.png.c50387abb33133634363845f12199fa0.png)
Tom Sietsema declared this to be the best seafood restaurant in DC! I beg to differ. I would have to assume that Tom got special treatment because every Jose employee is probably required to know his face. First, no geoduck, no sea urchin, and no hush puppies. I didn't realize that hush puppies need to be sourced like other pristine seafood. So we started with some scallop crudo, which should taste mild and sweet. Ours tasted slightly fishy, which made me want to hide the flavor by ingesting the celery in black pepper giardiniera. Next, roasted oysters, served with a side of Fresno chili butter sauce. One of our 5 oysters didn't pop. I complained and they replaced the order with 5 shucked oysters roasted with the sauce, which actually tasted better. Lastly, lobster jambalaya. The rice was slightly crunchy, and if you don't dig out the lobster immediately, it will become overcooked. I wouldn't say the lobster was perfectly cooked when it arrived at our table, but waiting will make it much worse. The flavor wasn't anything special. Nate Waugaman didn't shine at America Eats Tavern, why would he all of a sudden become the chef at DC's best seafood restaurant?.JPG.24ab63916dab1900a15a878de9b9c82a.JPG)
- 14 replies
-
- 5
-
-
- National Harbor
- MGM Casino
- (and 2 more)
-
I swear I made a previous thread for Catch on the Ave, but I can't find it. We have gone twice now- once with BIL and SIL, and once with my Mom. I can't remember what we all had the first time we went, but we liked it enough to go back! I remember they had good cocktails. On the last visit, Hubby had fish tacos. They had soft shells, and I asked if I could have them on a sandwich. They had run a special earlier that week with a pimento cheese/ softshell sandwich, so I go that. This would have been better with less pimento cheese, to be honest, I love soft shells and should have protested more and seen if I could have just gotten a more plain sandwich. I expect this sandwich was because a lot of people find soft shells a little more creepy than I do. It was fine, it was just perhaps a little over-decadent and you lost the crab flavor. Mom had the lobster salad which she said was really good. This is a nice little neighborhood spot with above average food for Del Ray. We like the ability to get something a little fancier or a little more causal for dinner, and they have a nice beverage list, and you can generally get in. -
"Bryan Caswell Suddenly Closes His Midtown Seafood Restaurant" by Eric Sandler on houstonculturemap.com
-
Seafood sounds good, non-seafood sounds kinda okay but nothing to rush out to purchase. Tim Carman can rite reel gud.- 6 replies
-
- 2
-
-
- Navy Yard
- Yards Park
- (and 4 more)
-
Anyone been to Dyllan's yet? In the old Sea Catch space in Georgetown. Been open a couple of months now I think, but no thread yet here and doesn't seem to be a whole lot of chatter about the place otherwise. -
"Snyder's Willow Grove, an 83-Year-Old Anne Arundel Fixture, Set To Close by January 2020" by Naomi Harris on baltimoresun.com
-
"I believe the Paila Marina is ready." -- Gustavo Fring
-
Has anyone tried it? I'm a fan of the chef -- interested in this new place. Thoughts? -
Not sure if this should go under the Stores Guide or Restaurant Guide? http://www.captainwhitesseafood.com/ Menu is best found by searching for images. Last night we went to Captain White's to pick up some food to eat before a concert at the Anthem. We got: Fried shrimp, hush puppies, MD crab soup and fries. I thought the Maryland Crab soup was the win of the group. It had really good flavor, I should have just gotten a large and some hush puppies. The hush puppies were fine, I think they are likely better on a day that things are hopping down there, due to the weather it wasn't a prime choice last evening, but they weren't bad. Hubby wanted some melted butter with them, I thought they were fine plain. I think he prefers smaller hush puppies, but he is more into them than I am, I like plain cornbread, so I am fine with a large hush puppy. The fried shrimp were fine, nothing bad, nothing special, fine, a nice portion for the price, fried fresh to order. The I think Ken's brand cocktail sauce they give you is really sweet- I normally make my own, so maybe commercial cocktail sauce is sweeter than I expect. Anyway, we got our meal and went up and stood at one of the tables up by the falafel shop, which worked well. We weren't really in the mood for a sit down meal, and this worked well so we could get in and get good seats for the show.
-
Great news for University of Maryland students: our own Ferhat Yalcin, ex-GM of Corduroy, is opening Fishnet at 5010 Berwyn Road in College Park. For many years, Ferhat and I have kicked around concepts, and he has finally found his perfect location. Fishnet is planning to serve about four types of grilled (or deep-fried) fish with 4-5 homemade sauces to choose from. Most of these will come as sandwiches, and there will be some other things such as calamari, mussels, and yep - a lobster roll. He's planning to run specials such as soft-shell crab sandwich and a whole grilled dorade platter (influenced from Corduroy). Maybe fish tacos in the future, and there will also be side dishes offered. No alcohol because he's too close to the school, but homemade lemonade, small-batch sodas, and the best news of all: delivery. Look for an August opening, in time for the 2011-2012 school year. Congratulations, Ferhat! You've worked hard to get this going, and it's finally coming into place. Nobody deserves this more than you do. Cheers, Rocks
-
I love me some mussels. But only if, and it's a big-ass if, every last one of them is perfectly fresh and each and every one of them is cooked just right. I'm beginning to suspect that this is simply too much to expect. Mussels can go bad in the blink of an eye, they can be full of grit, and it only takes one stinker to ruin a whole damn plate. But every couple of months I find myself ordering them. And 9 times out of 10 I kick myself for it when I get that unmistakable whiff of god-awful funkiness or, worse yet, toss one in my mouth and get a flavor that is vaguely reminiscent of the busiest... uhm... "adult entertainment industry professional" in town and that only gargling down half a bottle of wine will help ease my misery. I’ve awaited them anxiously at some of the most well regarded high end joints in town, and I’ve rolled the dice in some real dives. Whether I’ve paid $18 or $4.99 for a plateful, I can never be certain I’ll enjoy the results. I’m not sure what my question is, but I guess I’d like to hear from some grizzled restaurant veterans on what they do, if anything, to try and ensure that I won’t gag on a bivalve at their establishment. I totally understand that it may well be impossible to source mussels that are 99.97% pure. Do mussels get returned to the kitchen with any greater frequency than other dishes? Has anyone else’s experience been similar to mine? Should I just give up on mussels and stick to the chicken fingers?
_svg.thumb.png.c50387abb33133634363845f12199fa0.png)
.JPG.24ab63916dab1900a15a878de9b9c82a.JPG)
