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Drift on 7th - Owner Ferhat Yalcin's New, Fresh Start for FishNet in Shaw - This Time, We've Got You Covered - Closed


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On 7/29/2015 at 4:36 PM, Ferhat Yalcin said:

Time has come;

Going Fishin' til the Fall;

Fishnet SHAW/DC will be closing its doors on Sunday August 2, 2015.(with the last service being on Saturday evening) We'll be back in the Fall with a new accessible, approachable vacation-inspired brand that we're excited to unveil to our loyal following and new guests alike. Join us to toast Fishnet and our future on Friday and Saturday.

Our entire menu including beer/wine will be half off, both on Friday and Saturday.(this also means when we run out, we are out of food or beer).

Regards,

Ferhat

Any news on Fishnet in Shaw?

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Some more news on Drift.

Per a press release:

Other entrees include a rotating catch of the day, prepared and served simply to highlight the fish itself, in 6 to 8oz portions with a lemon wedge and a choice of side. Seafood staples are here as well in the form of fish and chips, Maine lobster roll, PEI mussels, and cedar plank salmon. The Pineland beef burger, also from Maine, offers a hearty land option.

 

Lobster bisque and seafood chowder make for warming starters. Hake, a cold-water fish similar to cod in its flakey texture, rounds out a shareable appetizer in calamari and hake tots (think fish sticks with a modern twist), as do crab cake sliders and grilled sardines served on sourdough with a black olive tapenade. Raw items include a ceviche with a spicy kick, raw shrimp cocktail with a custom sauce, and tuna tartar. All menu items will be $20 or less, making Draft an affordable choice to dine out a few times a week.

 

A bar with counter seating for 15 is prominently featured front and center of the restaurant. The cocktail menu will focus on rum based cocktails, some of which lean towards Tiki, and a batch cocktail for groups that want to get into a resort mood. The root beer float features Maine Root soda and vanilla ice cream with alcoholic, vanilla porter optional! Guests can also choose from eight beers on tap, and eight wines, four red and four white, by the glass or bottle.

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Because of everything Ferhat's done for this community, and because of everything Ferhat's done for me personally, and because I think so highly of both of his restaurants, and *especially* because I feel guilty not knowing how badly off the old situation was, I'm going to be throwing all my weight behind Drift on 7th, and I hope others here do the same.

Between Drift on 7th, Corduroy and Baby Wale, Kinship and Metier, Izakaya Seki, and The Columbia Room, Shaw and Mount Vernon Triangle is fast-becoming *the* restaurant area in DC. I hope members of this community will share in my support of these outstanding restaurants.

Cheers,

Rocks

PS - You let me know what you need, Ferhat, and you've got it. This should have never happened, but I guarantee you're going to be glad it did. And if I'm criticized because I'm helping my friends, then I plead "guilty, with explanation:" I'm proud of my friends, all of whom have proven themselves to me in the past, and I want them to succeed. Don't worry, everything I say will be truthful and ethical, and you'll be able to rely on my reviews as much as you ever have, but this time around, I'm not going to let opportunities go to waste - it's *my* fault that Fishnet shut down, and I'm not going to forget about it.

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Because of everything Ferhat's done for this community, and because of everything Ferhat's done for me personally, and because I think so highly of both of his restaurants, and *especially* because I feel guilty not knowing how badly off the old situation was, I'm going to be throwing all my weight behind Drift on 7th, and I hope others here do the same.

Between Drift on 7th, Corduroy and Baby Wale, Kinship and Metier, Izakaya Seki, and The Columbia Room, Shaw and Mount Vernon Triangle is fast-becoming *the* restaurant area in DC. I hope members of this community will share in my support of these outstanding restaurants.

Cheers,

Rocks

PS - You let me know what you need, Ferhat, and you've got it. This should have never happened, but I guarantee you're going to be glad it did. And if I'm criticized because I'm helping my friends, then I plead "guilty, with explanation: "I'm proud of my friends, all of whom have proven themselves to me in the past, and I want them to succeed." Don't worry, everything I say will be truthful and ethical, and you'll be able to rely on my reviews as much as you ever have, but this time around, I'm not going to let opportunities go to waste - it's *my* fault that Fishnet shut down, and I'm not going to forget about it.

I always appreciate and welcome constructive criticism and `NO` it is not your fault Fishnet closed.

I hope to see all of you here at Drift someday.

come drift with me  :)

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I always appreciate and welcome constructive criticism and `NO` it is not your fault Fishnet closed.

I hope to see all of you here at Drift someday.

come drift with me  :)

Can we have a dr.com dinner? If so, how many people max, and when?

I'm implementing mandatory rules for this one: carryout sandwicjes to take home - in addition to dinner - are a minimum requirement for attendance.

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In, of course.

I miss Fishnook. :(

Me too. There are very few places in DC I visit repeatedly because of my limited time and budget, but Fishnook was one I went back to pretty immediately. Looking forward to seeing what Drift has to offer.

Ferhat I hope for the best for you with Drift. You deserve it.

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Had a very nice seared tuna salad for lunch today, with a nice hard boiled egg and green beans.  Everything was seasoned perfectly, although I would have preferred a more aggressive salad dressing, personally.  And the dish was very simple, which is extremely underrated.  

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good luck finding a sandwich here!

Will the environment be conducive for takeout?  The menu reads like it could be but wanted to see what your thoughts were.

Sincerely,

Guy-Who-Wants-To-Eat-Your-Fish-But-Has-Trouble-Committing-To-An-Hour-Plus-Dinner-Out-Due-To-A-Constantly-Screaming-Newborn

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Thats a great question.

I understand the challenges about the newborn and I always welcome any babies/kids of any age. I am a proud dad, too.

As you would understand, Fishnet was able to do a great amount of take outs due to the menu being mostly sandwiches. Drift`s menu can still do partially but I do not recommend some items. Such as mussel bowl, bouillabaisse, tuna tartare, ceviche and such foods are almost impossible to do as take out due to their presentation and the incapability. Again, that does not mean I ignore take outs. Other menu options are available for take out such as lobster roll, fish n chips ..etc.

I hope this helps.

BTW, before any of you make a trip to Drift, our building had a major drainage issue on Sunday that forced us to close. Our walls are damaged and some other stuff. I plan to re-open on Thursday or Friday if everything goes well.

Thanks,

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[Thank you to both Joel Finkelstein (detecting the problem) and DaveO (helping to find a solution) for helping Drift on 7th take ownership of their business on Google Maps. The conversation applies to all businesses, and is both general enough and important enough to have its own thread in the News and Media Forum. All the posts relating to this can now be found here, and again, thank you to both Joel and Dave for taking the time to help out their fellow man without asking for anything in return.]

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I went to Drift early last evening.   The weather was great.  It wasn't crowded.  That danged Google message is most probably turning away possible visitors and diners.  Nobody knows for sure...but they are getting calls asking if they are open.  Just think, for every call that asks...3-5-10 see the message and turn away.  Its devastating.  I'm aware of it.  Our small businesses have suffered similarly from google misinformation.

I could rant and rant....but its time to write about the food and the service-->  EXCELLENT.

Highlights:  The lobster bisque has exquisite tastes and flavors.  I'm a thick bisque person.  This was thinner.  Buy oh my...the taste was vivid and superb.   At the end of the meal I had lime pie...its not called key lime.   My that pie was extraordinary...an excellent crust...the filling better than anything I've had recently...and a berryish kind of flavoring that was remarkable.  Topped with whipped cream and a twisted thin lime slice.   Overall....a killer.  In between I ordered a dish I know they carry via the menu....lobster roll.  My oh my I'm a big lobster roll fan...but for some reason I haven't had one or several for some years.  (not sure why I haven't been ordering them or seeking them out).  So it was the first I've had in several years.  Difficult for me to compare.

The lobster roll was good.  Medium sized roll.  Overflowing with lobster and some extras   (hm...without notes...my review lacks substance beyond good bad, etc.  --sorry.)

Service.  Nice...pleasant.  I sat at the bar.  Conversed with the bartender.  A very long time pro.  I know bartending so we shared some stories.  Very pleasant.  Mid way through the meal I asked her about the menu...as I hadn't really reviewed it.  She went through everything.  Described everything well.  She is a huge fan of the muscles and on her advise I'd give them a try next time around. She is a fan of all the fish presentations.

Later one member of  couple on a first time visit also sitting at the bar asked my opinions.  I suggested she go right to the bartender and suggested she walk them through the menu and they did.  Hope they had a good meal.

I'll be back.

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I've been unable to access this website since it went down. Finally resorted to shutting the computer completely off and then restarting it. Seems to have worked

Dame Edna and I showed up the night of the DR.com gathering. Since everybody just ordered off the regular menu and there was space available, it worked out just fine.

(I had actually been the week before for lunch. The changeover from Target to CVS at the Columbia Heights Target pharmacy turned out to be a real clusterf**k and I had some time to kill and hadn't eaten anything; so, I jumped on Metro and went to Drift. I was madder than hell and equally hungry. Lemme tell ya--a plate of the seafood pasta and a glass of the Riesling put a real smile on my face.)

Dame Edna and I split an appetizer of the crab cake sliders. You can order either 2 or 4 or those and we chose to have one each. My goodness! They were delicious! Then, we had the lobster bisque. I already knew from Ferhat's soft shell crabs that he learned a thing or three from his time at Corduroy and the bisque didn't disappoint--although I don't believe there was any foie gras in it. Still, a more refined soup than you might have expected--if you didn't know any better.

For mains, I ordered the mussels and DE had the fish tacos. I didn't get any of the tacos, so can't speak to those. The mussels, however, were quite wonderful. Not a sad, shriveled-up one in the bunch and the broth didn't overwhelm the mussels.

I'm going to try the Boulliabasse (sp?) next time--while I wait for soft-shell crab season to start. :rolleyes:

Needless to say, I am thrilled that Ferhat gave this place another shot and upped his game in the interim.

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Sorry to be so late with this write up.  The site was down, then I was away from an actual keyboard, anyway.......
 
My wife and I got there at about 6:15 and there was already a small group in the back, so I said the secret password, "Don Rockwell?" and DanielK introduced himself.  I said I didn't recognize him from his avatar.  Turns out, that's a picture of Bobby Flay and his kids.  Oops.  ktmoomau, eatruneat, and JSnake were already there too so we had some nice introductory conversation and then MichaelBDC arrived.  I recognized him immediately from his avatar and said so.  He told me that it was actually a photo of David Cross and not him.  Oops.
 
My wife and I got a chance to talk to Ferhat and he said, depending on how things go in the front of the restaurant, he may start doing the Fishnook table in the back again,  I think he's trying to figure out the rhythm of the place.  If it's slammed up front, he won't be able to devote enough time to the Fishnook table in the back.  Naturally, we begged him to do whatever it took to restart Fishnook.
 
Since there were 8 of us (at the start), we split into two tables of four and my wife and I sat with JSnake and eatruneat.  The menu reminded me of the Kinship menu in that there were way more things I wanted to try than was remotely possible on one or two visits.  We decided to order a bunch of small plates and split them amongst the table (JSnake ordered a whole fish for himself and only picked at the small plates).  We got the:

Tots 'N' Tentacles - Calamari and Hake Tots, Spicy Mayo and Horseradish emoulade

Charred Octopus - Flamed Avocado, Tomatillo Salsa

Tuna Tartare - Avocado, Crispy Shallots, Homemade Waffle Potato

Seafood Ceviche - Corn, Cilantro, Balsamic Vinegar

Seared Tuna Salad - Sushi-grade Tuna, French Green Beans, Olives, Hard Boiled Eggs, Anchovy Vinaigrette

Maryland Crab Cake Sliders - Two or Four

Everything was great, but to be honest, I don't have very specific memories to write about.  The combination of elapsed time, trying to make conversation, and evenly share the dishes (without coming off like a gluttonous pig) was just about all I could handle!  The only thing I didn't get to try was the Octopus, so that should give you an idea of how quick that one went.

A big thanks to Ferhat who gave our table a banana split on the house at the end of the meal, and a big thanks to eatruneat who shared a nice, dry Riesling with us that MichaelBDC carried in.

It was a very fun night, and I can't wait to get back and try something from the other two sections of the menu!

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I love that this restaurant was able to reopen. I have been a big fan of Ferhat and his cooking since he first opened Fishnet in College Park. The revamped menu is a good fit for the Shaw area, I think. But more importantly, the items that I ordered were delicious. Here is what we had:

  1. Tots and tentacles - These were really great. The fish was cooked perfectly and it wasn't too oily, which is my usual complaint about this type of dish. 
  2. Roasted sardines - My husband didn't really like this dish because of the inherent fishiness of the sardines. But I thought it really well done. I particularly like how the tampenade and toast contrasted with the flavors of the fish.
  3. Mackeral - I get this a lot at Fishnet and this seemed to me a very similar presentation. Though I do miss the different accompanying sauces that are available at Fishnet.
  4. Tuna - My husband got the tuna, which was yellowtail that day instead of albacore. It was really good and his favorite dish that night.
  5. Brussels sprouts  - One of the best preparations of Brussels Sprouts I've ever had.

We both look forward to returning to this place and seeing how the menu evolves. I was never able to take advantage of the Fishnook so really hope Ferhat brings it back.

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I will post the pictures I took later.  I had a really nice dinner, we shared some starters and other tastes at our table.  The fish tacos and mussels at the other table looked great.  I was really impressed with home ungreasy and light the fish and chips were, I am normally not a huge fan, but it was so good it could convert me.  I loved my seafood pasta, the pasta itself was good, as was the seafood.  I am a sucker for seafood pasta, this one didn't disappoint.  I also really liked the octopus, avocado and salsa verde, that salsa verde was just amazing.  The acidity of it was fresher and gave it a better balance than others I have eaten.  The tots and tentacles was fine, but the octopus I thought won for me as a starter.  I also really liked the tuna tartare which was really fresh.  I am definitely going back for other things I didn't try. 

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We were there on Friday for an early lunch. The Tots and Tentacles app was very good, and came with two amazing sauces: one was a tarragon mustard (more or less) and the other reminded me of a classic tomato-based Patatas Bravas sauce. I could dip anything in those sauces and enjoy it! It was an ample portion to boot, and could be a full meal on its own. I got the Seafood Pasta for my main and really liked it. My one quibble was that I didn't think the mussels included in my portion were done completely. Out of the 5 mussels, 3 of them were only barely opened. I still ate them, and they were fine (so was I), but I was a little disappointed to see them included. Also note that the pasta is very al dente. My wife wouldn't have been able to eat that dish, given how she likes her pasta, and so I can see others being similarly turned off. My boy had a giant grilled cheese sandwich (2 types of cheese, tho I don't recall which) and good homemade chips. My wife had a lobster roll which was perfectly fine.

Excellent and attentive service.

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We took BIL to Drift on 7th, his girlfriend couldn't make it, but SIL tagged along.  We had some drinks at the bar, then dinner.  It was great for that evening because we were all a little stressed from the week and it feels so casual and just like you are very welcome to be there.  We had the crabcake sliders, which are very good little crabcakes with a nice sauce.  I had bouillabaisse which was really warm and comforting soup with really delicious seafood, which was nice since it was chillier out than expected.  The others all had fish tacos, which again looked really good (next time).  They all really enjoyed the meal.  We then went to some neighborhood bars, this is a great location to eat as there is so much just up and down the street.

Edited because I forgot to write about the absolute best dish I had.  It was the side of brussels sprouts.  They were great.  They weren't fried of roasted.  I forgot exactly what Ferhat said he did to prepare them, but they tasted really fresh and the sauce with them was the perfect acidity to make them just delicious.  But they were really memorable because it isn't what everyone else is doing, but was delicious.

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After an earthy, wild fermented Biere de Mars at Right Proper Brewery, I walked with my Labor Department Lawyer friend over to Drift on 7th, which I'd been looking forward to eating at for a while. Been craving that freshy fresh fish. As the pictures from Eater and Yelp and Don indicate, the decor is super cool, "Nautical By Nature" (not cuz I hate ya). It was pretty empty at 730, with one larger group at the most far back table (it ended up getting busier as it got later). We sat down, and the very friendly waiter came by. We got a few drinks - she got Chardonnay, I got the Alewerks Tavern Ale. Malty goodness!

For our appetizers we got the grilled sardines, which were yooge as mentioned above. The chef brought them over (he really looks like he's having a great time there, I liked that). The sauce is a tapenade, and that works really well with the sardines. When I've had them before, they were so small, but with this you really get a good amount of meat out of it. We got an order of 2 Maryland Crabcake sliders. Those were good, and on recommendation from the young server (he said he was a Maryland boy, so crabcakes were his jam). It was tasty, a little small, but very fresh. I work in Southern Maryland, so I have access to inexpensive and full of lump crab crabcakes ($3.99 for a sandwich at Nick's Deli!). It takes a bit more to impress me. He also recommended the Tots 'N' Tentacles, but my dining partner doesn't like the tentacle part of the calamari, so I resisted the urge to get that. We also split the arugula salad and that was done well.

We weren't super hungry, so we chose to order the grilled fish tacos. It's your choice of fish, and we picked the cod. This isn't like San Diego style, obviously, as it isn't fried, but they were really good. Instead of that white sauce you get out wese, they give a garlic sour cream and a touch of pico. The fish was super fresh, and the portion is large. 3 for $14 is a really good deal for this. We ate 2 out of 3, and she took the last one home. We had a side of brussel sprouts, which was $3.50 and about the size that you get for $10-12 elsewhere, no joke. Done perfectly, olive oil, some garlic, I think. As someone said above, they are doing this better than anyone. It's simple, but it's a home run.

Now, there was a bit of a snafu on the order. When they brought out the brussel sprouts, instead of grilled tacos, they brought out fish and chips. I know sometimes I make mistakes, but the waiter came over and said he pushed the wrong button, b/c on the screen the two items are next to each other. I said no worries, fish and chips look awesome, too. The person that brought them over initially took them back, but our waiter went back and brought the back, and said it's on the house. I told him that was completely unnecessary. He said no way, and said our tacos would be out shortly. Definitely nice of him ... But then, he came back over again, and my friend had a bit of Chardonnay left, and he said, "Let me get her a glass of wine on the house, for the mistake." I stood my ground! It was a simple error. We didn't need to be compensated with $26 of free stuff for a delay of 10 minutes on (delicious) fish tacos.

You're doing something right with fresh seafood, Mr. Ferhat. But, what you've embedded in your staff about excellent service is what is going to make me come back and tell everyone I know about the place.

$73 + $22 for tip ... Stuffed. Have 2/3 of the fish and chips leftover for lunch.

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For the lovers of Soft Shell Crabs:, season has started and crabs are making their way up from Florida and Carolina`s. We have them here at Drift as a special all weekend long until we run out. Flash fried, served over Anson Mill`s white grits with sweet bell pepper sauce.

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Lunch today was repeatable, but not without some issues.  Fish and chips...fantastic.  My DC favorite is a split between District Fishwife's fish, and Drift's chips (though the fish at Drift was a close, close, close second).  The tots and tentacles were fine.  It is maybe Ferhat's curse that I expect so much from him that perfectly fried and tender seafood is just "yeah," instead of a revelation, but that's his cross to bear.  Maybe a bit more salt and some acid, either via lemon, or in one of the sauces would have been welcome.

My only major issue today was the octopus.  The beast itself was perfect...inexplicably tender, with subtle char from the grill.  The salsa verde really lacked both salt and acid (ideally lime), and the avocado was a couple shades this side of unripe.

Service was pleasant and timely, and I love the redesign.  We'll be back at least a couple times before moving.  Looking forward to the bouillabaise and maybe snagging a soft shell or 2. 

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