Scion, Pan-Asian on East-West Highway in Silver Spring - Closed

[Adam23]

Looks like a new restaurant is taking over the 21st and P corner that was formerly Cafe Trope. Its called Scion. Was walking by today and a "Now hiring" sign is in the window. Anyone have any info?

[Elyssa]

Looks like a new restaurant is taking over the 21st and P corner that was formerly Cafe Trope. Its called Scion. Was walking by today and a "Now hiring" sign is in the window. Anyone have any info?

I saw this as well. Never tried Cafe Trope (it was short lived and the menu didn't really strike my fancy) but I'm excited to hear about a new restaurant opening up in my neighborhood. Tried a google search and couldn't find any info, so I would also love to hear about the menu, concept, opening date etc.

[Psinderbrand]

Walked by this evening, and it is now open.

[Elyssa]

Walked by this evening, and it is now open.

Has anyone actually been? I've been thinking about checking it out since it is right around the corner from my apartment. But being the over-researched foodie that I am, I've been putting it off until at least 1 or 2 people have reviewed it on the various sites. haha

[DonRocks]

As all you all may or may not know I grew up in detroit near one of the largest hasidic jewish communities in the country, my love for fatty corn beef helped develop this hybrid corned pork belly dish....so as a cook we have licenses to change ingredients but not use the proper names? ok lets start critiquing thomas keller "mac and cheese" he cant call it that because there is lobster and orzo? no no we cant do that he is like a god....its a sandwich people the name is identifiable to what it is. a reuben with corned pork belly!!!!!!!!!

After reading this post, I almost had to order the Lobster Reuben ($14.95) last night at Scion. Made with a substantial amount of lobster meat, it also has sauerkraut, 1000 Island dressing, Swiss cheese, and is served on buttery grilled rye bread. Now, if that sounds like a train wreck, consider that both the 1000 Island dressing and Swiss cheese were admirably restrained, and the ample amount of butter on the rye bread is a natural foil for the lobster meat. Yes, it was heavy, but it was also a very satisfying sandwich (if you're hungry).

I got my choice of hand-cut garlic fries, some type of salad, or veggie straws, and went with the fries which were honorable, but a bit too greasy to complement this sandwich. I was also miffed when the check arrived and there was a $2 surcharge for them. I said, "Oh, the fries were extra?" The response: "Yeah, it's a punch-up option. Sorry about that." Rather than say anything, I simply split the difference and took a dollar off the tip - Scion should mention this to their customers although I'm convinced that this was a simple mix-up - my bartender was busy, diligent, and friendly.

Scion has a wonderful beer selection, and a very nice bar. I almost got a Scrimshaw on tap, but instead went with the excellent Great Lakes Brewing Company's Burning River Pale Ale ($6). The wine list here is more thoughtful than the one I also saw last night at Ezmè, but the beer program is a legitimate strength.

Cheers,

Rocks

[Sthitch]

After reading this post, I almost had to order the Lobster Reuben ($14.95) last night at Scion. Made with a substantial amount of lobster meat, it also has sauerkraut, 1000 Island dressing, Swiss cheese, and is served on buttery grilled rye bread. Now, if that sounds like a train wreck, consider that both the 1000 Island dressing and Swiss cheese were admirably restrained, and the ample amount of butter on the rye bread is a natural foil for the lobster meat. Yes, it was heavy, but it was also a very satisfying sandwich (if you're hungry).

1000 island dressing does not seem so weird to me (think about a lobster salad and its not that different), but I am trying to get my arms around the sauerkraut and lobster pairing, how did that work?

[DonRocks]

1000 island dressing does not seem so weird to me (think about a lobster salad and its not that different), but I am trying to get my arms around the sauerkraut and lobster pairing, how did that work?

The sandwich is heavy and dense enough where you barely even detect the sauerkraut - the primary flavors are lobster and butter, with the 1000 Island dressing a secondary component. Even the rye bread is somewhat muted.

[timdc]

After reading this post, I almost had to order the Lobster Reuben ($14.95) last night at Scion. Made with a substantial amount of lobster meat, it also has sauerkraut, 1000 Island dressing, Swiss cheese, and is served on buttery grilled rye bread. Now, if that sounds like a train wreck, consider that both the 1000 Island dressing and Swiss cheese were admirably restrained, and the ample amount of butter on the rye bread is a natural foil for the lobster meat. Yes, it was heavy, but it was also a very satisfying sandwich (if you're hungry).

I got my choice of hand-cut garlic fries, some type of salad, or veggie straws, and went with the fries which were honorable, but a bit too greasy to complement this sandwich. I was also miffed when the check arrived and there was a $2 surcharge for them. I said, "Oh, the fries were extra?" The response: "Yeah, it's a punch-up option. Sorry about that." Rather than say anything, I simply split the difference and took a dollar off the tip - Scion should mention this to their customers although I'm convinced that this was a simple mix-up - my bartender was busy, diligent, and friendly.

Scion has a wonderful beer selection, and a very nice bar. I almost got a Scrimshaw on tap, but instead went with the excellent Great Lakes Brewing Company's Burning River Pale Ale ($6). The wine list here is more thoughtful than the one I also saw last night at Ezmè, but the beer program is a legitimate strength.

Cheers,
Rocks

 
Thanks for coming in! I'm glad you enjoyed the sandwich and the beer. Sorry about the mix up with the fries. Last night was the bartender's first shift in over a month, (back injury) so he might have been a little rusty. Generally, our staff does a good job letting the customer know about the $2 charge, but either way I'll make sure to remind everyone. Thanks again and hopefully more people from DR come in!

[dracisk]

First off, Scion now has a Silver Spring location, so should it be listed in the multiple locations section of the Dining Guide?

Second, I ate a rather underwhelming dinner at the Silver Spring location Saturday night. I remembered a rather tasty burger at lunch last summer (the Scion Burger), so I chose Scion again for a family dinner before my stepdaughter heads back to college. I was working within a lot of restraints (had to be someplace the whole family would like, that could accomodate our toddler, that would keep costs reasonable, that took reservations, not too far from home, etc., etc.), but I wish I'd chosen someplace else.

We started with three appetizers, the Fried Pickles (tasty!), the Crab Spinach Dip (unevenly heated and lukewarm at that, not enough pita on the side, although our waitress happily brought lots more when we asked), and the Sweet Potato Nachos (I'm a sucker for nachos, but these were kind of a gloppy mess, basically nacho toppings over waffle cut sweet potato fries, and the "avocado sauce" was unappetizing (I should have known better)).

I tried a couple of bites of my husband's Lobster Reuben, which was basically how Don described in 2010 (very rich, and I didn't get much sauerkraut taste, which would have been a welcome respite from the richness of everything else; I also don't remember much rye taste in the bread). I ordered the BBQ Duck Pasta, which I should have known would be a disaster from the description (Spicy Pulled Duck, Grilled Pineapple, Bell Peppers, Onions, BBQ Tomato Sauce, Fried Jalapenos, Linguine). The dish was basically a limp tangle of linguine tossed with the listed ingredients (except for the four pieces of grilled pineapple, which were placed around the outer edge of the shallow bowl) -- it really didn't come together. Big hunks of red bell pepper and onion. Some duck gristle. I rarely leave anything on my plate, but I left a few bites of this (believe me, that's saying a lot!).

I guess I should have stuck with the burger, if it's as tasty as I remember it. And at least the fried pickles were good?

[DonRocks]

First off, Scion now has a Silver Spring location, so should it be listed in the multiple locations section of the Dining Guide?

It's odd that the three top-ranked Pan-Asian chains each have exactly two locations, one of them being in Dupont Circle.

[dracisk]

I wouldn't put Scion in the pan-Asian category. They have a spring rolls starter, but other than that there's not much Asian on their menu. They describe their cuisine as contemporary American.

[DonRocks]

I wouldn't put Scion in the pan-Asian category. They have a spring rolls starter, but other than that there's not much Asian on their menu. They describe their cuisine as contemporary American.

Really? I went after they first opened, and could have sworn, but I trust you a lot more than me on this one.

Oy. I just looked at their menu, and there's nothing Pan-Asian about it. Hmm ... maybe I just went for a drink at the bar?

No, I went five years ago, and there's nothing Pan-Asian about a Lobster Reuben.

You know, I probably shouldn't say this, but I feel like I have to: I hope to hell I didn't forget, and then make assumptions because I remembered the *parents of the owners* (not the owners themselves, but the *parents of the owners*) are Chinese-American. Does that mean I'd open a Pan-European restaurant with food from Croatia, Italy, England, and Germany? #subtleracism

And to Jenny Liu: I had your Chicken with Black Bean Sauce plenty of times when I worked at Waterside Mall - thanks for many a lunch.

[Kev29]

You know, I probably shouldn't say this, but I feel like I have to: I hope to hell I didn't forget, and then make assumptions because I remembered the *parents of the owners* (not the owners themselves, but the *parents of the owners*) are Chinese-American. Does that mean I'd open a Pan-European restaurant with food from Croatia, Italy, England, and Germany? #subtleracism

They own a separate Asian restaurant next door ... Nainai's Noodles.

[DonRocks]

They own a separate Asian restaurant next door ... Nainai's Noodles.

This is true, and it's another influence on my faulty memory, but it's not a good enough excuse. *I* know why I forgot, and it was subtle racism.

About the only valid excuse is that I do try and learn the ethnicity of *all* restaurant owners, because it can sometimes influence the cuisine, and I tend to look for cuisine of that ethnicity when I'm there since they often grew up with it, and it's in their soul, but that doesn't explain this.

[ElGuapo]

Scion (and its sister restaurant, NaiNai's Noodle & Dumpling Bar) have closed.

[DonRocks]

7 hours ago, ElGuapo said:

Scion (and its sister restaurant, NaiNai's Noodle & Dumpling Bar) have closed.

And the Dupont location closed earlier in 2018.