Monterey Bay Fish Grotto, Tysons Corner - Closed

[CajunJason]

Has anyone been yet? I've been waiting for this restaurant to open for over a year now. It looks huge.

[u-bet!]

They should consider rewriting the first sentence on their website.

That, or change the picture.

[Ericandblueboy]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...9031000677.html

Kindai bluefin tuna.

We had it seared ultra rare over a bed of rice with yuzu and ponzu sauce. We also had it lightly seared served with foie gras with a pinot noir reduction. Go for the sashimi-like preparation. I don't know high end fish unless you smack me with it and I got smacked pretty hard tonight. About $50/entree...

[hopsing]

I've not been myself, but my colleague (who is very picky) gave it a big thumbs up. She said her fish was superb and her husband, who did not like fish and had filet mignon, was also very happy. She said the restaurant was extremely big and well decorated and service was good as well. I will be putting it on my must-try list.

[schulju]

(Please move this post if I missed the category) I searched the site but was unable to find a topic on this Tysons Corner restaurant. I have been invited to a gathering there next week and was wondering what they did really well.

[FunnyJohn]

(Please move this post if I missed the category) I searched the site but was unable to find a topic on this Tysons Corner restaurant. I have been invited to a gathering there next week and was wondering what they did really well.

They serve as the roof for Inox

[DonRocks]

(Please move this post if I missed the category) I searched the site but was unable to find a topic on this Tysons Corner restaurant. I have been invited to a gathering there next week and was wondering what they did really well.

[Always check the Dining Guide - if there's a thread, it's in there.]

I've been quite hesitant to make this post, because quite honestly I don't want anyone to think I'm crazy. On March 29th, I went to Monterey Bay Fish Grotto, specifically to try the Kindai Bluefin.

Taking a seat at the bar, and noticing a very bustling, full restaurant, I was repulsed enough by the wines by-the-glass list that I ordered a beer, and even their beer selection is just plain lousy.

I asked the bartender if they had the kindai bluefin, and she didn't know what I was referring to. She checked with the bar manager, who checked with the kitchen, to see if they were offering it that night. After a bit of scurrying around, she came back and said that yes, it was available as a chef's special, and that it would be $55. I took a sip of beer, and said okay.

A long time passed, and there was something about this place that made me think I was setting myself up for an expensive disappointment. Then, the plate of kindai bluefin arrived.

The moment it was placed in front of me, any preconceived notions I had vanished. I knew this dish was special as soon as I laid eyes on it - a stunning, beautiful presentation of sashimi. Before I had a chance to think, the bar manager walked over and - believe it or not - congratulated me for being lucky enough to have this. "If you ordered this same dish in Japan," he said, "you'd pay $500 for it."

As ridiculous and far-fetched as that sounds, he might not be that far off. There were eight slices of sashimi, each of them the size of an iPhone, with an incredible whitish-pink color throughout each piece, and framed around the circumference by a very, very confident amount of fat. The plate itself was enormous, speckled with little treats - a drizzle of soy-based sauce, a little pile of ginger, a piece or two of uni, and the main accompaniment, a large portion of what they term "ceviche," and I apologize for not remembering the exact fish that went into it (perhaps a Florida snapper), but it was excellent in its own right, and easily a ten-dollar portion.

Back to the kindai bluefin. Upon taking the first bite, I had the same reaction I had the first time I took a bite of the grade A10 Wagyu at CityZen (which is the same thing everyone had at the Vidalia dinner). I was in brand new territory. I had never been here before.

I need to stop here and emphasize my limitations. I've never had sushi in Japan, and quite honestly, for all the dozens-upon-dozens of times I've had sashimi in my life (most recently a $78 sushi kaiseke Monday evening at the new Sushi Taro), my best experiences are very much limited to the United States, and particularly the Washington area. Kaz, Koji, Nori - I've had their finest handiwork, and yet, I cannot sit here and say that I've had the best sushi the world has to offer.

Having said that, I have no problem in saying that this course at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto was not only the finest raw fish dish I've ever eaten, but also so far superior to whatever the runner-up would be, that I can't even talk about it in the same terms. My only reservation, as I sat there swooning during the first bite, was that it could have used a bit of salt, which, happily, I found judiciously applied to each of the eight pieces; I merely hadn't gotten any on bite number one.

Forty-five minutes into this dish, with only my beer as an accompaniment, I was every bit as riveted as I was during the first bite. After six pieces, and most of the accompaniments, I was getting very full - this is an incredibly rich fish, and this must have surely been close to an eight-ounce serving, I kid you not. Oh, I finished it, all right, but rest assured I was stuffed when I was done.

The reason I haven't posted about this yet is because I wanted to go back again, to make absolutely, positively sure that I wasn't crazy. I also needed to make sure I wasn't recognized, and didn't receive an abnormally large portion. To this day, I don't know - I've called twice now, and they haven't had the dish available, and I phoned the chef yesterday, but haven't heard back from him. But since you asked, the time for me to write this is now, and let the chips fall where they may.

And I don't wish to steal Monterey Bay's thunder, but I know for a fact that Kaz is scheduled to get a Kindai bluefin ... TOMORROW, and will be serving it for the next several days. Interestingly, he's also getting a Kindai Tai (which is a red snapper) - I have no idea what to expect there, but I've flat-out told Kaz that this was the best sashimi I've ever had - he still hasn't tried it. He told me two days ago on the phone that the fish he's getting (which I believe is close to 200 pounds) was still swimming. Please do NOT show up at Kaz looking for this fish without calling first, because I haven't talked with him in several days.

There you have it. The finest sashimi course of my life ... by a mile. I would have driven to New York and paid $100 for this dish without batting an eye. Assuming what I had was a normal portion, see if you can go to the bar and split it - it's more than enough for two. Beg, borrow, steal ... do whatever you need to do to try this unbelievable, life-changing toro.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Ericandblueboy]

8 oz is the normal portion. While our fish slices weren't the size of iPhones (unless iPhones shrunk), they were right around 8 ozs. The chef also said the portion was 8 ozs.

With this and Inox right next door, Tysons suddenly becomes a major fine dining destination instead of just chain steak places and inferior seafood restaurants. Who'da thunk? Good for those of us who live close, though.

Actually, I think Monterrey Bay is as good as any seafood restaurant in DC.

[jpbloom]

Actually, I think Monterrey Bay is as good as any seafood restaurant in DC.

Sadly that's not saying much. Personally, it's definitely worth the longer drive to Passionfish, though.

(Sorry for the thread drift.)

[schulju]

I had the pleasure of being escorted to lunch here last week. Upon arrival a few minutes past Noon on a Tuesday, I was struck by two things. First, the restaurant itself is large, but quite lovely. Second, the restaurant was empty save for our table of 6 and maybe three other parties of two.

Service was very attentive (after all, they didn't have much else to do). We got a double order of their "sampler" appetizer for the table. It included a single skewer their Ichiban: bites of fresh fish in a soy-ginger marinade, skewered, chargrilled and served with ancho chili mayonnaise; a single large crab cake; and several grilled jumbo shrimp. This plate was really beautiful and everything on the plate was fantastic. Probably the best crab cake I've had in a long time. All jumbo lump and no filler, I'm not sure what kept it together on the plate! I would seriously consider ordering this appetizer as an entree on my next trip to Monterey Bay.

I ordered a shashimi styled ahi tuna as an entree. While the tuna was served very rare, which I loved, the particular piece was very stringy and had a lot of connective tissue that I couldn't even cut through. I frankly didn't know that tuna had connective tissue, but there it was on my plate. Quite disappointing.

The rest of the party had an array of fish and salads. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals, but also agreed that the appetizer was probably the best dish on the table.

All in all, probably the best fish house in the area right now, at least until Michael Landrum opens his new emporium.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Had my first encounter with this restaurant for lunch today. I was prepared for something along the lines of Bonefish at worst and The Oceanaire at best. I was blown away.

First point -- the parking and valet situation for Monterey Bay Fish Grotto, The Palm and Inox is a little tricky, but the all have valet parking for free. The trick is to pull into the right area or else you get trapped in the garage that PriceWaterhouseCoopers uses. The valet for Monterey Bay is to the Tysons 2 side of the PWC building.

Second point -- the place is beautiful. It has a nice view of Tysons 1, if that qualifies as a view, but it is nicely appointed and laid out. I would say that it would be a great place to take a date, but you're one story above Inox, and that's where you take a date.

Third point -- the food is really good. I agree with the comments about this being some of the best seafood in the Washington DC area right now, neck-and-neck with PassionFish. I can't wait to taste all over this menu. I had the seared Yellowtail salad and the grouper wrap -- my companion and I split two lunch specials. Both were very good. The idiots at GAR who try to do a grilled tuna salad and throw all kinds of crap on it like sun-dried cranberries and dates should come here to taste a really good seared tuna salad. The grouper wrap had nice chunks of grilled grouper cooked to a juicy tenderness and accompanied by a really nice thick brown sauce that had a kick to it. Prior to these specials we split the calamari -- nothing special, but just plain good. It came with a marinara sauce that had thick chunks of tomato in it.

This place appears to be as good as PassionFish. Monterey Bay Fish Grotto provides a choice, but if I want sushi, I go to Reston.

[lekkerwijn]

Friday night we had a 7 pm reservation for eight people to celebrate my mother's birthday. It is hard to find a restaurant that will make this crowd happy due to two very picky eaters and gluten avoider. MBFG had so much potential to be a crowd pleaser and after reading other people's reports on this board, we thought we were in for a good night.

At 7 pm the place was nearly empty. Our waitress informs us that they are out of the halibut, have no "N/A" fish which seemed to imply no crabcakes, and that if anyone wanted the whole Bronzini they only had one left. The appetizers were very respectable and the salad served with each entrée is a nice touch. But the main courses looked and tasted tired. Plating was unappealing and sloppy. Everything looked like it had sat under the heat lamps waiting for service just a few minutes too long. I didn't taste anyone of the other food, but my black cod was thin and slimy, drenched in a too sweet sauce, and sat on a huge bed of overcooked julienned Asian-style vegetables. Desserts were good, but not noteworthy. Overall, the food tasted fine, but it was not nearly high quality seafood we had expected. It was disappointing.

In the sense that we got a round table, in a quiet corner with good service at reasonable price- it was perfect. My dad is convinced that any restaurant with Escolar on the menu is selling misbranded fish and marketing keriorrhea on a plate. He likes to inform the waitstaff of this risk in graphic detail. Our waitress handled it in stride- kudos to her. Our two picky eaters thought the food was great, but they like non-adventurous, overcooked fish. My husband and I were unimpressed. We spent 10 days in Spain this summer eating really incredible seafood- so maybe we just have unrealistic expectations. I also will give the restaurant some wiggle room as it was a holiday weekend and it probably wasn't their A-team on staff that night.

[stockwatch_1999]

We went there recently. I had snapper and my wife had tuna. Food quality was reminiscent of Red Lobster IMHO and side vegetables were akin to what I would get on an airplane when they were serving food. Needless to say, we will not be back.

[Kibbee Nayee]

I'm surprised at the negative comments, but I can see where there can be some hits or misses. My lunch today was the diver scallop and shrimp salad. Nothing special -- two seared but slightly overdone scallops that tasted like scallops, and three grilled shrimp that could have come from Costco, over a bed of greens that were fresh and clean. I few mandarin oranges here and there were distractions, but overall a nice light salad. My companion had the yellowfin tuna and it looked sashimi fresh. He declared it good. Not a special meal by any means, but not reminiscent of Red Lobster either.

[Ericandblueboy]

I believe they're closed for good as of tonight.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

[Ericandblueboy]

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Eric, I see you had that same dish I had at Monterrey Fish Grotto: Which did you prefer: that, or this?

I can’t remember a dish that long ago enough to make that call now.