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PassionFish, Seafood in Reston Town Center and Bethesda Row by Passion Food Hospitality - Bethesda is Closing Sun, Nov 15, 2020


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Had lunch this week at Passionfish. I'm no connoisseur of lobster rolls but the version here has plenty of big chunks of perfectly poached lobster, with a light mayo dressing (not spicy like the one I tried in Halifax). The house-made hotdog bun was fresh and fluffy. I liked it but I don't go around comparing lobster rolls and this is the first lobster roll I've had in the DC area.

Also had the grilled octopus salad. The octopus had a firm and slightly rubbery texture. I find the cheese and octopus combo palatable. But for the cheese I probably would've abandoned the octopus. (Disclosure - I've yet to be satisfied with grilled octopus, so take my words with a grain of salt).

On Monday the lobster roll is the dish of the day for the bar special. $15 gets you a roll and soup or salad. Click for more info.

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We are going to Passionfish tonight for dinner. My husband will have to get something healthy but I see on the menu they have a selection of simply grilled fish. Any recommendations for heart-healthy dishes (for my husband) and not necessarily healthy dishes for me? (I know I should eat healthy too but sometimes the temptation not to overwhelms me!!!)

Many thanks in advance.

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You can't go wrong here. This place is really, really good.

One recommendation is the sushi menu. I have torn it up on many occasions. Then keep in mind that Chef Tunks spent a few years in the early '90s in Louisiana, so the seafood gumbo is quite good. If the Tower of Crab is on the menu, by all means, get it. It's probably the best homage to crab in the DC area right now.

You made me hungry just thinking about this place....

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On Monday the lobster roll is the dish of the day for the bar special. $15 gets you a roll and soup or salad. Click for more info.

I did that a few weeks ago. I was really expecting to leave a little hungry since $15 is such a great deal for a lobster roll (comes with fries) and soup or salad. I did not leave hungry. In fact, I'm pretty sure there were still a few fries left on my plate...or maybe I stuffed them all down my throat, can't really remember. But, the point is, this is a great deal.

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You can't go wrong here. This place is really, really good.

One recommendation is the sushi menu. I have torn it up on many occasions. Then keep in mind that Chef Tunks spent a few years in the early '90s in Louisiana, so the seafood gumbo is quite good. If the Tower of Crab is on the menu, by all means, get it. It's probably the best homage to crab in the DC area right now.

You made me hungry just thinking about this place....

We loved it!! My husband had raw oysters for a starter and I had the gazpacho with lobster. I thought about some sushi but thought the gazpacho may be a bit more refreshing. For our mains, my husband had grilled trout and asparagus. He thought it was one of the better trout dishes he has had. I had the scallops with pasta, peas and bacon. It was delicious though I might have chosen something less hearty for such a friggin hot day. Loved it anyways. For dessert, he had sorbets and I had some sort of chocolate mousse praline concoction that was recommended by the waiter. It was divine!!!

We've had a tough month and this was the perfect outing to relax! I haven't been to Reston since the 1990's and it sure has grown!!!

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We loved it!! My husband had raw oysters for a starter and I had the gazpacho with lobster. I thought about some sushi but thought the gazpacho may be a bit more refreshing. For our mains, my husband had grilled trout and asparagus. He thought it was one of the better trout dishes he has had. I had the scallops with pasta, peas and bacon. It was delicious though I might have chosen something less hearty for such a friggin hot day. Loved it anyways. For dessert, he had sorbets and I had some sort of chocolate mousse praline concoction that was recommended by the waiter. It was divine!!!

We've had a tough month and this was the perfect outing to relax! I haven't been to Reston since the 1990's and it sure has grown!!!

Reston does not have a lot in common with what it was like 15 or 20 years ago. Passion Fish was a huge addition to the last phase of Town Center's development. It is an excellent restaurant.

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Reston does not have a lot in common with what it was like 15 or 20 years ago. Passion Fish was a huge addition to the last phase of Town Center's development. It is an excellent restaurant.

Hear! Hear! The Disney-esque Town Center is is all about chains and whatever you can get IT expense accounts to buy. PassionFish is that rare bastion of of really good food that is not dependent on corporate recipes or bubble packed ingredients. It's my go-to spot in the Town Center, by far.

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We loved it!! My husband had raw oysters for a starter and I had the gazpacho with lobster. I thought about some sushi but thought the gazpacho may be a bit more refreshing. For our mains, my husband had grilled trout and asparagus. He thought it was one of the better trout dishes he has had. I had the scallops with pasta, peas and bacon. It was delicious though I might have chosen something less hearty for such a friggin hot day. Loved it anyways. For dessert, he had sorbets and I had some sort of chocolate mousse praline concoction that was recommended by the waiter. It was divine!!!

We've had a tough month and this was the perfect outing to relax! I haven't been to Reston since the 1990's and it sure has grown!!!

So glad after all the stress I am sure that you and your Husband went through that you could find a nice place to relax with good options for both you. It's nice to have a really good restaurant that you both can enjoy and doesn't feel like you are going because you have to eat healthy. That chocolate dessert sounds really good! Might have to go get that.

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Lunch here today had the added benefit of outdoor seating with a pleasant cool breeze. Enjoyed the gumbo, which was as good as ever, and the lobster roll, in which a good pound of lobster presented itself for consumption. An unexpected hit was the nice side of fries, with good crunch on the outside (with a hit of parmesan and parsley) and nicely textured potato flavor on the inside. This same lobster roll is a daily special on Mondays, so it would come with a cup of gumbo or soup for a whopping total of $15. My companion's crawfish etoufee was declared a hit, and he kept comparing it favorably to the rendition he had eaten on the gulf coast of Mississippi a few weeks ago.

I consider PassionFish to be the best seafood restaurant in northern Virginia and the best restaurant of any kind in the Reston Town Center.

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Lunch here today had the added benefit of outdoor seating with a pleasant cool breeze. Enjoyed the gumbo, which was as good as ever, and the lobster roll, in which a good pound of lobster presented itself for consumption. An unexpected hit was the nice side of fries, with good crunch on the outside (with a hit of parmesan and parsley) and nicely textured potato flavor on the inside. This same lobster roll is a daily special on Mondays, so it would come with a cup of gumbo or soup for a whopping total of $15. My companion's crawfish etoufee was declared a hit, and he kept comparing it favorably to the rendition he had eaten on the gulf coast of Mississippi a few weeks ago.

I consider PassionFish to be the best seafood restaurant in northern Virginia and the best restaurant of any kind in the Reston Town Center.

What was the market price of the lobster roll? I have only had it as part of the Monday lunch special and am curious to know if it is smaller than the regular. Regardless it is a great deal for $15.

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What was the market price of the lobster roll? I have only had it as part of the Monday lunch special and am curious to know if it is smaller than the regular. Regardless it is a great deal for $15.

It was $23 today, and given the amount of lobster in it, plus those really good fries, I consider it money well spent. Of course, my companion picked up the tab today, but I digress....

And yes, the Monday deal is a great deal. I just wasn't in the mood for the Tuesday deal today, shrimp and grits.

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It was $23 today, and given the amount of lobster in it, plus those really good fries, I consider it money well spent. Of course, my companion picked up the tab today, but I digress....

And yes, the Monday deal is a great deal. I just wasn't in the mood for the Tuesday deal today, shrimp and grits.

What I was asking, albeit not clearly, is the Monday lobster roll the same size as the regular lobster roll. I have my doubts.

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What I love about PassionFish - Half-priced bottles of wine on Monday night, beautiful restaurant with a fun atmosphere, great happy hour deals at the bar, food that is always amazing and inventive.

What I will forever hate/never understand about PassionFish - Why they have plastic menus that always look banged up and are literally impossible to close.

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What I will forever hate/never understand about PassionFish - Why they have plastic menus that always look banged up and are literally impossible to close.

Funny thing, those are menu covers. They can easily be replaced with another style of cover. The inserted menus change and are printed out on a regular basis.

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What I was asking, albeit not clearly, is the Monday lobster roll the same size as the regular lobster roll. I have my doubts.

I can't speak to the size of the regular dinner lobster roll, but the Monday one this past Monday was the normal size for a Maine lobster roll--about the size of a standard hot dog bun. Other than overstuffing it more, which would have made it difficult to eat, I can't see how the dinner portion would be larger.

The meat was chopped more finely than I prefer, and had a bit too much mayo, but at least it was tarragon-infused mayo. Our standard is from Reds in Wiscassett, where we could well pay $15 for a roll alone, but the rolls have a lobster's worth of meat in them, in nice big chunks. With the excellent lobster and choice of 3 soups for $15, Passionfish's Monday lunch special is quite the deal. I had the butternut and lobster bisque as my soup. The lobster meat was not overwhelmed by the butternut and its sweetness worked well with the smooth bisque.

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I've said it before and I'll say it again, PassionFish is the best seafood restaurant in northern Virginia and the best restaurant -- period -- in the Reston Town Center.

Today for lunch it was the fresh catch, fluke, cooked to perfection and served alongside a very fresh salad of greens. It was a very nice little dish. One companion had his standard Captain Crunch Roll and another had the shrimp and grits, and both raved.

What caught my attention today was how easy conversation was. There was softly played music in the background -- I could make out Grateful Dead's "I Will Get By" -- and I couldn't help but appreciate the contrast with other restaurants where the blare and noise drown out any reasonable conversation.

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Had really nice dinner tonight, though the service was very condescending.

Started with two varieties of oysters, half a dozen each, and though I don't remember the names one was markedly better than the other, smaller, plumper, more flavorful. Rock and Roll roll was fun to look at, but the cream cheese outweighed the delicate and flavorful eel. Cioppino was excellent, as was the Crispy Rockfish, though the latter was served on a bed of crab mashed potatoes which must have been prepped ahead of the rockfish and had cooled by the time it reached the table, though the rockfish was hot. .

Though it happened to be the cheapest bottle of red on the menu, I really enjoyed the Corbieres, which caught my eye not because of the price but for its blend of Syrah and Carignan grapes.

Service was proper (though the wine cork just disappeared, maybe it was plastic) but the server's attitude was poor, with a pompous tone in his voice that had us joking after he'd leave. He used the irritating patronizing form of "we" whenever talking to us - "would we like to see a cocktail menu", but it went way beyond that, plus the typical canned speeches. This may be the best restaurant in Reston, and I guess I would go there again (first time I've eaten in Reston in years), and hope for a more professional server.

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Stopped in for a restorative sushi lunch at PassionFish today and remained impressed as always with the food.

But this post is not about the food. I had a nice encounter with Chef Tunks before the meal and we chatted generally about his restaurants and the food biz. He expects about 1000 covers this weekend at PassionFish alone, and Restaurant Week was similarly good to him.

His new venture, an American brasserie (or as he put it, an American version of Brasserie Beck), will open in the same real estate as the huge new Whole Foods at Square 54 in the Foggy Bottom area. PassionFoods just gained access to the property and the buildout has begun. He's targeting July for a soft opening. And....there will be another PassionFoods restaurant close by where the meats for the burgers will be selected, trimmed and fresh ground at the new brasserie. He's apparently going after the high end of the American pedestrian palate with these two ventures, the GWU crowd will have its own version of Ray's in its backyard. Not a bad move.

I shared with Chef Tunks my passion for a first-class Cuban sandwich, and mentioned that my best experience so far was at Acadiana (as a special). He mentioned that Ceiba has one on the menu but the bread can be hit or miss, and he also mentioned his business relationship with Bayou Bakery and their better source of bread, but then he moved to the muffaletta at Acadiana and its house made olive spread....almost made my mouth water on the spot.

He's now living in the Oakton area, which basically kills my dream of a PassionFoods restaurant in the Lorton area, where he lived previously....he also didn't think Lorton would provide the lunch traffic he needed.

And then he sent out a chef's treat of tuna nigiri, which was downright perfect!

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He's now living in the Oakton area, which basically kills my dream of a PassionFoods restaurant in the Lorton area, where he lived previously....he also didn't think Lorton would provide the lunch traffic he needed.

Yeah, I'd guess Lorton would produce almost no lunch crowd. Other than Reston and Tysons, the best bets for a strong lunch crowd in the further suburbs would probably be Dulles or the Fair Lakes/Fair Oaks area.

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Although we will soon be whistled for capturing the PassionFish thread, there is an opportunity in the Newington area for something fast and good, along the lines of a Hell Burger or an American comfort food buffet, or that sort of operation. The new NGA headquarters will have a captive crowd of 8500 or so employees, with a sure-to-be-crappy cafeteria, right off the Parkway extension, and many government and contractor employees inhabit the wasteland of office complexes behind the Costco. The right place in the right location would sustain a righteous lunch rush, but I'm not so certain it would sustain the relatively indifferent dinner crowd.

But PassionFoods does its homework and opens in the right locations, mostly downtown. They apparently have a relationship with Boston Properties and that helps them with location selection.

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Although we will soon be whistled for capturing the PassionFish thread, there is an opportunity in the Newington area for something fast and good, along the lines of a Hell Burger or an American comfort food buffet, or that sort of operation. The new NGA headquarters will have a captive crowd of 8500 or so employees, with a sure-to-be-crappy cafeteria, right off the Parkway extension, and many government and contractor employees inhabit the wasteland of office complexes behind the Costco. The right place in the right location would sustain a righteous lunch rush, but I'm not so certain it would sustain the relatively indifferent dinner crowd.

But PassionFoods does its homework and opens in the right locations, mostly downtown. They apparently have a relationship with Boston Properties and that helps them with location selection.

The new BGR place in Springfield has been doing a bang up business. I don't think there is an indifferent dinner crowd it's mostly a lack of decent options. I know you will bring up Delia's and a number of other small places but those are nowhere close to Passion Fish or even a step down from that to a casual place.

I doubt you will see many of the NGA folks leaving the complex for lunch, unless they can go somewhere that serves a quick meal.

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PassionFish doesn't need any more positive comments from me or anyone else, but today I had the heirloom tomato gazpacho as a starter and it was delectable. I also had the heretofore-unseen tuna tempura roll on the sushi menu, and I really liked the taste, crunch and heat. Enough said....

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I eat out almost every day for lunch but my wife and I eat out only once a week. That means I've been to many good restaurants that she's never tried. PassionFish is one of those restaurants until tonight (Saturday).

Dinner started with toasted baguettes served with a mayo/fish dip. I tried the dip, realized that it's probably really fattening and stopped myself from eating more. Our daughter, on the other hand, didn't know how to pace herself and ate the entire ramekin of dip.

Next up were oysters served with cocktail sauce and mignonette, and the Captain Crunch roll. The Captain Crunch roll featured shrimp on shrimp (tempura shrimp and tiger shrimp, avocado, cucumber), which is criminal in my estimation and the rice is pretty bland. I would have ordered the kamikaze roll (with prawn, avocado and spicy tuna) but I deferred to my wife in this case.

Second courses were hamachi crudo and beet salad. The hamachi was served on top of a generous slice of grapefruit, which is excellent by itself and but lends too much citrus flavor to the fish. The combination is good but you can barely taste the fish. I'm the guilty party for ordering this dish. My wife enjoyed the beet salad.

Third courses were fried Ipswich clams, crab/shrimp spring rolls, and whole fried flounder, with a side of mashed potatoes. They discarded the bellies (because I can see a gaping hole in the middle of the clam). Nevertheless, you can taste a little of the guts. I love clams, although until recently I didn't know there's a difference between soft shell clams and hard clams. I grew up eating hard clams and was introduced to "steamers" when I visited a friend in Cape Cod in college. My friend, who is from Boston, discarded the bellies. I just assumed that's how you eat steamers until I got edumacated via Freddy's. Even with the bellies gone, I just don't think I like them very much.

As for the spring rolls, they were decent (a little fishy from the crab, I presume) but we really enjoyed the fried flounder. The 3 of us had no problem polishing off a whole fish. The flesh was moist and the skin was crispy even after being drizzled with a mixture of soy/chili/tamarind.

We agreed (my wife and I, our daughter doesn't get to vote yet) dinner was very good but I know I sound critical of the dishes we had. Objectively I think the food's very good, but subjectively I think the food could've been even better?

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NYE Menu

Price includes 1 appetizer and 1 dessert. Ran some numbers, normally the whole flounder is $32, the most expensive appetizer is $15 (spicy tuna tartare) for a total of $47. On NYE, the price for those two plus dessert is $70 - obviously the dessert isn't normally $23. So a pretty hefty upcharge for NYE. Normally a restaurant isn't so obvious.

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Had an excellent dinner on NYE. The ceviche with habanero was not lacking heat. I almost cried uncle, and tried to calm my burning tongue with bites of my wife's spicy ahi tuna tartare, which despite its name, was far less spicy and had plenty of flavor from ponzu. We each received a whole fish (with heads and tails). My wife had the fried flounder. She loved the "Spicy Tamarind Chili Nam Pla," which also wasn't really spicy. I had a grilled branzino a la plancha. Both fish were cooked perfectly - moist flesh, crispy skin, no fishiness whatsoever. The kid happily helped my wife devour her flounder but spat out my branzino. Other than the amuse, there was nothing else free.

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I preface this by saying that I am remiss to judge a restaurant by their Restaurant Week performance. Their RW menu is pretty generous given the option to choose from all entrees but I thought the first course/dessert selections were limited to the least interesting selections on the menu. Soups and desserts were bland and unremarkable. The fish itself was all perfectly cooked and tasty although entrees varied significantly in size. My whole fried flounder was very generous; my husband's plate came with four mid-sized scallops seemed small in comparison. Side dishes served with the entrees felt like afterthoughts and were not as carefully prepared. Given the generally positive reviews of others and delicious proteins, still think PassionFish warrants a second chance just not during RW.

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Respectfully, but I would NEVER judge a restaurant by what you are served on a truly limited budget for Restaurant Week. The purpose of this is for you to experience the ambience of the room not what they do best on a plate. At this point we've been to Passion Fish a dozen times over several years and I've never judged their scallops by their size-only what they taste like. Soup? Jeff Tunks makes the best gumbo/lobster bisque/corn and crab chowder in the D. C.area which is reminiscent of what he did in the early '90's when he was the Chef de Cuisine at NOLA's Grill Room at the Windsor Court, at the time the best restaurant in New Orleans. I would suggest his fried oysters is frying as "an art form." Virtually oil free they could be served on parchment paper without a stain.

No idea what fish should taste like in relation to it's size.

Sorry,but I love this place and believe we in western Fairfax county are lucky to have it. I would go back and order what you think you will like-regardless of trying to live within a truly constraining budget. Especially since fresh, raw seafood costs so much today. Have you priced grouper/pick a fish, any fish recently at Whole Foods? Or any fresh seafood market? $20 a pound? More?

What exactly does a side dish that "is not carefully prepared" mean? Mushy beans? Raw asparagus? Burnt onions?

What exactly is "a delicious protein?"

I would never, NEVER judge a restaurant by Restaurant Week. There are reasons that a lot of restaurants do not participate in it. Again, forgive me, but I've had far too many excellent meals in this restaurant not to speak up for it. This isn't a matter than PassionFish is excellent considering the other chain and corporate restaurants in Reston Town Center. It truly is excellent in and of itself. It's my destination for entertaining friends and clients from out of town.

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Sorry,but I love this place and believe we in western Fairfax county are lucky to have it.

FWIW, some (most? all?) of us in DC feel lucky to have Passionfish as well even though it's a haul to drive out to it. Though we've really enjoyed the proliferation of great, lower priced and newer spots for more targeted seafood like Fishnet, Freddy's and Pearl Dive, the high end is still a bit lean in my view. Kinkeads isn't what it used to be. Beyond Blacksalt and Passionfish, there's not much around anywhere that's seafood focused for fine dining and consistently excellent.

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Our first and only time there was about a year ago for lunch. We were underwhelmed with mayo larded lobster rolls and very ordinary salads. But because so many Rockwellians love this place, we just made dinner reservations for early February.

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Respectfully, but I would NEVER judge a restaurant by what you are served on a truly limited budget for Restaurant Week. The purpose of this is for you to experience the ambience of the room not what they do best on a plate. At this point we've been to Passion Fish a dozen times over several years and I've never judged their scallops by their size-only what they taste like. Soup? Jeff Tunks makes the best gumbo/lobster bisque/corn and crab chowder in the D. C.area which is reminiscent of what he did in the early '90's when he was the Chef de Cuisine at NOLA's Grill Room at the Windsor Court, at the time the best restaurant in New Orleans. I would suggest his fried oysters is frying as "an art form." Virtually oil free they could be served on parchment paper without a stain.

No idea what fish should taste like in relation to it's size.

Sorry,but I love this place and believe we in western Fairfax county are lucky to have it. I would go back and order what you think you will like-regardless of trying to live within a truly constraining budget. Especially since fresh, raw seafood costs so much today. Have you priced grouper/pick a fish, any fish recently at Whole Foods? Or any fresh seafood market? $20 a pound? More?

What exactly does a side dish that "is not carefully prepared" mean? Mushy beans? Raw asparagus? Burnt onions?

What exactly is "a delicious protein?"

I would never, NEVER judge a restaurant by Restaurant Week. There are reasons that a lot of restaurants do not participate in it. Again, forgive me, but I've had far too many excellent meals in this restaurant not to speak up for it. This isn't a matter than PassionFish is excellent considering the other chain and corporate restaurants in Reston Town Center. It truly is excellent in and of itself. It's my destination for entertaining friends and clients from out of town.

Ok, so not sure why a middling review of a well liked place necessitates pitched battle. I truly have no dog in this fight - I've found myself in Reston perhaps thrice over the past decade, and don't participate in restaurant week.

Joe H, you're right, there are a lot of restaurants (and customers) that don't participate in restaurant week. Choosing to participate obligates the restaurant to try it's best, however. Appears that for these folks, on one night,Passionfish fell short. While you may not believe the poster, sounds like Passionfish produced bland soups and desserts and wasn't consistent with its portioning - these things happen, and the OP's comments were FAR from a hatchet job. The OP went so far as to say that PassionFish merits a second try off of RW - and he / she gets your response in return?!

And if the purpose of RW is to allow folks to "experience the ambiance of the room not what they do best on a plate",why bother serving lunch or dinner? Just serve drinks and pass hors d'ouevres.

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Respectfully, but I would NEVER judge a restaurant by what you are served on a truly limited budget for Restaurant Week. The purpose of this is for you to experience the ambience of the room not what they do best on a plate. At this point we've been to Passion Fish a dozen times over several years and I've never judged their scallops by their size-only what they taste like. Soup? Jeff Tunks makes the best gumbo/lobster bisque/corn and crab chowder in the D. C.area which is reminiscent of what he did in the early '90's when he was the Chef de Cuisine at NOLA's Grill Room at the Windsor Court, at the time the best restaurant in New Orleans. I would suggest his fried oysters is frying as "an art form." Virtually oil free they could be served on parchment paper without a stain.

I have to disagree with this. The point of restaurant week for me is to try food and figure out if I want to go back to that restaurant in the future. If a restaurant can't put their best foot forward, why bother participating. I've had plenty of superb restaurant week meals - Dino was great, Tosca was outstanding, DC Coast has always been good, and even Acadiana last week was very good (and I loved the superb delicious gumbo). My experience at PassionFish (during restaurant week) was eh. The mains seemed solid and high quality, but my crab and corn chowder was a sorry, bland excuse for a chowder. I'll likely give PassionFish another try if i'm out in Reston but my experience is making me rush back.

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Mixed views on this. I'm a fan of Passionfish but have never tried it for Restaurant Week. Agree that it's probably the right strategy for a restaurant to either opt out or, if they do opt in, to work to impress diners both on plate and off. Hadn't ever heard the "ambience of the room" point of view but not how I'd think about it either. At the end of the day, doesn't so much matter what I or anyone else thinks a restaurant should do. They all have the right to do whatever they want to do. Likewise for us as paying customers. For me, that means generally avoiding restaurant week because I think some restaurants don't put their best foot forward.

All that notwithstanding, Passionfish has been excellent every time I've been there with groups ranging from 2 to 14. Maybe half a dozen or so visits in total.

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All that notwithstanding, Passionfish has been excellent every time I've been there with groups ranging from 2 to 14. Maybe half a dozen or so visits in total.

Wholeheartedly concur. It remains the best restaurant of any kind in the Reston Town Center, and the best seafood restaurant in northern Virginia.

When I first moved to the DC area about 30 years ago, the seafood options were few and far between. There was Crisfield's and there was Vincenzo, and that was about it. Thankfully, we have more options nowadays, and PassionFish is one of the good ones.

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I think Passionfish did a very nice job of of restaurant week. All of their main dishes except 2 were made available to restaurant week patrons . There was a selection of close to 10 appetizers and a few desserts. I find that very flexible and nice.

I have had the corn and crab chowder both during restaurant week and not. I didn't notice a difference. So the poster probably would not have liked it either way. The rock shrimp ravioli was excellent.

There were a few small mis-steps that they may not make during the normal volume nights - I did find my eggplant side dish overcooked compared to other visits..so maybe they are doing more preprep of them to handle the increased volume. Also the apple crisp was okay but not great (but since I normally don't order dessert there - that might be a defiency always). In general for Reston Town Center skip restaurant desserts and go to Pitango...

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I think Passionfish did a very nice job of of restaurant week. All of their main dishes except 2 were made available to restaurant week patrons . There was a selection of close to 10 appetizers and a few desserts. I find that very flexible and nice.

I have had the corn and crab chowder both during restaurant week and not. I didn't notice a difference. So the poster probably would not have liked it either way. The rock shrimp ravioli was excellent.

There were a few small mis-steps that they may not make during the normal volume nights - I did find my eggplant side dish overcooked compared to other visits..so maybe they are doing more preprep of them to handle the increased volume. Also the apple crisp was okay but not great (but since I normally don't order dessert there - that might be a defiency always). In general for Reston Town Center skip restaurant desserts and go to Pitango...

We had dinner on Sunday in a cozy booth. The spicy ahi tuna tartare and the grilled baby octopus were exceptional. The octopus was incredibly tender and enhanced with Greek yogurt, and an array of finely diced vegetables.

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There is a new building under construction diagonally across from Passion Fish which will have a restaurant on the ground floor of the closest corner. I wonder what will go in there? Passion Fish has confirmed that there is, indeed, a market for a better restaurant at Reston Town Center.

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There is a new building under construction diagonally across from Passion Fish which will have a restaurant on the ground floor of the closest corner. I wonder what will go in there? Passion Fish has confirmed that there is, indeed, a market for a better restaurant at Reston Town Center.

Want to bet you'll join me in bemoaning another mediocre chain...?

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Kibbee Nayee, I am hoping that Passion Foods opens a Ceiba like restaurant or Jose Andres' group or ideally, an outpost of Estadio moves in.

I fear another Lettuce Entertain You effort.

I am also wondering how many successful D. C. chefs who live in the NoVa suburbs would like something closer to home? And have the financial backing to support the outrageous per square foot price that Reston Town Center commands?

Regardless, they would be successful.

Spanish, Greek, Latin are seemingly next in line for Town Center consideration.

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I've eaten at Passionfish 3-4 times in the past year, though only one time in the dining room, the others all at the bar. Excellent food each time, service friendly and mostly efficient, with a few minor hiccups. Overall, I recommend it highly, and haven't seen any of the problems Tom apparently has (and I usually agree with Tom's reviews).

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Raw seafood platter/tower at the bar on Friday night was chock full of oysters, clams, shrimp, lobster and stone crab claws. The shrimp were a bit overcooked, but everything else was awesome and generous (I believe that it was $65 for the platter and it was a lot of food). I wish that they had better, and more interesting, bar offerings, but I have always enjoyed the wine list.

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I've dined here twice. Once was for a holiday lunch with co-workers 2 years ago. It was nice. The only dish I recall was the gumbo, which I enjoyed.

Went last night with a friend for dinner. We sat on the patio, which we agreed was  much more pleasant on a nice, cool evening than the somewhat dim dining room into which not much natural light filters. Service was friendly and helpful, though the team approach to service resulted in the occasional food auction.

We both started with Malpeque oysters. I hit a couple of gritty ones and there was a wide variance in size of the bivalves. Frankly, some were so puny that they should never have made it onto a diner's plate.

My main was the cioppino, which was very good -- nothing stunning flavor-wise, but a solid execution. I appreciate that they don't just load the bowl with mussels, like so many do with their seafood stews, but serve a balanced mix of clams, shrimp, mussels and bits of fish. A side of smoked bacon collards was under-cooked for my taste and didn't seem to have gained much flavor from the bacon.

The big disappointment was my friend's Mahi Mahi. For $28, I thought the portion was ridiculously small (under 6 oz, I would guess). Even if it were half the price, I would have been disappointed. A side of Szechuan eggplant looked good, but I neglected to ask my friend how it was.

As the dining guide states, Passion Fish is polished but expensive. I think the value proposition doesn't work for me. I'll try a different option next time I dine out in RTC.

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I've dined here twice. Once was for a holiday lunch with co-workers 2 years ago. It was nice. The only dish I recall was the gumbo, which I enjoyed.

Went last night with a friend for dinner. ...

I was there last night too.

I had the Spicy Tuna Roll and the Grilled Baby Octopus. I liked both, but the Octopus had some grit in the chew. My companion raved about the Mac-n-Cheese wth lobster.

Overall, I still like PassionFish and I still think it's the best restaurant in the Reston Town Center (I know, faint praise), but it has slipped a bit of late. Chef Tunks might need to play with the menu a bit and tweak the prep.

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Passionfish was the first of my Summer Restaurant Week reservations.  I went with three co-workers for lunch on Monday.  For $20.14 you could choose one of 11 appetizers (10 on their on-line menu and one special of the day) any lunch entree off their menu and one of three desserts.  All three of us chose the crab cake sandwich entree.  Mine had a bit of shell in it, but the flavor was very good.  The fries served along side were excellent.  I had a terrific beet salad for my appetizer and a caramel creme brulee for desert.  Overall a terrific value for the price.  Service was great, we didn't feel pushed to items that carried an "up" charge (of which the lobster roll was the only entree, it carried a $10 charge).  A solid restaurant week effort on their part.  Like Kibbee Nayee above, I do feel this is the best option at RTC.  

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I don't get to Passionfish nearly often enough (about once a year), but today was the day. We landed there for lunch on our way to pick out floor tiles for an impending bathroom remodel. It actually took the sting out of having my first choice of tile being discontinued.

Service was spot-on, attentive, with the server being the one to bring up my gluten restriction and to tell me with certainty which dishes were safe for me to order (cudos for that).

I had shrimp & grits, one of the best renditions I have had (I've had many, as it is usually a safe bet to be gluten-free on most menus). The grits were perfectly cooked and delicious. The six (!) shrimp were also perfectly cooked, and the braise of tasso ham and celery over it all lent a nice accent without overbearing spice.

Husband had the blackened mahi-mahi sandwich with fries. His fish was also perfectly cooked, and the accompanying aioli again added the right accent. The generous portion of fries were crisp on the outside and moist inside--just right.

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