Go Fish

Last night, The Chef made an impromptu reservation at Black Salt Fish Market & Restaurant on MacArthur Blvd. in Palisades. We went there for my birthday in April, and that experience definitely warrented a return--many returns, actually. Owner Jeff Black also owns Addie's, Blacks Bar & Kitchen, & Black Market Bistro. (They have no Web sites, by the way.) Be sure to make a reservation (202-342-9101); The Chef called at 7 and got a reservation for 8:30, so it isn't always difficult, but without a reservation, you will be seated in the bar area, which is nice, but the back rooms are nicer.

We started at the bar with a mojito for The Chef (adorned with a stick of rock candy and quite excellent) and a DC Cooler for me (combo of ameretto, cranberry, vodka, and something else). Once seated, The Chef had another mojito, and I had a lemon lime drop (sssstrong!!).

To start, we shared French mussels (with sorrel, Pernod, aioli, and fennel), and a 1/2 ounce of Copper River Salmon Roe with the traditional condiments. Silly me, I didn't realize the mussels would be in a cream sauce (I guess the "French" shoulda clued me in), so certainly not low-cal, but definitely high-flavor. The Chef had an over-the-top clam chowder with fried Ipswich clams and fresh sea clams. Their breads, all made in-house, are excellent.

To accompany our bottle of red wine, The Chef had Maine diver scallops with crawfish butter, whipped pototoes, and bacon braised collards. I am allergic to scallops, so he got those all to himself. I had an Alaskan halibut with Kennett Square mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, and asparagus, all atop a sweet corn sauce. Beautiful presentation all around, and scrump-diddly-umptious food.

If you ever go to a restaurant with The Chef, be prepared to run into a LOT of people he knows. 23+ years in the DC restaurant industry, ya know...

We were far too full for dessert, but Pastry Chef Susan Wallace makes some outrageous treats: key lime pie with blueberry compote, butterscotch pot de creme, chocolate peanut butter crunch cake, and many more.

WebCowGirl is going tonight, so hopefully she will post her review tomorrow.