Fish Lovers Unite for Black Salt

Black Salt ($$$) sold me at its name (who needs love at first sight when you have restaurant at first name?).  This fish restaurant is tucked away in the Palisades of D.C. I never would have heard of it had it not been for a friend who visited D.C. and gave it rave reviews.  As a fish lover, I was excited to find a place that specialized in seafood dishes.

You would never guess how nice of a place Black Salt is upon entering.  There is a big fish counter and a hoard of wooden tables casually thrown together. Ten feet behind this room is their dining room, with white table cloths and all.  The room is bright and beautiful, with very spaced out tables (this always wins me over). Even the chairs are comfy.  The funny thing is that the menu is the same for the upscale dining room and the casual eating area.

This was my last Restaurant Week stop, but it was the restaurant I was most excited to try.  After taking a good twenty minutes to decide what to order (everything sounded so good!) I decided on a Squash Soup with Spiced Mascarpone and Toasted Sunflower Seeds. Soup seemed like a silly choice to order in a seafood restaurant, but I decided that it matched best with my entree. Boy was I glad I ordered it- this has to have been the most incredible soup I ever tasted (Sorry, mom!).  It was sweet, but savory, and the sunflower seeds gave it a nice crunch. I could easily eat that soup every day for the rest of my life.

Squash Soup with Spiced Mascarpone and Toasted Sunflower Seeds

Next up was their Provencal Seafood Stew, which came with shrimp, fish, mussels and a saffron white wine broth. It was equally delicious as my appetizer soup.  The broth was really light and the saffron highlighted the fish flavor.  The seafood was moist and only had a simple seasoning. My only wish was that there were more shrimp!

Provencal Seafood Stew

My friend had Louisiana Poached Eggs with crab meat and a spicy cayenne hollandaise sauce.  Just when you thought it couldn't get any better than poached eggs and crab meat- it was on top of toasted corn bread. I have to say that the combination was incredible.  The sweet corn bread balanced out the spicy hollandaise sauce.

Louisiana Poached Eggs with Crab on Cornbread

For dessert, we split the Chocolate Chambord Truffle Cake with a raspberry compote and a Key Lime Pie with blueberry compote. While the Key Lime Pie was tart and tasty, the chocolate dessert took the prize. It was so rich and moist- I was licking the plate clean.

Key Lime Pie

Chocolate Truffle Cake with Raspberry Compote

Overall- A+. I hate to bump Zaytinya out of the number one spot for restaurants in D.C., but Black Salt definitely won me over. Their normal menu can be a bit pricey, but they have lunch specials, which includes a 18$ three course meal during the week.

Cream + Butter= La Chaumiere

This homey French bistro was my second Restaurant Week stop.  La Chaumiere ($$$) is a classic French Country style restaurant in Georgetown.  It is upscale and attracts an older crowd, but is still a great spot to eat on a cold night.  There is a fireplace in the middle of the restaurant and empty old wine bottles line the wooden beams.  It's a cozy space because all of the tables are so close together.

Top of Fireplace at La Chaumiere

To start, I ordered the baked mussels.  Anything covered in melted parsley butter and garlic is a winner in my book.  I was hoping that the taste of the mussels would be more highlighted, but nonetheless ce sont magnifique!

Baked Mussels with Parsley Butter and Garlic

For the second course, I split Marinated Salmon in Puff Pastry with a Champagne and Dill Sauce and a Spice Crusted Cornish Game Hen.  The salmon was very rich and filling.  It was cooked very well and was not soggy or overcooked in the pastry.  The game hen was not my favorite dish because the breading was overwhelming.  The sauce that was served with it, though, was excellent. Both dishes were served with some of the creamiest mashed potatoes I've ever had- so how could they be anything but amazing?  Butter and cream seemed to be the theme of the night.

Salmon Marinated in Puff Pastry, with Spinach & Dill Sauce

At last, dessert! I had the profiterole, which is undoubtedly one of my favorite desserts so I could not resist ordering it. The soft vanilla gelato melted into the puffed pastry.  I scooped it all up with their homemade chocolate sauce and it was perfection! My only complaint was that it was too small.

Overall, La Chaumiere was great. Their wait staff was a little rude- but perhaps they are trying to truly imitate the French demeanor. If you decide to go, prepare for one rich and heavy dish after the other. But, if you can handle your butter and cream, go for it!

In the Mood for Seafood...The Maine Ave. Fish Market

The Maine Ave. Fish Market is a huge fish market filled with an abundance of seafood shops. My friend, Katherine, heard of it on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" show so we decided to give it a try. It was our second Bourdain success! (For the first, see my post on Song Que Vietnamese) We hopped off at the Smithsonian metro and followed the fish smell in the air to the Potomac River Port. I am a huge seafood lover so I was very excited. Of course seafood is ridiculously expensive and my college budget can not afford to get fish on a regular basis, so I was pleased to find out the inexpensive prices. The prices here were rock bottom- and there was no shortage on quality.
We approached the market where there were open stands with fresh fish, shrimp, oysters, lobster, and my favorite- crab. A few stores had cooked crabs and other prepared food like crab cakes, clam chowder, fried catfish, grilled tilapia, and other delectable bites.

One stand had crabs cooked with a special seasoning on top (my guess is paprika, a little cayenne, lots of salt)- and you have your choice of male or female crabs. The best part- the price. You get one sample crab (yes, as in a WHOLE crab for FREE!) then any additional crab is one dollar. Katherine and I cracked them open right there and scraped out all the meat!

Steamed Male Crabs with Secret Spicy/Salty Seasoning

The next place that caught our eye was Jimmy's seafood because a man (whom we believe is Jimmy) was standing in front handing out samples. In addition to the prepared seafood dishes that Jimmy offers, they have a plethora of baked goods- which did not look too shabby themselves. We had a sample of some delicious strawberry short cake. After pondering over the menu for a good 15 minutes, we decided to split a platter that included two crab cakes, yeast buns (we thought that was funny because of course the buns have yeast!), and two sides. For the side dishes, we decided to get corn pudding and mac and cheese.

Crab Cakes with Lemon

Left: Mac and Cheese, Right: Corn Pudding Side Dishes

The verdict: Delicious crab cakes. Very fresh and well prepared- I would definitely go back. The corn pudding was sweet and although it did not look that appetizing (photographed above) it was very good. Mac and cheese was like any other mac and cheese. This platter with all sides included cost $9.95. We quenched down the sea food with sweetened ice tea- which yes, I thought deserved a spot on this blog because it was not too bitter and not too sweet, which is a hard thing to accomplish in my opinion!

Katherine drinking the Ice Tea

Overall, the Maine Ave. Fish Market hit the spot. It's open 8am-9pm Mon.-Sun., and is a 5-10 minute walk from the L'Enfant or Smithsonian Metro (1100 Maine Ave SW). Be warned- for the crabs bring your own nut cracker or be prepared to dig and smash with your hands. Also we could not find many seating areas (we assume in the summer they put them out)- but seeing as it is February don't expect to have a table to eat off of.