BlackSalt
Jan 26, 2006
Last Friday, on my way home from work, I stopped at a well-known wine store on MacArthur Ave. to stock up for my usual weekend drinking binge. When I left the store (with three bottles of wine in hand), I looked around Palisades, thinking to myself what a nice little neighborhood it is. As I was looking around, I noticed right there, a mere two stores down from the wine store, was BlackSalt.
Holy shit! I didn't know BlackSalt was that close to me! I did need to find a good seafood restaurant to go to and from what I've heard about BlackSalt, it could be that place.
So guess where I was last weekend...
We decided to go on a Sunday. The only reservation that was available was at 5 PM, which was pretty early, but since we were going to have Noah with us, I figured it was for the best. To be safe, I called ahead to check that it was okay that we brought him with us.
"Hello, we've never been to BlackSalt before. Is it the kind of place that's too nice to bring a baby to?"
The hostess on the other end of the line replied with, "Oh no! People bring babies here all the time. You'll be fine!"
Sounds like my kind of place. If this were true, then I might be going here quite often. There's plenty of parking so no need for a cab, and Noah is welcome so no need for a babysitter. SCORE!
We arrived at BlackSalt about five minutes before 5 PM. The place was pretty empty. I found out that there is a section up front called "the café" that doesn't take reservations and you can just walk in. The problem is, shortly after 5, the people started coming in droves. This place must be everyone's Sunday night habit.
As you'd expect with being the first table, we were seated almost immediately. Our waiter came over and greeted us and explained the menu to us. I was impressed with how many specials BlackSalt had -- two or three options on the specials menu alone for each course. BlackSalt can be the perfect neighborhood restaurant because you can return over and over and the menu would always have plenty of new options.
There is also a wide selection of oysters and mussels which vary in cost, depending by how hard it is for them to get them. We skipped the small plates section of the menu although I really wanted to order the braised baby octopus.
The six Kumamoto oysters we ordered were $2.50 each -- these were for Amy. She's the one who has the real love for oysters although I have to say that these oysters (which were pretty big for the Kumamoto variety) were probably some of the best I've ever tasted - buttery, briny, and tender. What more can you ask for in an oyster?
I also had the special soup, which was a Portuguese (or Manhattan) Clam Chowder, except this was Portuguese Clam Chowder on steroids. The broth was a chunky red sauce with root vegetables, and plenty spicy thanks to the merguez sausage. Then as an added bonus, the chef puts a few fried clams on top.
Our dinner got even better when our entrees came out, although they did take a while to come. Our waiter apologized several times for the wait and offered us more bread (which I have to say is great by the way), but Amy and I didn't mind. Noah was sound asleep and we were having some good conversations over our wine, a very nice Pinot Noir.
I was happy with the artful presentation of the entrees, which I'm not really used to seeing at seafood restaurants. Amy's Maryland rockfish was really incredible; the rockfish was perfectly cooked with a cauliflower puree and brussel sprouts and other wintery vegetables which gave the dish a real down-home feel. My mahi mahi was also cooked perfectly, but I didn't like mine nearly as much as Amy's. The sauce it came with really overpowered the mild flavor of the dish, but I still managed to eat all of it.
Dessert was a complete surprise. We both ordered our own, which I think is still a bad habit from when Amy was pregnant and wouldn't share anything with me. My bread pudding was quite possibly the best bread pudding I've ever had! It was just the way I like it, firm in texture (not mushy like wet bread that's been sitting in a pool of water) and full of cinnamon and caramel flavor. I devoured it, which I was sad to do because it was a work of art. I'd go back for the bread pudding alone.
Amy is a crème brulee fiend. I don't think she can keep herself from ordering it when it's on the menu, and at BlackSalt, she made no exception. Their crème brulee three-ways was very enjoyable for her to eat and came in three different dishes with three different flavors.
Our check was nothing to shrug off. The final bill was over $200 with tip, but I imagine you could get out of there for cheaper than that if you ordered glasses of wine instead of a bottle at $45 and didn't order quite as much food as we did. With entrees in the range of the mid-$20s to the high $30s, appetizers in the range of $10 to $15 and $10 desserts, it'll be hard to get out of Blacksalt without a serious dent in your wallet, but it'll probably be worth it. There's way too much good food on BlackSalt's menu to get out of there for less than $100. But for those of you with kids, you can subtract a cab ride and babysitter fees which can easily add $80 to your night.
Oh, and I think I found my seafood restaurant.
BlackSalt
4883 MacArthur Blvd., NW
Washington, DC
(202) 342-9101
Lunch: Tuesday - Sunday 11:30 - 2:00
Dinner: Tuesday - Thursday 5:30 - 9:30, Friday 5:30 - 9:30, Saturday 5:00 - 11:00, Sunday 5:00 - 9:00
Dress Code: Business Casual (I saw people in jeans though)
Parking: Plenty of street parking
Smoking: Not Allowed.
Closest Metro: none
Reservations: Call or use opentable.com
Baby-Friendly Rating: 3 out of 4 diapers. We weren't the only ones there with a baby. In fact, there were two other families there with newborns.
any 2006 valentine's day suggestions? I told my husband, I wanted to go where you recommend. although, i think we might go to komi for the first time.
Posted by: jennifer | Jan 29, 2006 at 07:48 PM
We went to BlackSalt last night and had an amazing dinner. We sat in the section at the front that doesn't require reservations. After reviewing the menu, we decided that we really couldn't decide what to eat. So we all ordered the tasting menu. We went in without any special requests and had absolutely no idea how many courses or what foods we would be served. It was truly the best dining experience I have had in the last few years. Every course was delicious, timed perfectly, and the flavors and sauces came in the perfect order. My personal favorite was the tuna tartar, although the Malpec oyster was delicious. After 11 courses, a few bottles of wine, and four hours, we left happy!! And, we'll be back soon.
On your recommendation, we've also tried Komi and Samantha's. Both lived up to their billings. And, Heritage India has long been one of my favorites. Keep exploring, and please keep blogging. Your reviews are my favorite source for new restaurants.
Catherine
Posted by: Catherine | Feb 03, 2006 at 01:17 PM
A friend of mine is one of the dessert chefs at BlackSalt. Just watching him work through the window looking into the kitchen was so much fun. Excellent, just for that! :)
Cheers
DJ Medusa.
Posted by: Medusa | Jul 10, 2006 at 10:04 PM
If a restaurant is going to serve a small appetizer-size portion of fried Ipswich clams for $15, they should not be thoroughly gritty and full of sand, as mine were at Black Salt last night.
They were delicately cooked, however, so the problem is easily resolvable. Our entrees -- the Branzino and a Portuguese stew -- were excellent.
Posted by: John | Jan 18, 2007 at 08:25 AM
Just got back from an early Valentine's Day dinner in Blacksalt's tasting room, and it was terrific!
My wife and I made our way through the noisy, crowded front room to the sliding door that leads into their wine storage area, and then out the back into what felt like a completely different restaurant. The noise and the crowds gave way to a room with painted brick walls, soft lights, and no more than 35 or 40 seats.
We were seated right away and presented with a wine list, a cocktails menu, and the chef's tasting menu for the night. For $85 per person, we were treated to a significant five-course meal that featured two fixed starters and choices of three items each for our third, fourth and dessert courses.
But before the parade of poissons could proceed, we were offered an amuse bouche - a single kushi oyster dressed with with a housemade mignonette and a small dollop of caviar. The salty roe picked up the remaining briny notes of the oyster and were nicely offset by the vinegar in the mignonette.
From there, we each enjoyed a slice of hamachi crudo (yellowtail), dressed with kimchi that was prepared on site. The tang complemented the rich taste of the fish nicely, and some peppery greens rounded it all out.
The second course featured bay scallops served with a puree of madras curry and baby carrots that was subtle and savory - the restrained heat of the curry was definitely impressive.
Our meals diverged at this point, with my wife trying lobster agnolotti for her third course and me opting for a piece of John Dory that featured crisp skin and a firm texture throughout. The agnolotti, though light and full of succulent lobster meat, were served in a sauce that didn't register as especially flavorful.
After this, we were treated to another gift from the chef - a bisque of shrimp and lobster that was far more savory than the sherried bisques I've had in many other seafood restaurants in DC. It was a welcome change of taste heading into our entrees.
For our fourth courses, I went with a big-eye (ahi) tuna that was served seared and sliced thin in a tomato-based sauce that reminded me of a Portuguese sausage soup. This may have been due, in part, to the generous portion of crispy pork belly served with the fish. My wife ordered the butterfish, which was served over a bed of blue cheese risotto and a saffron sauce that disappeared under the salty tang of the risotto. The butterfish itself was moist, almost to the point of well-cooked chicken. The risotto was not done perfectly, but this is a seafood restaurant first and foremost, so perhaps it's not their strongest suit.
Afterwards, we were given a third (and final) gift from the kitchen - a small walnut madeleine served alongside a demitasse of cider poured over a candied orange peel. The aromas were heavenly, and the cider was delicious.
For dessert, we enjoyed a "S'Mores" pie that featured marshmallow, chocolate, and a graham-based layer surrounded by a peanut butter creme anglaise; and a New England pudding that was piping hot and redolent with spices, topped with a cinnamon ice cream and served with caramel corn.
Throughout the meal, we frequently found ourselves commenting on the flavors, the portions, and the attentiveness of the staff. The whole experience was enjoyable from beginning to end, though we both agreed that we would have enjoyed the meal far less in the main dining room, which seemed much less conducive to a romantic evening. I highly recommend the tasting room to anyone looking to celebrate a special occasion over finely prepared seafood.
Posted by: Mike Bober | Feb 10, 2008 at 12:31 AM
mmmm, kushis.
Posted by: Jason | Feb 10, 2008 at 09:32 AM