Anchovies, butter, capers, garlic, parsley. $13
Hog Island Oyster Bar, San Francisco CA
Hmm, I thought that I would like these grilled oysters better than raw ones but I think my tastes have changed. I used to love grilled oysters, and these were plenty tasty, but now I prefer the freshness of the raw variety.
Breaking down a flounder(?) at Hog Island Oyster Bar.
Fried catfish topped with poached eggs and hollandaise, served with breakfast potatoes. $14.95
Warehouse Bar & Grill, Alexandria VA
The catfish was bland, the potatoes were sad, and the hollandaise was cold. Suffice it to say that I was NOT impressed and really just wanted to send this crap back.
Served with champagne and strawberries. Thank goodness for this!
Torpedo Factory Art Center.
Fingerling potatoes, onion, bisque sauce. $31
Table, Washington DC
Yay for lobster! This was delicious and beautifully cooked. Some people hate having to extract their seafood from shells, but I think it’s part of the experience and actually very fun. The lobster bisque sauce was super yummy and I thought the plating was simple and classy.
Bread and olive oil. Complimentary
Pantry reconstruction, Mount Vernon.
New Orleans style deep fried fritters with garlic mayo. $10.95
Warehouse Bar & Grill, Alexandria VA
Omg, this dish was a joke! It was neither a beignet nor fritter. It was a soggy, squishy hot mess! I don’t know in which world you can call this a beignet, but it was false advertising. I wouldn’t have minded if they ended up being good, but they sucked. I’m still flabbergasted that they actually served these shitty cakes. And I wasn’t fooled by all the aioli drizzled on top. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a crappy appetizer.
Bread and butter. Complimentary
Farmers Market at Alexandria City Hall.
Creamy grits, basque peppers, radish. $16
a.kitchen, Philadelphia PA
This restaurant was a HOT MESS! I ate at 5 different places that day, from cheesesteak to Jewish food to donuts to high end sushi, and this place was the worst! The service was awful for one thing. The hostess was a bit clueless (but nice enough I guess). Then the food! I got 2 super dried up prawns over bland grits with some greens thrown on top for sixteen bucks?! Is this a joke? Am I being punked right now! I ate one prawn and left the rest because it was unpalatable, and that dressing was overly acidic. But apparently they don’t really care if you don’t like your food because they’re gonna get paid regardless. Ugh, this was a complete failure.
Standard Breakfast: scotch, meletti, grapefruit, lemon, house grenadine. $10
Washington Monument, Eakins Oval.
Tomato and garlic seasonal preparation. $15
Hank’s Oyster Bar, Washington DC
Ugh, the mussels had too much grit! It was afraid of chipping my teeth halfway through the bowl. They definitely need to clean these mussels better. The tomato garlic broth was simple and delicious though. And the mussels were larger and more plump than some of the others I’ve had in DC.
National Harbor MD.
Kusshi oysters and Hood Canal oysters. Served with mignonette, fresh horseradish and lemon. Half dozen $13.50
Hank’s Oyster Bar, Washington DC
Finally, I found small, delicious oysters from the West Coast in DC! These were delicious especially since all I’ve encountered are the medium to large East Coast oyster which I don’t like very much. They tasted clean and briny and were perfect!
Goldfish crackers. Complimentary
National Harbor MD.
Shaved celery, fresno chilies, garlic chips, oregano, aioli. $14
Jane, New York NY
UGH, this restaurant was SO annoying! Firstly, I couldn’t get water if my life depended on it, then they were out of taglitatelle so the waitress suggested this salad as an alternative. Imagine my surprise when everyone in our party got their large plates of steak, mussels, and salmon frites and I received this TINY bowl with a few bits of food in it. FML, who in would think that this dish is substantial enough to be an entree?! What a joke…
Manhattan Bridge.
Sundried tomato pesto, baby fennel confit, lemon emulsion. Happy hour $5
Jardenea, Washington DC
This was much more rich than I anticipated from the menu description, and I kinda liked it! The fennel confit almost caramelized and very tasty, and the kaffir lime leaves added a great citrus flavor. Noms! (The mussels could have been more plump and juicy though.)
Shenandoah Caverns, Quicksburg VA.
Six pieces served with cocktail sauce. Happy hour $10.50
Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington DC
I love the happy hour at Old Ebbitt because they have a pretty good selection of seafood available at discounted prices. These jumbo shrimp were tasty and nice and juicy. Mmm…
Shenandoah Caverns, Quickburg VA.
Traditional bacon, cream and potato chowder. Cup $6.10
Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington DC
This clam chowder was good – I’ve definitely had better though. I thought the pricing was a bit odd. Who lists prices with an extra ten cents?! I guess when you’re the oldest restaurant in town, you can do what you want.
November 13, 2014.
Great Falls Park, McLean VA.
3 oysters, 3 clams, 1 shrimp. Happy hour $7.98
Half dozen crab claws. Happy hour $9.95
Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington DC
This was a great happy hour deal for seafood! I’m still not a fan of the larger east coast oysters but they definitely go down easier when they’re discounted, hehe! I’m also not sure that I really liked the clams (just not my style I guess). The crab claws were great though!
Prosecco “Extra Dry”, Carpene Malvoti, Conegliano, Italy, NV. $8
Shenandoah National Park, VA.
Vittle Monster 