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hands down the freshest and best seafood in the district.
i've been here several times, and was always treated like a princess. if something was unavailable or sold out, the server either suggested something similar or went the extra mile to make me happy with what i was ordering.
i've been meaning to go back just to purchase from the fish market. i can honestly say nothing whets your appetite more than waiting to be seated and scanning over the pinkest salmon and perfectly-hued scallops.
the restaurant is quaint, the lighting is intimate but not too dim, all the employees are rays of sunshine, and the menu is to-die-for.
now then..who's going with me next time?
Returning to the DMV from a business trip in Richmond yesterday, my Husband's B-Day....so where to go for dinner? Pinged a couple of our great friends to see if they wanted to join and decided on Black Salt since none of us had experienced the restaurant side of this business.
Reservations, check.....arrived early and we sidled up to the bar and sampled a couple of fresh shucked oysters - YUM, and a couple glasses of champagne (it was good, but a bit overpriced folks). Friends arrived, and we ended up in the table center to the kitchen - bonus!
Appetizers: smoked bluefish crostini with red onion marmalade - well I've died and gone to fish heaven my friends. Seriously, the fish was perfectly seasoned and smooth, the onion marmalade had just the right balance of sweet and savory and the crostini wasn't too crunchy. My better half had the heirloom gazpacho, which was flavorful but really was more of a soup than a gazpacho.
Entrees ranged from mussels, to arctic char and all were well done - broths were savory and rich, sauces were full of flavor and well presented. Kudos to our ginger chef...nice job!
Dessert...oh my...the birthday boy ordered a trio of brulee and it was so sweet of the pastry chef to write happy birthday in chocolate sauce, and topped off the plate with a candle....thank you!! I had the coconut banana creme pie - my mouth is watering as I think about how wonderfully light, creamy and tasty it was.
Its always fun to celebrate milestones, but even more fun to do that with good friends and above all a great meal!
The fresh saltwater aroma hits your nose as you stroll through the main entrance....not pungent,… Read more »
I don't want to be a downer, since everyone else seems to love BlackSalt, maybe it was an off day. Their food really is very fresh and the seafood speaks for itself, however, the service disappointed my high expectations. The hostess was very rude to my friend and me and our server was a bit gruff. She would arrange, very precisely, all the silverware and bowls and plates around us, and if we moved them even the barest centimeter, she'd rush over and jerk it back to the original spot. Maybe OCD, but whatever it was, it was a bit odd.
We both ordered from the RW lunch menu, and both started with Addie's mussels for our apps. The broth was savory and buttery and garlicky, just the way I like it, and the mussels were just a little overcooked, but still tasty. I really liked the addition of the tomatoes.
My friend ordered the tilapia sandwich, with red onion coleslaw and homemade chips. The chips were the funniest thing--they were so thin and so crisp, they literally evaporated in your mouth. It was a lot of fun watching her eat them, since she'd stuff her mouth full of chips and still wonder if there was anything in her mouth. The coleslaw had a kick to it, but was otherwise unmemorable. The sandwich was coarsely crisp with what seemed to be a cornmeal batter on the tilapia. The tilapia was a bit overseasoned, especially since it already had bacon in it, but the tang of the carmelized onions helped to balance it out. I liked what I tried of her sandwich and would like to replicate it at home :)
I ordered the provencal stew for my entree, which was loaded up with all sorts of seafood. The broth was similar to the broth in Addie's mussels, but included a lot more tomato and was a tiny bit thicker in consistency. The calamari included in it was incredibly, deliciously tender and was the highlight of my meal.
Dessert was key lime pie and a wedge of chocolate truffle cake. Key lime pie was really cutely done--it had a little quilted cloud of whipped cream on top and pretty spun sugar garnishes. It was tart and refreshing and a welcome end to our lunch. Chocolate truffle cake was rich and bitter, with just a touch of sweetness to balance out the raspberry sauces that came with it.
All in all, a solid lunch from BlackSalt. I just wish we could have enjoyed the experience more and not have been terrified by the staff.
This place is kind of hit or miss with me. I've only come for brunch, which is cheaper than you would expect. I think they do sweets a lot better than their savory stuff. The scones and muffins are extremely good, the bagel with salmon not so much. Chocolate french toast was delicious, and their shrimp with corn cakes was just ok (I was expecting the corn cakes to be like fritters, but they were more like pancakes). I'd probably come again if i'm in the area.
The only reason I'm not giving Black Salt four stars is the restaurant prices - and the inconsistent service. I have had one good brunch and lunch there - egg and fish dishes - and I basically like the atmosphere. It is, of course, out of the way (certainly no Metro here!) for Washingtonians without cars - but probably worth a stop if you're in the area. I hear the fish "market" inside is basically good as well.
$70 lunch - delicious, but $70? One crab cake sandwich (excellent!!!) - but scrape some of the overwhelming sauce off to really taste the top quality crab; mussels appetizer were superb and the small mixed veg plate was quaint in terms of portion size but superb in terms of taste. Two draft beers. My pet peeve: way too much energy use. No a CFL bulb in sight - even back in the kitchen. Design leans towards overwhelm - at least during the day. I'll return - with an expense account...
Love the seafood. Yaaay
***This 5-Star review is for the Fish Market only***
BlackSalt Fish Market provides non-chefs like myself with access to pristine seafood via their fish market upfront. For premium items like soft-shelled crabs, BlackSalt is the best place to go. (Korean Korner has good whole fish like red snapper that are less expensive and good quality, too.)
I absolutely love seafood, and I enjoy preparing fish/shellfish/mollusk at home. The quality of BlackSalt's seafood is impeccably fresh, making cooking (not to mention the tasty results) a breeze. Since their ingredients are naturally dry, sauteing, searing, and frying becomes so much easier.
Scott Weinstein and his team are very friendly and welcoming. They do a terrific job of bringing a nice variety and impeccable cleaning/prepping our fish. For me and my dining companion, going there is like being two kids with a sweet-tooth walking into a candy store. Call us seafood dorks, but we get so excited to see what BlackSalt has available and which seafood items beckon us for dinner.
I particularly love their variety of fish like Spanish mackerel, Branzino, and Scup, and non-fish items like cockels, shrimp (never-frozen Gulf variety), and soft-shell crabs. The best soft-shell crabs I ever had (even ahead of those at Maestro or 2 Amys) were the beauties from the market that my mom prepared simply and purely (as recommended by Scott) with EVOO and butter. The best Nantucket Bay Scallops I ever had were also purchased at the market and exquisitely prepared by my mom... that recipe is a secret ;-)
In terms of the restaurant, I have dined there for dinner and at the bar. The quality of ingredients is obviously pristine, and the food is pretty good. However, the saucing and preparation tend to intrude upon the natural flavors of the seafood ingredients. It also feels a bit pricey since I can see the reasonably priced raw ingredients in the market and I know how to prepare them.
Also, the market also has some little goodies and treats. My favorite are the almond cookies and other sweets in little bags.
I go to BlackSalt exclusively for their seafood market whose quality has extinguished my interest in going to nice seafood places like Kinkead's. Of course, somethings cannot be prepared at home or sourced at a market, so we are happy regulars at our favorite seafood restaurant, Sushi Sono!
Black Salt is, without a doubt, the freshest seafood in the District. The space itself is gorgeous with the fish market up front, with a granite and stainless steel bar behind that (my favorite place to dine) and the dining room in the rear. The wall of the bar area is decorated with a fresco of sea creatures that appear to be from a Roman villa, perhaps in Pompei.
On my last visit a half dozen oysters split evenly between Hama Hama and Malpeques were impeccable; no need for the mignonette that accompanied them. That was followed by the Provencal seafood stew filled with plump mussels and gulf shrimp, a match for any bouillabaisse. The summer salad was replete with beans and beats. Accompanied by a glass of Longboard Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, and life is good!
Very good! The service was excellent and the taste was superb! I'm definitely coming back.
The first stop on my first trip up to Palisades was this fish market. We really only stopped in to look over the fish on the line, as we had dinner plans across the street. Everything I saw looked wonderful, and when I turned around and saw the tiny market pantry, I was just as pleased. Handmade spice rubs, exotic honeys, custom dips and spreads, and other fun items spilled out of the tiny shelves.
And there it was... a very plain plastic container of soup. I picked it up: Portuguese Fish Chowder. Ingredients: tuna, salmon, mahi, tomato, kale, diced potato, and chorizo. Oh. Hell. Yes. This had to be mine.
When I brought it up to the register to purchase it, the fishmonger looked me dead and the eye and pleaded / instructed: "Please. Heat this up in a saucepan. Don't use a microwave." We laughed and said we wouldn't dream of that: the ingredients sounded just too good not to take care of properly. He seemed pretty pleased.
What struck me most was the level of care and consideration he showed. It was pretty obvious he respected the food, and was proud of the product. That means a lot to me, and I will definitely be back for more.
(We bought some fresh bread from our corner market, got it hot in the oven, and brought the soup up to temperature slow and low. I had to write most of this review beforehand to allow myself time to come back to earth after my massive food orgasm.)
*This review is for the Fish Market only*
Stopped by Saturday to pick up any sashimi-grade fish available, and I hit jackpot! They had 5 sashimi-grade available, and I opted for rockfish, red snapper, and salmon.
It was super fresh, melt-in-your mouth goodness. I brought home the fish, along with some squid, mussels, and clams for pasta dish later, and sliced the fish (rather poorly, might I add) and enjoyed it with some fresh wasabi and soy sauce. What a delight! And after handling the fish, you can barely smell the fish on my hands - another indicator of the quality of the fish.
I love this place!
Need to eat here again. Had the crabcake...good. The ice cream and sorbets for dessert were good as well. I got there after a hectic day and I wasn't that hungry so I need to go back and give them a fair hearing before the court officially rules.
Holy deliciousness! I went to Black Salt for a Friday night happy hour last week. The drink prices are great and their house wines are tasty. I LOVED the champagne cocktails -- the cham cham really set the stage for a fun night and the Bellini is fresh and clean.
When it comes to the food, we ordered the boutique oysters and mussels. Later, upon further drink consumption, we also devoured a tuna tartare and calamari.
Oysters - delicious. We got two British Columbia types and a Washington State. I believe we preferred the Washington State but they really were all very good. Their cocktail sauce is so amazing and we also got some of the shallot vinegar stuff. Yum.
Mussels - also really great. We ordered the Belgian ones and you won't be disappointed with them. The liquidy goodness left behind was perfect for their decent bread selection.
Tuna Tartare - overall a good dish. If I had to choose between this and the oysters/mussels, I'd choose the latter. But I did like the fried rice underneath. A very good, balanced combination.
Calamari - standard. I probably could have done without it.
Nothing here left a bad taste in my mouth (literally!) and the service was great. I can't wait to go back!
My husband and I had dinner at BlackSalt last night. After the Georgetown Safeway closed, we had to drive to the Palisades to the new Safeway, and kept seeing BlackSalt. We were able to get opentable reservations within hours of dinner.
We arrived a couple minutes early. Unlike other reviewers, the fish smell didn't bother us that much, it was actually cool to see the market and all the fresh fish.
We were seated right away, but then had to wait... wait... wait... for our waiter to come over. We joked that he def. just got dumped or something was up. When he finally showed, we ordered 2 signature drinks and the heirloom tomato salad with fresh ricotta. The drinks were amazing, strong and delicious. The tomato salad was ok, not the best ever.
For dinner I had the mussels, which I highly recommend, very delicious. My husband had the grouper, it was a flash fried and served whole with potatoes and green beans. We kept ordering drinks and were happy when our total was around $110. Sort of pricey for a Wednesday, but at least we can cross it off our list. I'd go back again, just for the mussels and drinks.
Enjoy!
This is best fresh seafood counter in Washington, D.C., noteworthy for the wide variety of fish and shellfish. It's so much more interesting a selection than is offered at Whole Foods. Expect to pay $17-$24 a pound for most items, but the flavors are extraordinary.
Metered coin parking in front of the entrance is in 5-minute increments. The storefront is on the North side of MacArthur Boulevard. Pick up a restaurant menu by the register, and make sure your fish includes a bag of crushed ice.
I really wanted to like BlackSalt more than I did. I reeeaaally wanted to be in love with it. I think I might have been, too, had we arrived just half an hour or more later. Still, it's an all-around solid happy hour, and I can't walk away being less than pleased.
Here's my sole point of contention: it should not require upwards of fifteen to twenty minutes to shuck half a dozen oysters. Particularly when there are only half a dozen customers in the restaurant. My suspicion? That they were doing some pre-dinner training, which someone drew all of the staff away from what they would otherwise be doing: taking care of customers.
As I understand it, the oysters here used to be less expensive. During happy hour, the pricing the day I went was $1.25 each, which isn't shabby in my book. I had an option of two types of oysters, so I split them half and half. I think I've mentioned this elsewhere, but eating oysters to me is an academic experience. I don't -luuuurve- them. I don't think they're gross (anymore). But I find that consuming them is more an act of culinary analysis than visceral enjoyment. Still, I can appreciate how large and fresh-tasting the ones I consumed here were.
What won back big points for me was the generosity of the wine pours. Although happy hour glasses of house wine run $6 here (nominally more expensive than some other joints in the area), it's definitely a hefty glass that is well worth the marginally higher cost. One of those babies and I was feeling pretty good - I'm pretty sure two would have meant that I finished off more than half a bottle. With my yellow person tolerance, a single glass was enough to get me back to happy.
Although the bartenders tended to be randomly absent, when they -were- behind the bar, it wasn't a burden calling one over to help us with a refill, or to put in an order. We're not talking as friendly or as attentive as Urbana, but it was satisfactory.
When feeling the need for some oysters, I think I'd more likely be found at Sea Catch, but BlackSalt is fine enough of a destination to meet up with friends - at their suggestion.
Have you ever tried saying "no" to Kevin L? It's impossible, right? I can totally see why he's the CM for DC, because he can make anyone do anything. He just says things in such a way, that you can't say "no" without feeling like the world's biggest heel...so you end up saying "yes". Although I was slated to leave for Florida to visit my in-laws at their new retirement community early the next morning and I had errands to run, when Kevin L said "Happy Hour at BlackSalt?" I didn't even bother to try to say "no". Why feel like a heel when I *know* I'm going to say "yes" eventually anyway? Cut out the guilt-filled middleman and just say "yes".
BlackSalt is located on a quaint little strip on MacArthur Blvd, where the rich people live. I can't ever live here, because I'm not smart enough to pull together a Ponzi scheme, so I try not to drive through neighborhoods that makes me gnash my teeth in envy. At the entrance there is a large fish counter, a la fish market, which threw me off at first - did I walk through the right door? But then I spy the radiant glow that is Kevin L at the bar towards the back, and I knew I was at the right place.
With him, was the wonderful Libby F who must have thought that I was some sort of insane asylum escapee (I tend to give that first impression), due to the way I was staring so lustfully at her Kir Royale. $5 happy hour champaign cocktails? Where has this place been hiding all my life? I start off with a mimosa, as that is usually my litmus test for champaign cocktails. The perfect balance of orange juice and champaign; walking the line so that the mimosa doesn't taste like a fizzy orange juice, nor a citrusy champaign seems easy on the surface, but is too often screwed up. While this wasn't "perfect" it came darned near! I move on past the plebeian mimosa into the bellini, which was delightfully tasty!
I have only two small issues with BlackSalt, none of which will prevent me from coming back. The first is that there is a very strong fishy smell when you first come in. Yes, I know, it's the fish, but I was also raised to believe that fish should never smell. My uncle's sushi joint never smelled like fish, even though he would butcher whole fish at the counter. Secondly, I know that the wait-staff was preparing for the dinner crowd, but considering how non-busy it was, I felt like we should have had more attention paid to us. I noticed at least two servers chatting it up in the back kitchen, and there were two or three bartender/servers in and out of the bar area, so it wasn't like there was a serious shortage of staff.
However, like I said, these two issues are minor, and I will definitely be back! The menu looked interesting, and I loved the space, which was clean and chic without looking trendy or dated. Love it! Definitely looking forward to planning a birthday dinner for a friend or two here!
I got happy on Wednesday at BlackSalt's Happy Hour. It's a fish market, so expect it to smell a little fishy at the bar, but you'll hardly notice after two Kir Royales at $5 each (normally $10), or in Fenny L.'s case, 3 bellinis ;)
You have to request the happy hour menu, or at least I did. It's almost as if the barkeep didn't want to give up this "Secret holy grail for frugal grazers." I didn't order food, but their mussels for $8 were tempting. I didn't think $1.25/per oyster was a great deal. Aren't they regularly $1.50? Maybe because the two they offered were either fancy-shmancy Maine natives or lived among the wild ponies on Chincoteague Island they were more??
I liked that at 4:50pm there was plenty of street parking. I even nabbed a spot right out front (and I didn't have to embarrass myself with my terrible parallel parking skills).
I'll be back alright, and I may just have to stop in for brunch. Chocolate stuffed French toast? Oh yes!
3.5 stars.
I had very high hopes for this place, and whil it certainly wasn't bad, it wasn't great. We did the tasting menu, which was basically just a sampler of stuff from their regular menu. I like to think of a tasting menu as a chance for a chef to get a little creative, not just give you smaller versions of the stuff they always have. Also, two of the courses were basically the same, both flaky white fishes pan-seared and served one right after the other. However, everything was very good, which is why I would consider going back but not ordering the tasting menu.
Took my mom, Grandmom, and girlfriend here for dinner the Friday before Easter. I had read and heard great things, and was really looking forward to a great piece of fish. I wasn't disappointed. I knew it was a fish market, but didn't realize that's what the entire front area was. Made our way to the back and were sat at a nice corner booth with a round table. We started with a bowl of mussels "Addie's" style (garlic, tomatoes, shallots I believe in a broth). Man, these were the best mussels I've had, and I hate writing that because the ghost of Granville Moore may read Yelp and not let me in anymore. But they were meaty and delicious and the broth was great for the bread.
I tried my Mom's arugula salad with dried cranberries, feta, and pecans, but I'm not a huge fan of arugula, so it was just meh to me. t's worth noting 2 things about the menu: 1) You can double any appetizer and make it an entree, which dramatically expands your options, and 2) you can choose any fresh catch from the market and the chef will prepare it for you. My grandmother is a picky eater from small-town NJ, so all the newfangled fishes on the menu didn't really appeal to her. She was very pleased with the grilled shrimp with roasted potatoes and broccoli.
For entrees, I had the bigeye tuna, Mom had the Halibut, girlfriend had the crab cakes, and my grandmother had grilled shrimp. I. My tuna was fantastic. It was perfectly rare, but seared on the outside over the wood grill so it captured those flavors. My mom's halibut came with a mussels escabeche and was delectable. The crab cakes were the best I've had--definitely not skimpy on the meat and had peppers in the filler for a nice jolt to the tastebuds.
We indulged in dessert, but we could have gotten away with a smaller bill if we had shared 2 instead of each getting our own. We had the Butterscotch Pot de Creme, creme brulee with raspberry coulis, apple cheesecake, and chocolate peanut butter crunch cake with candied bananas (that one was mine--I'm a glutton). The best were the choco/PB cake and the Pot de Creme, though the latter had scotched milkshake, and the liquor got to be a bit much by the end.
Overall, wonderful meal. Only marks against are the poor salad selection and expensive desserts ($11 each). With only one glass of wine (total, not each), 3 apps, 4 entrees, and 4 desserts, total bill was almost $300.
I'd say four stars is dead on the mark.
Great seafood selection and quality. The range of size of the appetizers is large, so be sure to ask how big it is. Arugula and Mesclun salad were nothing to write home about, but the red "stew" (curry) and mussels are excellent. And the peanut butter chocolate crunch dessert!
Our server was friendly but a little too avid at pouring our drinks. She kept arranging the plates on our table, too, which was weird.
Definitely a place for a fancier meal. I'd say there's an older crowd here overall, at least in the main dining area.
Best steak I've ever had. Is that weird?
Yes, I know it's primarily a seafood restaurant, but I couldn't help but order the Filet.
What I don't like? a) I can't remember the name of what I ordered b) I went to their website to look it up and in order to see their menu, I have to download a plug-in # FAIL no thanks.
Anyway... it was awesome. Served with some barley something that was awesome. In a brown sauce that was awesome.
Boyfriend got the seafood stew (not sure if they still have it, we haven't been for a while) and it was also awesome.
Service was pretty great (I wouldn't expect anything short of stellar when I'm paying $200 for dinner), and we even got to dine a couple tables away from Rosario Dawson.
The restaurant itself is pretty cool - open kitchen, which is nice because you can see everything that goes on. The problem was that we sat RIGHT by the kitchen, so everything came past our table, and the space is so small that we almost had to suck-it-in every time someone wanted to walk by.
We ordered ice cream for dessert - over priced but delicious.
I gave it 3 stars because the space is a bit cramped, and while the food is stellar, it is just a bit overpriced.
Overall, I'd go back if I was rolling in money - but for the price, I'd rather go to 2941.
Went here with my mother-in-law to celebrate her 50th birthday. First thing to notice when you enter the restaurant is the fish market which has power to make you salivate already.
The restaurant was crowded which I suppose is quite normal for a Friday night in D.C, the staff was nice enough to offer us a table before our reservation time of 9:30 pm, which I welcomed very well since I was already starving.
I ordered to start the clam chowder soup, and it was just OK. I had better before.
My entree was the wood grilled rainbow trout, served with braised greens and ceci beans. the fish was absolutely delicious, a little salty but worth eating it. But I did not like at all the beans and the greens; what a waste.
For the desert I shared the butterscotch pot de creme, which was hein, OK.
Overall, my experience at this restaurant was just OK, I was expecting certainly more.
This has become the place where I buy my seafood. Black Salt has the freshest fish in the area. Yesterday, I bought "still alive" soft shell crab, skate, organic Scottish salmon and some New Zealand cockles. They were all in great shape. Coming from a fresh fish country of Japan, this restaurant/fish market comes very handy for me. You can tell their seafood is fresh when you walk in the store. No fishy smell at all. (unlike at Giant, Safeway, and even Whole Foods sometimes.)
This is my most favorite seafood restaurant in DC area. I really enjoyed the seafood soup. I… Read more »
I had the opportunity to visit this quaint little restaurant tucked away in the Palisades for dinner with friends on Sunday and was pleasantly surprised.
First and foremost, right upon walking in, BlackSalt is a fish market. Fresh seafood is proudly displayed on top of pounds of pristine shaved ice. Its presentation was pretty impressive. The fish market was remarkably clean and contemporary and the seafood looked and smelled fresh... more of an "ocean" type smell than a "fish" smell if that even means anything. Now I'm rarely ever brave enough to cook seafood at home but if I did, I would love to say that I buy my seafood fresh from BlackSalt.
Just beyond the fish market is where the bar & dining area is. You would think that, visually, a transition from a "fish market" to a cloth napkin bar & dining area would be a bit too drastic but in this case; they somehow managed to make it work. It was all very quaint. The raw bar was decorated with the same contemporary stainless steel chairs and fixtures like that of the fish market. Unshucked oysters were displayed on top of shaved ice built in to the middle section of the bar and there was still ample room for your place mat, wine glass entrée and side plate.
I was with a party of 6 and we actually opted to sit at the bar for drinks and food and take advantage of the happy hour specials (daily from 5-7pm). The drink menu listed a "Pimm's Cup" (Pimm's, Ginger Ale and shaved ice) that one of my friends suggested I try. I'm glad that I did. It was as refreshing as a summer breeze. I immediately ordered another from Jenny, our friendly (and adorable) bartender.
Our group ordered from the happy hour menu a number of small plates to sample from. The fried Calamari, fried Ipswich clams and fried Salmon Cakes were among them and they were very good but also typical. The Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters on the Half Shell and the PEI Mussels were my favorites among the small plates. I'm not, by any means, an oyster connoisseur but the oysters on the half-shell were appetizing, smelled like the ocean and tasted really fresh. The mussels were also outstanding, served in an herbed-broth with a hint of curry.
For my entrée I had the Seafood Stew, which was absolutely amazing. The shrimp, mussels, fish, and calamari were served in a light broth. However, what I remember most was the perfect combination of baby spinach and garlic that seemed to bring together the entire dish... very light and flavorful.
For dessert, you definitely do not want to forgo the Peanut Butter Crunch Cake with Bananas. Another perfect combination. Need I say more?
I'm already looking for a reason to go back!
3.5 stars
I really like this place for raw clams and oysters -- and a glass of wine (they have a pretty good wine list by glass and bottle)-- well attended to at the bar, with a decent size pour (plus they will do half pours) -- and the soups are very good as well.
Does someone have that butterfish recipe? I thought that I was going to lick pattern off of the plate. The char is spectacular too. I have never been disappointed with the food or the service. I wish that I lived closer but alas maybe it is best for my bank account that I don't. I would be there all of the time.
The service is great here! Even though crab and fried fish weren't on the menu, the server asked the chef to prepare us dishes with soft shell crab and the fried fish. The food was great, crab was served with sausage and creamy peppery sauce. The blend was out of this world. Actually love the fish/oceany smell, reminds me of home in California. Salad was another hit, awesome combo with shitake mushrooms. To top it off, the prices were reasonable.
i would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to enjoy a nice seafood meal. i enjoyed a restaurant week brunch there this past sunday and found myself extremely satisfied and taste buds sufficiently satiated.
but my appreciation for this place was more from the fresh fish market than from the restaurant itself. i love finding good ingredients to cook with and have been craving some homemade spicy tuna. so it was to my utmost pleasure to have found sushi-grade tuna sitting in their display case.
the only downside for me is the accessibility of the restaurant. without a car, it can be difficult to get to the georgetown palisades. but if you do, definitely make a stop at blacksalt.
BlackSalt is simply amazing. Let's start with the back story; I don't care for fish. In fact, until recently I really did not like fish.
That said, the servers at BlackSalt are very accomplished at making recommendations for dishes that I really, truly enjoy. Additionally, the younger guy that tends the counter is amazingly helpful making recommendations (especially for me, someone with fussy eating habits). But watch out for the older guy that tends the counter (he may be the boss???), he has zero patience for customers. His recommendations eventually are pretty good, but you leave a bit annoyed.
Don't miss the orange mocha for dessert.
Black Salt would get five stars in my book if it were more accessible. Located in the Palisades, you have to drive (or take a bus) to get there, but it's worth it. The seafood is so fresh that you half expect the fish in the front case to be flopping around on the ice. The dishes are elegant and truly original, and everything I had was quite good. This place is really a hidden gem and I will definitely go back.
*Restaurant Week Review*
Oh Blacksalt, how I wanted to like you. And you took me in with your fish counter and truffle oil, your garlic-y mussels starter and affordable fresh oysters, your freshly brewed ice tea and your solid truffle chocolate cake with a raspberry coulis, your sleek modern lines and your cloth hand towels. You almost had me.
But I will not get over the fact that your otherwise helpful server recommend the pasta of the day- cod over a serving of parpadelle with radiccio, brocoli, pancetta in a spicy sauce. It was awful. And the three servings sizes of awful our group got were indecently disparate. And I got the smallest serving. Look, I love parpadelle but this so-called-parpadelle was overcooked and chewy. Was there leftover pancetta, radiccio, and brocoli left over from last night's dinner? And was that Siracha sauce?! True, the cod was nicely cooked- I'll give you that. But the rest of that entree was a slap in the face.
Busy busy Friday night and we get there early before 6.... Perfect dinner!!!!!! Started with the arugula salad.....my date had the ceviche......
Ordered the yummy Alaskan halibut and date got the whole seabass.....which guy from kitchen came over and de-boned for her.....very classy.
Finished with tiramisu for her and I......I had the trio of creme brulee....delectable scotch, vanila and choco mousse.......too much :) .....even though we were stated non-regulars here we were treated like KING and QUEEN which was very much appreciated since my date was celebrating her PhD completion.
This is a really excellent place and the food is very very good. Seafood is the freshest in town I think and prepared beautifully. I had a branzino which was in a stew and was plate licking good and very fresh. They made a perfect manhattan. It was booked on Open Table but not as crowded as we expected. The market looked very nice, it was a lively neighborhood kind of place.
I will start with a 4 star review, but may bump it up to 5 if the restaurant meets my expectations. The seafood market here has the best fresh seafood. We gotten halibut, scallops, tilapia, shrimp, red snapper, and arctic char from here and it was all great! Even one time they were low on scallops and the fish monger went to the restaurant and took some of their scallops to meet our demand!
They also carry many other good items such as the spicy seaweed salad, great French butter, and amazing blueberry cookies. If you enjoy cooking seafood, buy your fish from here. Just great.
Very good, I'm quite pleased.
Service: Overall pretty good, our table took a little while to get ready, and our entrees took a little longer to come out than the kitchen anticipated, but they made up for it by offering a free dessert. Waiter was reasonably attentive and nice, but didn't hover.
Ambiance: Very nice, the middle room there was crowded, but wasn't exceptionally loud and I could talk to my girlfriend without having to yell.
Food: The most important part! Food was very good! I had the mahi mahi ceviche which was excellent, perfectly seasoned, fresh, etc. Also had the scallop with morels, brown butter, and capers which was melt-in-our-mouth fantastic. Girlfriend had oysters and the Addie's mussles, both of which she enjoyed. For dessert we had the peanut butter chocolate crunch cake, which was quite good and not super-dense like other chocolate desserts tend to be.
Overall a very pleasant experience. The pricepoint is high enough that I'm not going to come here often, but everything was very good and I would certainly put this on the list of places to go for a nice night out.
We went here last night to celebrate my mother's 50th birthday. Not knowing what my mother's schedule was going to be, I was only able to make the reservation earlier this week. The only time slot available on a Friday night, 9:30 pm. This place is popular! Unfortunately, even though I specified this was a very special occasion, the only table we could garner was a table in the middle of the floor which proved to be very noisy. Maybe the booths are reserved for 100th birthdays.
I will restrict the review to my selections.
Appetizer: I opted for the Addie's mussels. Despite the press promoting these rope cultured mussels, I was not impressed with this dish. I love mussels, but these mussels were just okay. The broth was pedestrian if not a bit acidic. I can name several Belgian beer bars that have better fare.
Entree: I had the red curry stew. The salmon was perfectly prepared with a lovely sear. The shrimp was good. The squid was few and far between. That was disappointing; indeed, I only counted 4 small rings. The shiitake mushrooms were good. The salad was spicy and delicious. And the broth was sweet, complex, and very good. Individually the parts were well executed. As a whole, this was a little bit of a mess. It felt like a dish worthy of a world-class restaurant executed by a chef without that capability. And at a $29 pricepoint, I would certainly liked to have seen more squid.
Dessert: I had the butterscotch pot de creme and a glass of grappa. The dessert was just okay. The main ingredient was clearly milk. The butterscotch did not resonate throughout the dish which seemed odd. As such, it's not a dish I will likely remember.
My mother's dessert was the banana-cream pie. Unlike another reviewer's experience, this was not complimentary. Though it was nicely presented with a candle, and the words "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate sauce on her dish.
Service: functional and adequate, but not exemplary in any way.
For a $236 dinner, I felt the quality of the dishes and the ambience of the restaurant should have been much better. My mother was disappointed. In this price range, there are world-class restaurants available to choose from. This is not one of them.
As soon as you enter the restaurant you see the little market where they sell fresh sea food. I however did not get a chance to see what else they sell there.
If you are there then you MUST try they seaweed salad. Funny thing is , I went there not for their seafood but just for a nice breakfast and ordered poached eggs but I am sure their sea food is great. I did try my friends salmon and broccoli and it tasted good. The fish was moist and cooked right , not tough or flaky at all.
I love the layout of this restaurant. While sitting you can basically see your food in process in the kitchen as it has large windows.
Now the service ! TERRIBLE! SIMPLY TERRIBLE. I felt rushed when the waiter was taking orders and the place was not even packed. As a matter of fact there were barely any people. The service over all was very slow.
Very fresh seafood. The fish market leads you straight to the dining room where more excitement awaits. It's touched with a faint smell of seafood but it's not bad. Surely a place like this is lively and loud.
Neighborhood: Palisades
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: Georgetown
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: Palisades
Category: Seafood
Washington, DC
Category: Seafood
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