i'm not into hot tea. i know i'm admitting to a less-than-sophisticated side of my otherwise openminded and worldly culinarian self. i'm just not - though i'm the biggest fan of coffee. i just don't understand tea and i think that's why i don't do it. wish i did, perhaps i will someday, but for now i've got all i can handle in this pea-brain before any new info can be filed. there, i admit it.
i went to teaism for lunch on the advice of the person i was meeting. i always thought it would be uber-sophisticated, dark and cozy and quiet.
shhhh, we're drinking tea.
i thought the menu would consist of scones and pastries and tea, some more tea and a side of tea. no sir-eee. it could be called teabucks. the place is deli/diner-esque, not what i thought it would be at all, aside from a shelf with silk-covered boxes of (tea?) and pretty chopsticks and paper for sale. turns out this is a lunchtime get-'em-in-and-out-asap joint. looking for relaxing tea? get your fanny over to the mayflower hotel around 4 instead.
i was late for lunch, in a hurry to get my lunch and get back to my one-hour meter before getting another godforsaken parking ticket in this town. the menu's huge. so, i quickly ordered the salmon bento box - it just popped out at me - before i even had time to review the rest of the menu (i can't tell you what else they offer but it was substantial). also, i couldn't deal with my tea-ignorance at that time (plus, doesn't tea take forever to steep and blah, blah, blah) so i ordered a diet green tea soda, which is probably one step up from the lipton green tea my parents drink by the two-liter.
bento boxes are pretty cute, i must say. they're lacquered boxes with little compartments each holding a respectable and perfect amount of food, all at a 90-degree angle, none of it touching each other (wish these were around when i was a kid who couldn't stand my mashed potatoes touching my corn). left to right included pickled cucumber salad, soy-honey glazed salmon filet (cold), edamame. then on the side was sweet and sticky brown rice with yummy green stuff sprinkled on top. i am pleasantly surprised. everything needed a little salt but it was just the perfect little lunch in a perfect and cute little box.
yes, i think teaism offered the perfect little cubicled lunch - until the clock struck 12 that is. people filed in like ants, the place became over-crowded in a matter of seconds and i could barely get out without knocking a coat off a chair or hitting someone in the head with my over-sized bag. so much for your relaxing tea time.
perhaps i'll try again sometime and actually get some tea so i can relax.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
blacksalt restaurant & fish market. palisades - 4883 macarthur blvd, dc
blacksalt has been on my hitlist ever since they opened three years ago or so. combination fish market/restaurant, it may sound like you're going to be dining in a warehouse with newspapered tables, high ceilings, a captain's platter, schooners of beer, mallets and plastic bibs featuring a lobster smiling back at your date; quite the contrary. thankfully.
instead it's the perfect marriage of a cozy market to pick up fresh, fresh fish with a terrific neighborhood restaurant. you trust these people too because they know what's up. they are committed to providing fish and shellfish only from sustainable aquaculture stocks. (by the way there's a great website to check out if you want to know more about what fish to buy and why: http://www.mbayaq.org/ so you too can avoid illegally-fished or over-fished fish.)
way back when, i did visit blacksalt soon after they opened, to check out the fish market offerings and to see what the buzz was. they offer some cool and real products (my preferred brand of fleur de sel is a good sign to me), some great olive oil, truffle oil, vinegars, brining spices, condiments, etc. this, of course, in addition to a fairly well-stocked case of fresh fish, whole and filleted. the fishmonger is well-versed and explains anything you need. what a cool place to get your catch of the day from all aspects. there was a curtain drawn to separate the fish market from the dining room so i couldn't get a feel for the dining atmosphere but i think i thought it wouldn't be that cool. i was wrong.
so, last night i had dinner there. finally.
i'm always leary of ordering fish when i'm out (this is partially because i don't order entrees due to my commitment-phobia). mostly it's because i was "raised" in a kitchen where we revered fish, and cooked it impeccably. i cooked fish impeccably. (i had to, else face the wrath of a 28-year-old chef who was eager to demean, belittle, debase, humiliate, scream, throw things at you and use every four-letter word in english and french you can imagine and some you can't). i know most kitchens aren't like that so it couldn't possibly be as good a product as what i used to prepare. at blacksalt, you really have no choice but to order fish and that's a good thing.
we started with a bottle of their house cabernet (mid-priced at $52, can't recall the name, but good after breathing a bit), a couple of appetizers - fried clams, white anchovy "pizza". first, they bring you a selection of bread with olive oil for dipping. the foccacia was good, the french bread pretty good and the really yummy looking yeast rolls, not worth the calories. yes, i tried them all - research, research, people. the fried clams were well-fried and crispy served with a curried mayonnaise. i thought it needed a little lemon and while curried mayonnaise sounds flavorful, it was missing something. i love white anchovies. they're mild and delicate and yummy. not like your typical anchovy. try them if you ever see them and please stop saying, "i hate anchovies." this "pizza" has hummus on it and something really smokey, not sure what - paprika? it was good (teeny tiny) but i'm not the biggest smokey flavor fan and thought it overwhelmed those yummy little anchovies i was so looking forward to.
i wanted to try the skate wing but they were out. this plays well with they're fresh catch theme don't you think? instead i ordered the salmon (well they were out - but they did have arctic char - same difference but perhaps a little more mellow than salmon). It was served on top a delicious crisp-tender bed of shaved brussels sprouts that were cooked in lots o' butter and bacon. the sauce was a surprising orange sauce which i guess gave it an asian twist. it was sweet but absolutely delicious. i ate every bite.
i should've but didn't feel guilty about ordering dessert - a generous slice of chocolate peanut butter crunch cake with peanut brittle and chocolate sauce. no complaints there. kind of wish i'd tried the trio of creme brulee though. i might be chocolated out right now.
i incontrivertibly recommend blacksalt. its atmosphere is neighborhoody, simple and cozy and clean and unpretentious, it's the diners who bring sophistication to it. a good spot for dining with friends or a date. the maitre d' was charming and funny. people with english accents can get away with anything, can't they? he was sweet and helpful and made us feel right at home. our server was fantastic and very attentive. take my advice on this one and go, go, go fish.
instead it's the perfect marriage of a cozy market to pick up fresh, fresh fish with a terrific neighborhood restaurant. you trust these people too because they know what's up. they are committed to providing fish and shellfish only from sustainable aquaculture stocks. (by the way there's a great website to check out if you want to know more about what fish to buy and why: http://www.mbayaq.org/ so you too can avoid illegally-fished or over-fished fish.)
way back when, i did visit blacksalt soon after they opened, to check out the fish market offerings and to see what the buzz was. they offer some cool and real products (my preferred brand of fleur de sel is a good sign to me), some great olive oil, truffle oil, vinegars, brining spices, condiments, etc. this, of course, in addition to a fairly well-stocked case of fresh fish, whole and filleted. the fishmonger is well-versed and explains anything you need. what a cool place to get your catch of the day from all aspects. there was a curtain drawn to separate the fish market from the dining room so i couldn't get a feel for the dining atmosphere but i think i thought it wouldn't be that cool. i was wrong.
so, last night i had dinner there. finally.
i'm always leary of ordering fish when i'm out (this is partially because i don't order entrees due to my commitment-phobia). mostly it's because i was "raised" in a kitchen where we revered fish, and cooked it impeccably. i cooked fish impeccably. (i had to, else face the wrath of a 28-year-old chef who was eager to demean, belittle, debase, humiliate, scream, throw things at you and use every four-letter word in english and french you can imagine and some you can't). i know most kitchens aren't like that so it couldn't possibly be as good a product as what i used to prepare. at blacksalt, you really have no choice but to order fish and that's a good thing.
we started with a bottle of their house cabernet (mid-priced at $52, can't recall the name, but good after breathing a bit), a couple of appetizers - fried clams, white anchovy "pizza". first, they bring you a selection of bread with olive oil for dipping. the foccacia was good, the french bread pretty good and the really yummy looking yeast rolls, not worth the calories. yes, i tried them all - research, research, people. the fried clams were well-fried and crispy served with a curried mayonnaise. i thought it needed a little lemon and while curried mayonnaise sounds flavorful, it was missing something. i love white anchovies. they're mild and delicate and yummy. not like your typical anchovy. try them if you ever see them and please stop saying, "i hate anchovies." this "pizza" has hummus on it and something really smokey, not sure what - paprika? it was good (teeny tiny) but i'm not the biggest smokey flavor fan and thought it overwhelmed those yummy little anchovies i was so looking forward to.
i wanted to try the skate wing but they were out. this plays well with they're fresh catch theme don't you think? instead i ordered the salmon (well they were out - but they did have arctic char - same difference but perhaps a little more mellow than salmon). It was served on top a delicious crisp-tender bed of shaved brussels sprouts that were cooked in lots o' butter and bacon. the sauce was a surprising orange sauce which i guess gave it an asian twist. it was sweet but absolutely delicious. i ate every bite.
i should've but didn't feel guilty about ordering dessert - a generous slice of chocolate peanut butter crunch cake with peanut brittle and chocolate sauce. no complaints there. kind of wish i'd tried the trio of creme brulee though. i might be chocolated out right now.
i incontrivertibly recommend blacksalt. its atmosphere is neighborhoody, simple and cozy and clean and unpretentious, it's the diners who bring sophistication to it. a good spot for dining with friends or a date. the maitre d' was charming and funny. people with english accents can get away with anything, can't they? he was sweet and helpful and made us feel right at home. our server was fantastic and very attentive. take my advice on this one and go, go, go fish.
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