On Saturday night my birthday celebration started
with an invite from our dearest friends to dinner. Little did we know we
were going to the barely two-week old REDSTON American Grill at
National Harbor.
(www.redstonegrill.com).
I had never heard of Redstone and the General Manager (who greeted our
hosts like old friends) explained that they are a Minnesota chain that
is expanding, especially in this area.
There was a person in
the lobby explaining that seating was limited and long waits might be
the case as the bar was jammed and even though it was in the low 60's at
sunset, the outside bar patio was heaving.
We were seated
along the floor to ceiling window overlooking the river and the new
ferris wheel that is slated to open next week. As the sun set the place
filled up and we were lucky to be in this quiet section. There are
wooden
tables and slate floors, so when full, there is nothing to absorb the din.
Our
charming server Steve had served our hosts before and he explained
everything very clearly and carefully. The menu is large, but simplified
and not overwhelming. The only thing I would seek, might be more wine
choices.
When we walked by the bar I noticed large glass
containers on the bar with what looked like polenta in liquid. Well, I
knew my eyesight was getting worse when Steve explained that its
pineapple in vodka! I ordered one of these martini-style, but it was my
least favorite thing all night. The drink tastes like watered down
pineapple juice that packs a punch. Back to the straight vodka next
time. I even tasted the strawberry version later on in the evening and
that was way too sweet for me.
Our first wine was a superb Mer
Soleil Silver Unoaked Chardonnay from Santa Lucia Highlands which came
in a silvery bottle reminiscent of Lancer's; weird.
It paired
wonderfully with our huge array of starters: Seared Ahi Tuna which comes
super rare with a sesame seed and black pepper crust with Asian
slaw(with edamame, peppers and cabbage), wasabi and soy-lime sauce. It
was a main course dish with about a dozen slice of sushi-grade tuna and
superbly presented and very flavorful.
Rotisserie Chicken
FLATBREAD comes with roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, wild mushrooms,
truffle oil and fresh basil. We had seen the gorgeous birds in their
rotation nearby and had to try them, so we opted for this preparation
which is another huge portion easily a main course.
Lodge
CORNBREAD seems to be a specialty here and Steve did try to sell us on a
whole loaf, but we went for the basic wedge so we could each taste. It
was as moist as cornbread ever gets and oh so buttery, but even better
with the maple butter that comes on the side, which was thankfully not
too sweet.
The best starter was easily the BUFFALO JUMBO
SHRIMP which come fried or grilled (we chose grilled) with a buffalo
sauce and blue cheese dressing. I asked Steve which part of the buffalo
they came from! His response was even funnier, but I forgot what he
said!
We moved on to a superb PAUL HOBBS BRAMARE
2011 by Vina Cobos made in the Argentine region of Lujan de Cuyo which
had aromas of crushed berries and coffee with superb smooth tannins. I
adored this wine made by three famous winemakers, Hobbs with Andrea
Marchiori and Luis Barraud and would love to taste it again in 2 years!
Main
courses excel here as did my Pesto Crusted HALIBUT with Yukon Gold
Potatoes, Garlic Spinach, Crispy Fried Leeks and an excellent yet mild
Thai chili beurre blanc. While I've been unsuccessfully trying to cut
back on carbs, the only bad part of this dish (to my pleasure) was that
the fish was atop the spinach and potatoes, so the potatoes were very
mushy and soggy and I skipped them totally (yay!). Seared CRAB CAKES
were excellent and served with Tomato Corn Salad, Sriracha Aioli and a
side of Old Bay Fries (these I tasted and could not resist). A grilled
lemon comes with them making the flavor burst even more, but I have to
be honest that we are a crabcake city and while these were good, each
year's AIWF crabcake competition (this years is next month) by the AIWF
would set up some steep bidding against these.
If your head to
Redstone, it might be tough to decide between the rotiserrie chicken
and the ribs in which case you can order the COMBO with half of each!
The chicken comes classic (au jus) or barbeque and is slow cooked in a
woodfired rotisserie.
Steaks also abound here, but we all wanted to try the specialties as there is so much steak all over DC.
Since
it was my birthday(almost), I got a Deconstructed BANANA CREAM PIE (I
didn't order anything!) with toasted nut crust, banana custard, bananas,
and whipped cream with a huge sparkler in it. I was warned not to blow
on it, as it would get bigger! OOPS! The KEY LIME PIE was nice but it
was as big as Will's head and its crust is made of graham cracker and
almond, a nice change. The hit dessert was the Warm CHOCOLATE CHIP
COOKIE SUNDAE with Ice Cream, Candied Pecans and Chocolate Fudge Sauce.
The cookie was baked into the pan and crispy and gooey and oh so yummy.
Well,
I rolled out the door and while I'm sure we'll be back, next time I'm
ordering much less for sure. We actually all had huge take home bags and
they will last quite a while I am sure.
