Our first dinner out back in DC this year was at the CONRAD Hotel's ESTUARY where the famed Voltaggio brothers have created a fine setting that is elegant, yet casual and offers up some creative cuisine. The large room has a huge open kitchen with a giant table opposite for a group or tasting meal. The lacquer tables are nice, but the silly small black leather place-pads at each setting are too small to hold plates and glasses(and cause massive condensation from the water glasses). we received tasty Old Bay seasoning bread sticks with Pimento Cheese & Espalette Dip, which was meant to harken back to their childhood, but was a bit "cheesy" (use the term multiple ways). The amuse of Suma Orange Sorbet with a Nasturtium on top lacked any excitement or inventiveness and made me wonder what was to come.
We ordered a bottle of Rudi Pichler Gruner Veltliner 2018 to start as the weather was so summery we felt a refreshing white was in order. We also told Blake we wanted to share an appetizer of the Brussels Sprouts, Burrata, Porkskins and Fish Sauce Vinaigrette to start and then have the appetizers. After the delicious dish was cleared a huge plate of the Beef "Tarrte" tar arrived which Will had ordered, but this was apparently a gift from the chef and meant to be shared. We got confused and gave it to Will and tried to disect the dish which was plated inside a humongous onion ring with French onion dip on top of the tartare , dried gruyere and a huge mound of beluga caviar(not usually on the appetizer) on top!!
It was a bit too intense and the great idea to use endive as scoops to cut carbs seemed brilliant, but alas the leaves tend to be a bit bitter.
We moved on to a Donnafugato 2017 Cataratto Anthilia from Sicily which was great with the other starters:
Cedar Planked Scallops(which arrived after the rest of us had finished our starters!) with Butternut Squash Toast, Yuzu Kosho(fermented pepper paste) and pickled onions.
My Puffer Fish Sticks were novel in that they were the fish tails with a pickled banana and pickled banana tartare that I loved. The Maryland Crab Roll was served with crab chips, Old Bay & ice plant(succulent)!! It was a huge roll with not a lot of crab.
Our final wine was a brilliant Jura chardonnay from Domaine de Montbourgeau 2015 "L'Etoile Blanc" which Will declared smelled of cabbage farts, but in the mouth it was divine and had an intense minerality! We mentioned to Vanessa, the wine person, that I worked with oopera singers and within secs we had one degree of separation in a friend and client from NY!!
The main courses were all superb with Griddled Flounder coming with Crema Melon, Sunaomono and Tuna Prosciutto and Benne Seed Crema. The tuna was awesome! Three of us went for the Blackened Monkfish with salsify and lemon brown butter that was a superb hit.
To make up for the timing errors, the staff sent out an array of free desserts(there goes the diet!):
-Passion fruit Gingerbread with White Chocolate Mousse
-Cookies & Cream:Caramelized White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Pudding, Creme Fraiche Rock
-Caramel Apple Sangria, Speculoos Cooke, Salted Caramel Mousse, Honeycrisp Apple Sangria
-Key Lime Coconut, Lime Curd, Brown Butter Meringue
We all had our favorites and ultimately enjoyed most of the dishes, which was rectified by the free desserts and good friends!
