BlackSalt

Nestled in the Palisades, off the beaten path west of Georgetown, is one of those small town main streets with all the charm a small town main street ought to have, despite the fact the old-time movie theater is a CVS. I’ve been going there for years to have all of my framing done at Artisan’s frame shop (which I highly recommend), and always had the intent to visit the restaurant across the street, BlackSalt, long known as one of the best restaurants in DC.

Akin to a number of restaurants through the years in this area, Jeff and Barbara Black who opened BlackSalt in 2004 easily rival the likes of your go-to, high-end pisca eateries like Kinkeads or McCormick and Schmicks, yet with more of a local feeling.

Finally I went for a lunch meeting, and this was certainly a good restaurant to bring the corporate credit card to sample the entire fare. Unlike the other mom and pop places on the street, BlackSalt stands alone in this neighborhood as a major foodie restaurant with associated major foodie restaurant prices.

Starting off with oyster selections from the raw bar, we let the waiter, Doug, choose for us with instructions that we preferred west coast varieties for their creaminess despite their limited selection that day.

I must take a moment to brag on their calamari, which on most menus has slipped into the category of too pedestrian for me to choose over other, more creative choices. But the crisp breading, freshness of the meat and seasoning quickly dispelled any doubts about BlackSalt’s take on this dish.

The first word in their description of their Addie’s mussels is garlic. Order this dish and savor the sauce with their fresh bread, but don’t plan on kissing anybody for the rest of the day. These mussels are well worth that sacrifice.

Beet Salad

Upon my second visit there during restaurant week, I selected the exact same salad and entree as the first time. They were that good… First I had a colorful oven-roasted ruby and golden beet salad trickled with dijon vinaigrette, generous with the beets more so than arugula as I prefer. For my main dish, I chose their flakey, Wood-grilled Atlantic Mahi, served with greens charred in I’m guessing bacon grease giving them this oh-my-god smoky flavor. All of this was served atop a warm white bean, English Pea, smoked bacon and radish mix of which I could have ordered 3 more helpings. The Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia sandwich also got high marks from my lunch companion.

Key Lime Pie

Desert selections included a chocolate chambord truffle cake, key lime pie and sorbet selections… all three of which were presented beautifully. I give extra credit when the chef takes such pride in presentation flare like the caramel pancake sculpted over my coconut and berry sorbet or the candied flag pole raised over the key lime pie.

The restaurant itself is only a portion of this establishment, with 4 distinct spaces getting more formal as you delve deeper into the restaurant. Upon entry, you’re in a fish market with fresh catches staring at you over ice and fish mongers ready to filet anything to your specifications. I would be there every night choosing something from this fish stand if I were a neighbor. The next space is a long raw bar with café tables where you can enjoy a drink as well. Third and fourth are two dining rooms, each with their own level of sophisticated décor, no detail gone unnoticed.

The service was exceptional and courteous, albeit too fast. But catering to a lunch crowd on a weekday, that can be a positive. I highly recommend reservations even if for lunch because this place was packed each time I’ve visited.

Overall, a highly positive experience. I can taste that white bean accompaniment just thinking about it.

http://www.blacksaltrestaurant.com/

Pizza NY or DC?

Grimaldi's Kitchen

The finer points of pizza pie making supposedly come from Naples, Italy, where I once ordered a “supreme” only to get chopped up hot dogs and olives with pits included. Great pizza, but super strange ingredients!

Recently I’ve come upon 2 places who have perfected the pizza.

Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn New York, right under the bridge after a 2 hour wait in the snow will deliver one of the best coal-fire pizzas I’ve ever had. And Comet Ping Pong in upper Northwest DC adds hipster art and a funky scene as it delivers thin crust pies made from sustainable ingredients in its wood-burning stove.

Dre at Grimaldi's

In New York, you are either a Grimaldi’s fan or a Lombardi’s fan – although it turns out the locals don’t really go to Grimaldi’s because the line is too damn long. But for the tourists, it’s like the difference between the Mets and Yankees I think. For me, after waiting 2 hours behind a group of Army guys and their girlfriends who Dre and I made friends with, they could have served poo-pizza and it would have been the bomb for all the hype that had been built up around it. But the pizza was indeed amazing. We shared a small (perfect for 2 hungry people) with pepperoni, basil, olives and sausage. The fresh mozzarella sliced, not grated, and went onto the dough first then the sauce, then the toppings.

The service took on Disney World flair as they tried to turn tables as fast as they could… and speaking of those tables, you really have to be friendly with your neighbors because they are at the same table with you… not good for a first date. As with any local favorite that has taken on a tourist fame (I mean really, it must be in the guide books), the clientele skewed with the Asian invasion.

If coal fired pizza were not regulated (You can’t just open a new one up), I’d suggest they open up a new hot spot downtown for the tourists and let this fantastic hole in the wall go back to the natives. It’s just a travesty to force New Yorkers who pride themselves on their pizza to stand in line for two hours. Perhaps there’s a back door where you can flash your Brooklyn driver’s license and get carry out. If not, there should be.

And hole in the wall is the appropriate description. It’s so small, they let the pie dough rise in stacked boxes outside the bathroom as people wait in yet another line.

But the pizza is THAT good. When compared to any other cooking style, coal fired is definitely the way to go. It creates the perfect texture and imbeds a charcoal flavor the same as if you cook a steak on charcoal versus a gas grill. It’s different … and better because of the coal.

But that’s not to discount the fantastic execution of the wood-fired variety Comet Ping Pong pumped out in DC today.

Comet Ping Pong White Pizza

While I normally seek the new hip places because they are new and hip, Comet Ping Pong is not that new. We purposely sought out this hipster nest for its presence recently on Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives. With the outstanding recommendations of that Food Network Show, I’ve really enjoyed some otherwise overlooked places around the globe. Most recently was Papa Ole’s on Oahu for some Loco Moco.

Comet Ping Pong is a gutted restaurant with a lofty ceiling and cool junkyard art. The booths are all ping pong tables with welded steel backs that match the cantilevered “L” shaped light fixtures. A concrete brick cum disco ball hangs adjacent a Vespa near the bar, which serves unique beers.

The long, narrow restaurant includes a ping-pong tourney room in the back, behind the hidden bathroom doors (just push on the wall, he said to his mom). Centered in the space is a small kitchen with a jutting out wood-fired stove.

The grunge era inspired wait staff are as friendly as they are slow, which is much preferable to the alternative, albeit frustrating when famished.

Comet Ping Pong 

The pizzas are the perfect size for one person… a fete which seems difficult for other restaurants to achieve. I chose to top mine with roasted pork and olives and a white pizza base. Delectable. My company, mom and Janet, also chose a white pizza with basil and started off sharing a mound of lettuce.

The minor inattention of our waiter missed the basil on my pizza and the dressing on the side of the salad, but it all turned out good in the end. I’d like to chalk it up to him thinking the combinations otherwise wouldn’t have been as good.

The clientele was a mixed bag… everything from families to hipster college guys to Kurt Cobain fans turned yuppie city singletons. Given the new found fame of the place, there can be a wait of a couple hours on busy nights, particularly when a band or DJ show up… but the ambiance and pie are well worth it.