PassionFish

PassionFish is a great seafood restaurant located in Reston, VA.  They are most known for their sushi (which is how we heard about it through our friend Ruby Woo who loves sushi) but they have many other unique items. A word of caution though...Unless you're hitting up the bar at happy hour, this is not a cheap place, and while I don't believe there's a dress code, most people there were dressed at least business casual. I'm not sure they'd kick you out in your grungy T-shirt, cut-off shorts, and flip-flops but I guarantee you'd feel a little under-dressed and out of place.

inside restaurant

However, if you're willing to make yourself somewhat presentable and are also willing to shell out a few extra bucks for some awesome seafood, this is the place to do it.  Elegant (yet not stuffy) modern delicious cuisine.

outdoor patio where we sat

crispy baguette slices with crabmeat dip...yumma yumma

We begin with appetizers...1/2 dozen raw oysters and a jumbo lump crabmeat cocktail. I personally am not a fan of the oysters. I may have mentioned this before; I've given them the ol' college try a few times, just not my thing. Superking, however, loves them and couldn't resist the fresh slimy sea creatures on the half-shell. I will say they look pretty sitting in their shells on top of a bed of ice with their little garnishes and sauces.

The crabmeat cocktail was basically a huge lump of fresh shredded crabmeat drizzled with a Key lime mustard sauce. Phenomenal! Pure crabmeat-a-liciousness!

They had some amazing looking entrees but we decided to stick to small plates so we could squeeze in as much yumminess as possible.  Though we also skipped the infamous sushi too. :(  Too many good things to choose from. Next time we'll try the sushi, I promise!

Next was the Peruvian-style ceviche.  This was very different from any ceviche we've ever had. It included various generous-sized pieces of fish and other seafood as well as fresh lime juice, red onion, and habanero. What made this truly unique was that it was topped with popcorn!! Yes actual popped popcorn!! When you eat ceviche, everything in it has the same texture...soft.  The popcorn added a crunchy salty surprise that was strange yet lovely!

can you see the popcorn on top??

We also tried the Hamachi Crudo.  This was one of my favorite dishes of the night.  Crudo is a type of fish and it was served sashimi-style on top of slices of ruby red grapefruit. It also came with thin slices of jalapenos, a sweet soy sauce, and a green tea sea salt.  The combination of spicy, sweet, sour, and salty made an amazing and unique experience.

beautiful presentation

For the next course, we had the Spicy Ahi Tuna Tartare.  Raw supple chunks of tuna served with pickled ginger, sesame, and ponzu sauce, and topped with crispy shredded wontons. The pickled ginger gave the dish a little kick while the ponzu added the sweetness and the wontons a textural crunch.

though it looks like shredded cheddar cheese on top, thats actually the crispy wontons

Also in this course we had the Grilled Baby Octopus.  Now I do like the taste of octopus but the sight of tentacles on my plate is a little disconcerting for me.  But this dish was so yummy, I didn't even pay much attention to the tentacles.(Well, maybe a little as I cut those parts off and handed them to my husband)  This little octopus was served on top of a Greek salad comprised of chopped cucumbers and tomatoes and olives  mixed with tzatziki sauce alongside a block of grilled Halloumi cheese (a special Greek cheese requiring a high melting point).  It. Was. Awesome!!!  This was another favorite dish of the night. The octopus was tender, not chewy at all, and combined with the cheese and salad, it was unique and full of so many flavors indescribable.

octopus on top

thats the grilled cheese on the left side

At this point we were approaching fullness but there was still a tiny bit of room left for dessert.  Fresh fried donut holes served in its own tiny fry-basket and served with a coffee bavarian cream! Talk about Yumma Yumma!! Whats not to like??

And THEN, to top it all off when our waiter (who was excellent, very friendly and knowledgeable...thanks Kenny!) brought us the check, it came with a couple pieces of almond fudge of some kind, compliments of the chef!

Again, not cheap but its to be expected when ordering fresh quality seafood that strives to be local and sustainable, I might add. It was worth every penny and then some.  Not your average seafood joint, it has a touch of Asian, a touch of Mexican, a touch of Italian, and even a little touch of Greek. Its like a journey by sea around the world and back again in one meal. Creative, unique, elegant, delicious.

Sea Blue Restaurant

We haven't had much in the way of food adventures this week. Easter was a little exhausting. And then we ate on that leg of lamb for 5 days!! I'm hoping to have a little food adventure this weekend though.

view of Myrtle Beach from our hotel

In the meantime, I've been thinking about vacation so I thought I could do a retro-post about a place we went to in Myrtle Beach, SC this past September. Its called Sea Blue. A seafood restaurant, of course, but so much more than that.

First of all, its located at the end of a strip mall.  Yes, a strip mall. And not even a really nice strip mall.  So when we pulled up in front, we were a little suspect.  Why did have to make reservations for this place??  But, as my mother always told me, never judge a book by its cover for looks can be deceiving.  When we walked in, we were completely surprised by the elegant, intimate atmosphere. Its a small place, seating only about 15-20 tables plus the bar.  But each table was pristinely covered with white linen, soft glowing candles, and antique-looking silver and blue salt and pepper shakers.  The blue neon lights at the bar gave the place a hip urban feel and separating the tables from the bar was a large tank full of beautiful colorful fish.

check out the fish tank on the right

We began our meal with an appetizer of shrimp and smoked tomato grits.  Slightly sweet and savory, reminiscent of ham.  For the main course, Superking ordered Wagyu Beef filet.  At that time we hadn't eaten beef in about two years but if you're going to break a meat fast, this is the way to do it.  Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and even brought out some samples to show us the difference between this top quality Wagyu beef and a regular USDA prime cut of beef.  The Wagyu was almost completely white with marbling (fat) which is what makes it so tender and juicy and flavorful.  It was amazing. For sides, Superking also had truffle whipped potatoes and truffle mac n cheese.  Both were very rich and creamy and the truffle was subtle.

seating area (picture from Sea Blue)

For my entree, I had macadamia crusted grouper fish served with lobster risotto and fresh veggies consisting of carrots, asparagus, shitake mushrooms, and green beans.  The fish was very moist and the macadamia provided a nice crunch.  The risotto was so savory and buttery.  Even the vegges were good!

bar area (picture from Sea Blue)

For dessert, instead of our typical chocolate peanut butter cake, we ordered a cheese plate...two cheeses: morbier and triple cream served with grapes, strawberries, a blackberry sauce, and candied pecans.  The morbier was fairly mild and semi-soft with a gray line in the middle. Our waiter explained that the gray line was a layer of vegetable ash which separates the morning and evening milkings of the cheese.  The triple creme was so soft, it was spreadable and had a very strong flavor which paired well with the sweetness of the blackberry sauce. Once the waiter discovered what cheese-heads we were, he began telling us of a smokey blue cheese they sometimes offer.  After oohing and ahhing over his description of it, he finally brought us a sample of it.  So amazing! Very smokey and very blue!  Not for the faint of the cheesy heart!

cozy booth and cool jellyfish artwork (picture from Sea Blue)

It certainly was not a cheap meal (think 3 figures) but it was worth every penny. And it was our last meal of the vacation which made it that much more special.  And whats also really neat about this place is that they strive to use local organic ingredients whenever possible, including sustainable seafood.  Next time you're in Myrtle Beach, you must go check out Sea Blue!!

cute salt and pepper shakers at our table

Sensational Sustainable Sushi

This past Wednesday Superking and I had an epically blog-worthy dinner (in DC no less).  It has been killing me that I had to wait this long to post about it (Thursday was a busy day)!! As part of the DC Cherry Blossom Festival, The National Geographic Museum hosted a Sustainable Sushi Tasting Event.

National Geographic Museum

The ceiling in the lobby looked like a starry night

In addition to the museum and the festival, it was co-presented by Genji, a purveyor of all natural sushi and Japanese cuisine. A lot of their products are available at Whole Foods and their main goal is to provide healthy, sustainably caught and responsibly farmed fish and seafood.

Beautiful Japanese paper umbrellas everywhere

fancy dining hall

our table with fake cherry blossoms sprinkled on it

The menu was created by Genji's executive chef Miki Willis, who trained with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Which, if you've ever seen Iron Chef, Morimoto has been on both the American version and the Japanese version and always kills with his creativity of the dishes. Chef Miki Willis would have definitely made her mentor proud with the beautiful creative presentation of this edible art called sushi that we had the other night.

our menu and event program on a fan

First course: Appetizer, skipjack miso tartare with cucumber slices, rice crackers and sesame ponzu dressing

speaker, Barton Seaver

As I take you through the exquisite menu, you'll see that we were not presented with what most people would consider a typical sushi menu.  In fact, as we went through the first five of our seven courses, some may have wondered, where is the sushi? This event wasn't just about sushi but, as the two guest speakers tried to convey, it was also about the sustainability of seafood in our world today.

Second course: Sashimi; wild salmon pastrami with salmon roe, daikon radish, and creamy yuzu dressing

the roe (salmon eggs) beautiful round bubbles that pop in your mouth

The introduction speaker was Barton Seaver, a chef who has dedicated his career to spreading his belief that what we eat for dinner directly effects the ocean and our surrounding environments. The main speaker was Casson Trenor, an author, a supporter of marine resources, student of the ocean, and founder of the first sustainable sushi restaurant in North America. Both men had very thought-provoking points about what "sustainable" means and how we should view our food, specifically seafood, and how that impacts our environments and our well-being.

Third Course Soup: local blue crab in a soy milk miso broth

to die for! sweet! I slurped mine down and then had some of Superking's when he went o the bathroom!

Being in the National Geographic Museum, they spoke about how the National Geographic people go out and explore the world with their cameras to create these magnificent images for us to see.  The rest of us, on the other hand, may not have the opportunity to travel around the world like they do but rather, we explore the world with our forks.  How many of you have eaten Chilean sea bass or sipped an Italian wine or tasted a French brie cheese?

Fourth Course Sampler: scallops three ways

blanched kale and simmered scallop with creamy walnut sauce

roasted beets and fresh scallop with Japanese plum vinegar dressing

sauteed leek and seared scallop with vinegared Japanese mustard miso

Sushi restaurants are now the fastest growing type of restaurants in the U.S.  You can go into a sushi restaurant in Chicago and see the same menu items in a sushi restaurant in California.  This is not necessarily a good thing because it means they are taking fish from somewhere else around the world instead of using what's available to them nearby.  Many of our waters are being over-fished as a result.

Fifth Course Grilled and Fried: grilled ginger miso marinated Spanish mackerel (the main fish with silver skin) with Japanese seven spice (the small brownish mound at top left)

served with purple sweet potato tempura (under the big green leaf), tempura sauce (in small dish), grated radish and chive (the small pink clump at bottom left), and green chili pepper (green thing on top of fish)

What is over-fishing and why is it bad? Over-fishing means to continually catch more fish than can be naturally produced.  Right now world-wide about 90% of large predatory fish stocks are gone forever. Just a hundred years ago there was six times more fish in our waters than what we have now. If this epidemic continues on this down-ward spiral, the results would be devastating on a world-wide scale

Sixth Course Blossoming Sushi: tuna nigiri, butterbur nigiri, shrimp nigiri with smelt roe on top and fried fish head centerpiece

also anchovy nigiri marinated in garlic oil topped with sun-dried tomato and panko breaded horse mackerel in edamame hummus roll

cute little bottle of soy sauce that came with this plate

Here are four S-words the sushi speakers gave us to think about as ways to help this issue and make things better for us as well as the fish and our world in general...
*Small - eat smaller fish instead of always taking from the top of the food chain.
*Seasonal - what's available to you right now in your part of the world? Work with the natural ebb and flow of nature.
*Shellfish - these creatures create more protein than other seafood and they help clean the waters they're in.
*Silver - eat more fish with the silver skin on. These live in cold water and contain high levels of fish oil and omega-three's which are both very healthy.

Seventh Course Dessert: yes, a dessert, a little fishy but surprisingly sweet and yummy

sesame tofu pudding with shiso jelly and a salted cherry blossom on top

Eating sustainably means we need to be better stewards of the creations God has given us to eat and dominate.  We need to make better, more healthy, more environmentally-friendly choices with our forks while we still can. A lot of people, when serving or getting ready to eat a meal say "Bon Appetit!"  In Japan, (I don't know the Japanese word) they say "I take your life". Or in other words, "I humbly accept the honor of taking your life". A strange thing to say about your food before you eat maybe. But I think it says a great deal about how we should view our food.  One of our speakers said, "eating is an act of sacrifice on someone's part".  We should eat with respect to the food and the creatures sacrificing their lives to provide the food. And thank God every day that we even have food to eat.

the chef and her crew

chopstick wrapper

more umbrellas

Superking and I stuffed to the "gills" with sushi (I know bad pun, couldn't resist!)