If you follow me on twitter you may know that I've been spending a little more time out of my comfort zone of Logan Circle and a lot more time in Upper NW, in particular Glover Park, which I've come to learn is a lot more central than you'd have thought. A short walk in any direction and you can find yourself in Cleveland Park, Georgetown, Cathedral Heights or the Palisades - which is where I found myself this past Saturday for brunch at BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant. It had been a year since my last and only visit here and as I've been eating less meat and more fish I was happy to spend more than I usually do for brunch, I just wish my wardrobe felt the same - my pastel colored polo shirt and shorts were a little too casual even for a Saturday morning - BlackSalt isn't stuffy per se, perhaps it's a reflection of the neighborhood it serves, but I'd recommend pants over shorts.
Brunch wasn't the only reason for visiting BlackSalt, some friends and I were heading out to Maryland for a night of camping along the C&O Canal and we wanted some fish to cook on the campfire, with a huge selection of sustainable fish we went with mahi for kabobs.
Back to brunch.
If you go to BlackSalt you go for the seafood and you're not just limited to what you see on the menu, having seen another diner order what looked to be an off menu dish: Maryland Blue Crab Cake served on a locally sourced vegetable salad consisting of arugula, red beets and corn, I was informed that I was able to order the salad with any protein from the market, which basically makes the menu at BlackSalt the most extensive fish menu in the city. The crab cake was meaty and lightly fried, a generous helping not too packed that was soft and buttery to taste, it was a perfect compliment to the salad which was fresh and crunchy.
The Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia Tacos are $16 and served in pairs making them a pretty expensive taco at $8 a piece, they are however on the larger side, worth it? Perhaps. The crispy breading covered the flaky white meat which itself was drizzled in an ancho chile cream balanced out with a cabbage slaw - if you do order the tacos ask for an extra serving of the slaw, the chile cream has a kick to it so the slaw will help calm the taste buds.
There are plenty of other offerings at BlackSalt, a seafood stew, oysters on the half shell and house made pasta to list a few, located in a neighborhood that isn't accessible via metro it's definitely a destination restaurant, one reserved for a special occasion, or not if you're fortunate enough to live close by.
BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant, 4883 MacArthur Blvd. NW Washington, DC (not metro accessible)