If you don´t have a passion for fish, you probably will at Passion Fish.This beautiful new restaurant in Reston is spacious, cool and oceanlike, with pale gray and sea-foam colors punctuated with a glittering turquoise mosaic pillar, an open kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows, gently curving walls and several dining levels. It’s reminiscent of an ocean liner as well as the sea.
Christopher Clime is the chef of this latest venture of Passion Food Hospitality, which owns DC Coast, TenPenh, Ceiba and Acadiana in the District.
Naturally, the menu is about fish, everything from raw - oysters, clams, sushi, ceviche, hamachi and tuna - to grilled prawns and Mediterranean branzino, monkfish prepared osso-buco style, olive-poached char and “fisherman’s wharf” cioppino. Mr. Clime grills beef tenderloin and a chicken breast for the determined carnivore.
In deference to the international concept, Asian flavors are supplied by a variety of sushi rolls (tuna, salmon, cucumber and California) and deliciously hot and crispy Vietnamese spring rolls stuffed with crab and shrimp and served with nuoc cham, the traditional dipping sauce.
Grilled baby octopus, tender, tasty and touched by the Middle East, is served on a bed of Israeli couscous fragrant with harissa, preserved lemon and Moroccan olives. Other tributes to the kitchen’s international concept are crispy fried oysters with a celery-root and green-apple slaw; steamed mussels in a Mexican-style broth of Dos Equis beer, olives, jalapeno peppers, capers and a tomato sofrito; and American baked clams casino.
Not to be missed is the very American blue crab and corn chowder. We ordered a cup (and wished for a bowl).
Of the main courses, the olive-poached arctic char is outstanding, fresh and moist, served on a bed of creamy Parmesan polenta with fresh spinach. The cheese flavor is subtle, just strong enough to make the polenta interesting.
Grilled prawns, like the baby octopus, are tender and perfectly grilled; they are accompanied by a Romanesco sauce. Crab cakes are made of lump crabmeat with the shell carefully picked out and virtually without filler.
The prawns and the crab cakes come without adornment, so a side is a good idea. These consist of a fricassee of vegetables, french fries, mashed potatoes, rice, macaroni and cheese, stir-fried bok choy or the polenta. Salads include the popular beet and Caesar salads and a simple green salad.
The lunch menu is similar to the dinner menu, except at reduced prices. Both serve a grilled fish of the day. At lunch, the chef prepares several fish sandwiches (Louisiana oyster po’ boy, a Maine-style lobster roll and a crab-cake sandwich) and entree salads featuring seafood (crab Louis, tuna nicoise and a seafood Cobb).
Desserts are superb, created by chef David Guas, responsible for some of the delicious conclusions to the Passion Food Hospitality menus. His doughnut holes with a coffee Bavarian cream are a delightful treat. The doughnuts are hot and crisp, and the cool mixture of chocolaty coffee and cream is a wonderful contrast. Equally delicious is the caramel creme brulee, whose nutty flavor enhances the traditional vanilla flavor of the custard.
Service is attentive, well-informed and courteous. The wine list is reasonable and well-chosen. Reston is a bit of a trek from Washington, and it’s not easy to find Passion Fish, but the trip is worth the effort, beginning with the fish pate and crisp bread rounds served when guests sit down and ending with tiny squares of jellied passion fruit before they leave
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RESTAURANT: Passion Fish, 11960 Democracy Drive at Explorer Street, Reston Town Center, Reston; 703/230-7205
HOURS: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
PRICES: Appetizers $7 to $14; entrees $12 to $17 (lunch), $19 to $29 (dinner); desserts $7
CREDIT CARDS: All major cards
PARKING: Some street parking; free parking in garage across the street
ACCESS: Wheelchair accessible
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