People who know me know how much I love seafood and they know how much I love when restaurants take traditional ingredients or dishes and put their own spin on them. Oceanaire has got to be one of my favorite restaurants. I don’t often get to go but when I do, it’s a real treat.
My latest visit was a mixed bag, however. I started off the meal with a wedge salad topped with bacon, tomato, and blue cheese dressing. Yes, a wedge is a common dish but when it’s done right and the ingredients are balanced right, there is no better way to start a meal. In this case, the blue cheese (and crumbles) as well as the bacon really were in the right ratio to the iceberg lettuce. The salad was refreshing and tasty.
For my appetizer, I went with the buttermilk fried calamari which comes with squash, peppers, chipotle aioli and marinara. Again, if you know me, calamari is my go-to appetizer. Unfortunately, I think the calamari missed the mark. The breading was very flaky and the ratio of calamari to squash and peppers was disappointing. I would not order this dish again. I also ordered the crab cocktail. The flavor was fine but the crab itself didn’t hold together when trying to pick it up and the serving size was paltry. I would recommend the shrimp cocktail in the future.
For my side dish, I got the lobster mac & cheese. I am a huge fan of lobster and macaroni and cheese but I’m well aware that seafood and cheese have a tenuous relationship. Cheese, in my experience, almost always outshines seafood in a dish. I liked this version of lobster mac & cheese but I’m still hunting for perfection.
If I’m being honest, however, I was here for one reason: the lobster fried rice. I had seen it on Oceanaire’s Instagram weeks earlier and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Unfortunately, I didn’t see it on their DC menu. When I arrived, I promptly asked about it and the waiter, having checked with the chef, said it could be made for me. I was not disappointed. The dish came with two fried lobster tails and multiple chunks of lobster throughout. It was also topped with a sunny side up egg which I promptly broke over the rice. Indulgent is the word that comes to mind. It is uncommon in my experience to anticipate a dish like this, to have it live up to your expectations, and to continue to think about it weeks later, and yet this dish did.
For dessert, I shared an Oreo Baked Alaska. It was the best version of Basked Alaska I’ve ever had. I only wish I had saved more room and been able to enjoy more of it.
Overall, this experience was mixed. I remain a huge fan of Oceanaire but now I have a better idea of which dishes I love and which ones I can skip. I love that they take classic ingredients and try to present them in new ways, and I think Oceanaire would appeal to a broad range of adventurous seafood lovers.
| Website: | Oceanaire Seafood room |
| Address: | 1201 F St. NW, Washington, DC 20004 |
| Phone: | (202)347-2277 |
| Visited: | August, 18, 2022 |
