The menu of this Palisades seafood emporium gets a summertime lift from the seasonal bounty of its fish market. A special of South Carolina royal-red shrimp, sweet as lobster, shone in a spicy rémoulade with lightly toasted brioche. The flavors are just as bright and true in a tartare of Hawaiian bigeye tuna atop a soy-glazed rice cake. Though a fabulous bread basket filled with country bread, focaccia, and dinner rolls might seem a harbinger of good things to come from the pastry kitchen, desserts—such as an overly boozy and sweet butterscotch pot de crème and a hulking slice of dry-crusted banana-coconut cream pie—appear to be coasting.

This article appeared in the July, 2008 issue of The Washingtonian.