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First Look Review of Bond 45

Reviewed by Kate Nerenberg

Broadway energy at National Harbor

Bond 45

149 Waterfront Street
National Harbor, MD 20745
Phone: 301-839-1445

Cuisines:
Steaks, Italian, American

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
None nearby

Price Range:
Expensive

Dress:
Upscale Casual

Noise Level:
Chatty

Reservations:
Recommended

Special Features:
Party Space

Website:
Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes
Eggplant Parmesan; house-made burrata; broccoli rabe with raisins; shrimp scampi; ice milk with slivered almonds and candied orange peel.

Price Details:
Starters $6 to $22, entrées $19 to $52.


 

Reader's Rating:
3.5 out of 5

A Tony Award–winning set designer created the look at Bond 45. Photograph by Chris Leaman.

A Tony Award–winning set designer created the look at Bond 45. Photograph by Chris Leaman.

Look out the windows of Bond 45 and you’ll see the neon lights of nearby restaurants. Were it not for that, you’d never know you were in National Harbor: Even though it’s new, this Italian-themed steakhouse feels as historic as the Times Square original it was modeled after. The dark, clubby interior, which looks like the backdrop for a scene in Citizen Kane, is the work of a Broadway designer. He has cloned the big-energy atmosphere of the Manhattan location with a glass-fronted meat locker, paintings in mismatched gold frames, and Art Deco light fixtures.

To get to the main dining room, you pass an antipasto bar with no fewer than 20 choices, among them a bubbling eggplant Parmesan, creamy house-made burrata, and broccoli rabe with raisins. The menu claims that the selection of New York steaks is “the best beef in the world”—a little hyperbole, but the meat is satisfying enough. Better is the dish described as “a lot of shrimp scampi,” its star ingredient splashed with a knockout lemon/white-wine sauce over white beans and pancetta.

There’s no reprieve from excess at dessert—from hulking portions of chocolate-covered panettone to puffed-up profiteroles to chocolate mousse with crème fraîche doled out from a pair of bronze buckets. Best of all is a softball-size scoop of ice milk covered in slivered almonds and dotted with candied orange peel—as over the top as the surroundings.

Open daily for dinner. 

Reader ReviewsWrite your own review
 
Excellent Dined on November 30, 2011
aubreana — December 1, 2011 9:17 AM
Let me start with, ask for Roger as your server! He did an excellant job taking care of us. We went to Bond to celebrate my husband's birthday and the service was excellant from beginning to end! The food was wonderful! Worth every penny and of More ...
This item is under review
 
Below Average Overpriced and overrated...
swithrow03 — October 24, 2010 3:48 PM
We had dinner at the new Bond 45 at the National Harbor recently. What really disappointed us was the service and the food. Service was arrogant and rushed. I ordered a nice ribeye steak, and my wife had a pasta dish. Ordered the $45 RIbeye medium. More ...
This item is under review

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