May 2005

Healthy Cooking With Style and Flavor in Bethesda

Utter the words "health food" and wheat-grass juice comes to mind, hardly the stuff of a food fantasy. So it's probably best to downplay the "mindful eating" philosophy at Rock Creek restaurant in Bethesda--at least until after dinner.

The food at Rock Creek doesn't scream "healthy." In fact, if you didn't spot the chart of nutritional values on the back of the menu, you'd never know that most main courses have fewer than 450 calories or that the pork tenderloin has the lowest fat count.

This is the sort of place that Hollywood starlets who call restaurants in advance for carb counts would flock to. Downtown Bethesda isn't rife with movie folk, but it's a happening destination. And judging by the dreamily content diners at Rock Creek, 4917 Elm Street is happening.

That the food is healthy is a bonus, which is what owners Judith Hammerschmidt, a lawyer, and Tom S. Williams, a one-time venture capitalist, had in mind when they teamed with chef Fred Przyborowski, formerly of the Kennedy Center's Roof Terrace Restaurant, on the Modern American menu, with help from a local nutritionist.

There isn't a flat of wheat grass to be found--just a contemporary dining room done in soothing colors and a glass panel with a wall of gently whooshing water meant to evoke a creek. The best tables are the banquettes with roll-arm couches and cushions for groups of four or six. But even the tiny cafe tables in the bar benefit from subdued lighting and owners who are always circulating to make sure all is well.

Appetizers start things off with a bang. A memorable crab cake paired with celeriac apple slaw and lemon chervil aïoli is full of delicate lump crab. Even better is tuna carpaccio with garlic caper sauce and a mini-mound of crunchy seaweed salad--a bite of all three is what good eating is all about. Lobster bisque, made with a bit of sour cream instead of heavy cream, is all about the briny earthiness of lobster. Cannellini-bean soup gets spiffed up with white-truffle oil, tomato concassé, and micro-celery. Prince Edward Island mussels and Littleneck clams are steeped in a broth of saffron, roasted garlic, tomatoes, and bits of kale--be sure to save at least one of the delicious whole-wheat rolls for sopping up the remnants. The Mediterranean gets a nod in a tasting plate that includes a sour-cream cucumber salad, unusually good tabbouleh, and grilled whole-wheat pita.

Salads are made with good organic greens and zippy embellishments like blood oranges and spring radishes. I wish the dressings were less watery--a little olive oil would do the trick. The only starter that disappoints is a spring roll of smoked salmon and asparagus that really does taste like diet food.

Main courses range from memorable seared veal medallions with celeriac purée, grilled shiitakes, spinach and sherry veal sauce to slow-cooked Atlantic salmon done Asian-style with sesame seeds, miso mustard sauce, and warm bok choy salad. Other pleasing plates are Chesapeake Bay rockfish crusted with crispy shallots, perfectly pan-seared diver scallops given a jolt with ribbons of spicy roasted-pepper harissa, and free-range chicken with rosemary chicken jus and a sensible little mound of lemon-pepper spaetzle. Pork tenderloin was overcooked during one dinner but saved by its partners, black-bean stew and sweet jícama relish. Spinach linguine sports fresh artichokes, fire-roasted peppers, arugula, and olive tapenade. Considering that mindful eating is a theme, a couple more vegetarian plates would be welcome.

Prices are gentle. This also holds for the wine list, which includes some interesting bottles, several of which are available by the glass.

Dessert is always a big hurdle when health is on the chef's mind. Not surprisingly, most here are fruit-centric: cold strawberry "soup" with vanilla panna cotta, grilled pineapple with a miniscule scoop of house-made vanilla ice cream, a phyllo bundle bursting with rhubarb (and begging for a scoop of vanilla), a trio of Gifford's fruit sorbets. All are pleasant, but none is to die for. The molten chocolate cake has potential but needs more chocolate. That should present no problem: Dark chocolate has more antioxidants than green tea. And it may lower blood pressure, too. Much more fun than downing an Atenolol.