When we heard that Ferhat Yalcin was expanding Fishnet from College Park to Shaw, we were relieved that much would remain the same. The 40-seat eatery, which officially opened Monday, remains a casual spot devoted to the freshest fin fare. The no-frills menu remains the same, for now—ideal for a fish sandwich or taco fix, or to try one of the Turkish specialties Yalcin recreated from his native Istanbul (we’re fans of the walnut-studded Turkish tartar).
Still the move into an evolving stretch of Shaw—also home to Uprising Muffin Company and Derek Brown’s three-bar crawl—calls for new touches. Dishes can be washed down with a larger selection of beers and wines, plus cocktails in the coming months. As of next week Yalcin also plans to open for Sunday brunch, bringing dishes like brioche French toast, salmon Benedicts, and shrimp and grits to the menu alongside mimosas. Weekly specials are also in the works such as shrimp casserole and fried mussels, a popular street food in Turkey.
The most ambitious aspect to come: a reservations-only tasting menu. Yalcin is still working out the details, but in a few months you’ll be able to book Fish Nook, a four-seat counter within the kitchen for a (roughly) six-course tasting menu. He says dishes may have anything from Turkish to Japanese influences, and true to format, will be decidedly less casual than in the main restaurant. The estimated cost is around $60, with optional beverage pairings.
Stay tuned for more details.
Fishnet. 1819 Seventh St., NW. Current hours: Open daily, 6 to 10:30. Starting May 12: Monday to Saturday, 11:30 to 10:30; Sunday 1 to 9:30.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
