WASHINGTON 鈥� This summer, there鈥檚 no need to make the 12-hour trek to New England for a waterfront meal of lobster rolls, fried clams and blueberry pie.
Washingtonians can find it all just a few feet away from Nationals Park at , the latest business in of dining and shopping options to open along the Anacostia River in D.C.鈥檚 Southeast neighborhood.
At the new restaurant, chef and co-owner Kyle Bailey abandoned the meat-heavy menu he was known for at Birch and Barley and, instead, opted for a focus on seafood. A culinary trip through New England was the catalyst.
鈥淚 thought I was pretty familiar with the food [of New England], and then you get there and you get the steamers. It鈥檚 just the freshest, best seafood,鈥� Bailey said.
鈥淚 ate so many lobster rolls, I ate so much chowder, just trying to get the feel for what New England was about.鈥�
Inspiration for The Salt Line may stem from the culinary traditions of small coastal towns up north, but many of the menu鈥檚 ingredients come straight from local waters. In fact, Bailey is the first chef in the D.C. area to join the growing seafood sustainability program, .
The organization, which initially launched in New York, operates like a CSA for restaurants and fishermen. Chefs pay a membership fee and, once or twice a week, receive a box of fresh, local seafood. Similar to a CSA where the bounty is based on the season, Dock to Dish deliveries are based on what鈥檚 caught that day, meaning often times, it鈥檚 a surprise.
Bailey says the mystery element has been a fun challenge 鈥� like when a box of eels showed up and he and his team had to research and experiment with different methods of preparation. Since becoming a member, he鈥檚 also received more familiar species, such as soft shell crabs. 聽
鈥淚鈥檝e been cooking soft shell crabs since I was 14. I thought I knew what good was, but I鈥檇 never seen anything like this,鈥� said Bailey, who added that the fresh catches delivered to the restaurant through Dock to Dish will be worked into the menu or end up as specials.
Bailey says the best part about Dock to Dish is cutting out the unnecessary steps it takes to get local seafood from the boat to the kitchen.
鈥淲e鈥檙e removing six or seven touches in the chain. We鈥檙e cutting all these middlemen out, who are just adding money to their pockets and adding days onto the product,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fast and the quality is unmatched.鈥�
At The Salt Line, Bailey is also working with local oyster farmers and other sustainable seafood sources to round out the menu, which includes an impressive raw bar, as well as non-seafood options such as a barbecue half-chicken, a 22-ounce rib eye and a crispy farm egg on top of farro salad.
Diners can expect an expansive outdoor dining patio and bar 鈥� both of which overlook the water 鈥� plus plenty of beer and a robust cocktail program.
, who also happens to be Bailey鈥檚 wife, designed the dessert menu, which includes a Maine blueberry pie, a banana split (with ice cream from D.C.-based Ice Cream Jubilee) and an indulgent Fluffernutter milkshake.
There鈥檚 no doubt the location will attract baseball fans before and after games (Nationals鈥� first-baseman Ryan Zimmerman is even an investor and part-owner of the restaurant, run by Long Shot Hospitality), but Bailey says the deck and dining room were built to accommodate both drinking and dinner crowds.
The Salt Line is now open at 79 Potomac Ave. SE, Washington, D.C.
