Off the beaten path at Reston Town Center, I've been by this place a number of times but never really noticed it. It's nice that it's out of the way, and with a great outdoor patio, provides for a relaxed, low-key dining experience. The interior of the restaurant is clean and modern, with lots of glass use. Gives it that fresh, ocean-y feel.
Our party of 4 got seated a little before our reservations, and we immediately went to order off their extensive cocktail menu. Great selections that were fresh, flavorful, and strong!
A big plus for PassionFish during RW is that you can order anything from the dinner menu for your entree, and with many of the fish selections in the $25-$30 range, it's a fantastic deal. You're really getting a lot of food for the money, because as in a number of previously mentioned reviews that I've read, the portions are very sturdy.
The table bread was not very appetizing, like a hard crostini. I know, you're thinking crostinis are already hard. Well this was even harder. It was served with a spread that consisted of a cream cheese base with some olive oil and what tasted like albacore tuna mixed in. Didn't seem like anything much different than what could be purchased in the seafood/deli section of your local grocer.
For appetizers, our table ordered the blue crab corn chowder, seafood gumbo, and the trio of Niguri (tuna, salmon, hamachi). The chowder was flavorful, although served barely warm. The gumbo was so-so, and the trio was very good. You could tell the fish was fresh and was encouraging to come back for sushi, so we will.
Having a large selection of fish from the dinner menu, I decided to try something new and ordered the Greek Bronzino - a white fish that is I guess a type of sea bass? Not sure, but it reminded me of trout I've caught and eaten before. It was prepared and served whole with basic flavors of butter, garlic, and a couple of herbs. It was good, but would not order it again at a restaurant, because it was nothing special that I couldn't make myself. My girlfriend had the two large crab cakes, which were very good. They had huge lumps of crab meat with very little breading. For sides we had the Mac & Jack (mac and cheese) and sweet potato fries, which literally came in a small bucket. The mac and cheese was awesome, creamy and delicious with a breadcrumb topping that was crispy and provided a nice contrast to the cheesy goodness. Another dish at our table that's worth mentioning was the whole crispy Flounder. The size of a dinner platter, it was massive and had tons of meat. Rubbed with a sort of chili spice, the skin was crispy and really flavorful. I wished I had ordered it, as it was one of the best things on the table. But keep in mind, if you dine with some that have trouble looking into the eyes of the fish in which they are eating, you may have to ask your server to handle this. He was very kind and de-boned (and beheaded) our fish table side.
Already full at this point, we forced ourselves to push through dessert, which was a great decision. To me, the best part of the meal. I had the chocolate mousse with a hazelnut crust. Also big hits were the caramel creme brulee and white peach crisp.
Overall, a good experience with the food and drinks. The server was more than friendly, taking his time to explain portions of the menu and meal, but also taking his time with everything else. A little too much time.
But, we will return for the sushi... read more