Tom Sietsema Welcomes Back Addie’s — With Some Caveats

Addie’s

Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema makes his way to Jeff Black’s “splashy” five-month-old reincarnation of Addie’s in Potomac, Maryland. He points out the “rich” biscuits based on Black’s grandmother’s recipe, and three sizes of seafood towers that accommodate a range of tastes — assuming the beds of ice don’t chill the wrong selections. His preferences include cornmeal on slices of moist rockfish; goat cheese croquettes; clams stuffed with chorizo; and crisp pork belly with barbecue sauce. Go for the substantial appetizers, Sietsema says, like Vietnamese-style salmon and mussels, as well as “bountiful” and flavorful salads like the original Addie’s Caesar. However, he says the calamari was too watery and salty and the beef short ribs were dry. Meanwhile, finales are “big and showy” — including an apple crisp topped with coconut streusel and a many-layered carrot cake.

Chloe

Sietsema also investigates Navy Yard newcomer Chloe, the first solo venture from Proof alum Haidar Karoum. Sietsema decides that “right out of the gate, Chloe feels like a keeper.” He spots influences from the chef’s time spent in Germany’s Black Forest (a “lovely” white (pork) sausage laced with mace, coriander, and white pepper) and at the late Asia Nora (a Vietnamese-style chicken). Broiled oysters are amped up with horseradish crème fraîche and crisp rye crumbs. And Sietsema says Karoum delivers “one of the best pâtés in town,” praising a pistachio-and-cherry-veined slab combining pork shoulder and duck liver. For dessert, shoot for the “decadent” brownie sundae with slivered almonds and butterscotch sauce or “spoon-worthy” chai panna cotta garnished with pear relish.

La Limeña Grill

Bethesda Magazine dining columnist David Hagedorn evaluates the new Peruvian eatery that local restaurateur Emma Perez planted in Rockville’s Talbott Center last August. Elevated design accents include burnt-orange walls, colorful murals of balcony scenes in Peru’s capital city, and 20 elaborate cast-iron chandeliers. The bar makes a solid version of Peru’s signature cocktail, the pisco sour, and the restaurant’s ceviche with cubed tilapia and hot rocoto peppers is also on point. One “showstopper” is the sampler of four causas, featuring stacks of whipped potatoes topped with a poached shrimp and three mayonnaise-y dollops of crab, tuna and chicken salad. Hagedorn says his favorite starter delivers comfort from cold temperatures: a creamy, soufflé-like corn pudding spiked with sautéed diced sirloin steak, hard-boiled eggs and raisins. He’s also a fan of the alfajores, small anise-scented cookies filled with creamy dulce de leche. He’s not blown away by some entrees, however, like a bouillabaisse-style seafood soup with rubbery calamari. Hagedorn preferred rainbow trout seasoned with cumin and sprinkled with crisp garlic chips.

FROM THE BLOGS: Hungry Lobbyist tries the new carnivore’s brunch at Urban Butcher, while Bad Sentences swings by “trendy and quirky” Chiko.