After four years of living in Fiji, I appreciate experiencing the seasons change again now that we’re back home in the U.S. I enjoy the enlivening chill of the fall air on my face when I go outside.
We walked Guthrie and Jolene to the Wharf along Southwest DC’s waterfront the other weekend to do some exploring. It’s been a long time since I’ve visited the place. It’s transformed into a lively area with plenty of bars and restaurants, plus The Anthem music venue.
We decided on Gordon Ramsay’s fish and chips fast-casual eatery toward the end of the strip, diagonal from his Hell’s Kitchen fine-dining restaurant. The food was excellent. I ordered a fish and shrimp with fries combo, and the batter was light and crispy. You can choose your dipping sauces, and I went for the sriracha aioli. (A caveat: If you come during Saturday lunch rush, be prepared to spend almost an hour in line to order then wait for your order to be ready.)
After chowing down while sitting on a bench at the water’s edge, we sauntered over to the historic fish market at the other end of the Wharf. It’s the oldest continuously operating open-air fish market in the country, dating back to 1805.
I love fresh seafood, and the prices are good at this market. We bought a pound each of scallops, large shrimp and filleted trout for less than $50; that’s roughly the price of our lunch at Gordon Ramsay’s fish and chips joint, and that haul can be used for several meals.
We ate the shrimp that night, and it was wonderful. I had forgotten how fresh shrimp tastes: full of flavor with the natural brine of the ocean in each bite.
ATB 