Review: Fahrenheit DC

I strolled into Fahrenheit on a whim two weeks ago and while I did not expect to be impressed, I imagine I will be strolling back that direction a few times a year from now on.

Terence Feury’s recently made-over restaurant is located at the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton, which was conveniently next door to an office building in which I had a 2-day training class. My wife had wanted to check out the restaurant and thus against my better judgment (it being a hotel restaurant) I had her meet me there for an early dinner.

Hotel restaurants get a bad reputation and it is often well-founded. Hotels by definition are in the business of providing accommodations and not food, and they generally only provide a restaurant as it makes life easier for those who choose to stay at the hotel. That said, I should have been less apprehensive about Fahrenheit as I have come to realize that Ritz-Carlton takes their hotel restaurants very seriously. The Tyson’s Corner Ritz is, after all, home to the incomparable Maestro, which was voted to be the best restaurant in the DC area two years in a row amongst some very stiff competition.

Last June I had the pleasure of staying at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne and dining at their surpassingly fantastic Italian restaurant Cioppino. I was generally floored by the dish composition and attention to detail and thus I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t walk into Fahrenheit expecting the same.

The décor is attractive but derivative, with the ubiquitous high ceilings, exposed brick, and steel fittings designed to make a newly-constructed building appear as if it was once an abandoned warehouse. I generally have little tolerance for this sort of thing, particularly in an area as affluent as Georgetown, in which there have never been any abandoned warehouses, but this particular iteration was actually very inviting. Luckily, the simplicity applied to the dining area carries over into the cuisine with delicious results.I have never been to Tom Colicchio’s renowned restaurant “Craft”, although some of the “home cooking” philosophies he’s put to work there have migrated into Fahrenheit, to its advantage. Dishes are simply prepared, fresh, and often available in both a “small” and a “large” size, allowing diners to order sides for two, four, or more people. Fuery made his bones at “The Striped Bass” in Philadelphia, a favorite of mine, and thus it is a gross understatement to say that his preference and specialty is seafood.

As is the trend these days, we got started off by an amuse-bouche in the form of a cold squash soup that was tasty but confusing. The presence of mint, fennel, and a myriad of other oddly-paired flavors masked and overwhelmed what was otherwise a solidly delicious traditional squash soup. This, I might add, was the only dish we had all night that I wouldn’t want to order again and again, so I will allow for some slack.

Ignoring chef Feury’s obvious expertise in and preference for seafood, we decided to try the “Hot Rock” Kobe Beef appetizer, which involves slices of raw beef which you quickly sear yourself on a fire-heated steel mini-grill that is brought to the table. I first must say that the term “Kobe Beef” is widely overused, and that while this was delicious Wagyu sirloin, it was not true Kobe Beef. Real Kobe Beef is light pink in color due to all the marbling, and this appeared more like “merely” grass-fed dry-aged Wagyu. That said, it was very tasty, particularly with the peppery house steak sauce and the garnish of pickled wild mushrooms. We deeply regretted having shared a single order rather than having gotten two. My only advice is to sear very briefly, maybe 4 seconds per side, as the grill is very hot and the meat is best served nearly raw.

My wife and I were both wise enough to order seafood for our main courses and we were repaid handsomely for the decision. I enjoyed four succulent fire-grilled diver scallops and my wife chose two handsome fried softshell crabs (currently in season and local in DC).

I will begin with the crabs, and as a longtime Maryland resident, I will say that it is not easy to surprise me with softshells as I’ve been eating them essentially since birth. I can, however, honestly say that these were likely the best I’ve ever had, with the frying process really adding only a delightfully crispy texture to what remained a briny, flavorful delicacy underneath. It was a simple preparation and one that demonstrated an expertise with local methods. The crab was served with lemon-coriander rice that provided a welcome, somewhat creamy contrast to the sharp flavors of the crab.

While I order scallops quite often, they are generally served pan-seared rather than grilled. It can be difficult to grill them as they tend to be small and easily overcooked, however at Fahrenheit they were ideal, being lightly charred by grill marks on the outside and still only room-temperature and slightly translucent on the inside. They were not in the least bit chewy, which was my greatest fear, but instead cut like sashimi and melted in the mouth. The scallops were not otherwise garnished, but a trio of sauces were provided on the side to enjoy them with. The tangy house steak sauce made a re-appearance, along with a mustard sauce and a blood-orange relish, all good, but the scallops were best enjoyed without any sauce, in my opinion. I was served a simple pea and onion ragout on the side, which was buttery and luxuriant without feeling heavy.

I don’t generally mention sides as they tend to be self-explanatory, however I feel the need to mention that we ordered the jumbo asparagus and it was extraordinary. Seasoned with a simple lemon butter, the flavor was bolder and more pronounced than most. Composition is important, but it is with a simple dish like a side of asparagus where the diner can best ascertain how serious the chef is about sourcing beautiful and pure ingredients. At Fahrenheit, I can confidently say that chef Feury is as serious as they come.

The wine list is a welcome change from the typical DC overpriced show-off fest in that there were a number of bottles available for under $40 and the staff is as eager to recommend a $30 bottle as a $300 bottle. We do not typically order bottles of wine when it is just the two of us and this visit was no different. I enjoyed a Talisker and a Penfolds Chardonnay and my wife ordered one of her requisite fruity sweet cocktail abominations.

All in all I came away from the experience very impressed and immediately looking for any and all excuses to return. Fahrenheit is not Citronelle, however that doesn’t mean that it isn’t still fifty times better than it really has any business being. Highly Recommended.
http://www.fahrenheitdc.com/