The Salt Line is located across the street from the Nationals Ballpark, and has been one of our favorite seafood spots in the city since it opened in June 2017. Looking through the blog archives, I noticed I've never written up a review before. How is this possible?! Well, in order to document this restaurant in my catalog, let's start today. Led by chef and partner, Kyle Bailey, this restaurant takes inspiration from the magical blend where fresh and salt water come together, allowing oysters to thrive. The other major partner is Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, so this place is often jammed on game nights. Classic New England dishes influenced by the bounty of the Chesapeake are highlighted on the menu, along with a nice selection of local beer, wine, and frozen drinks. Closest Metro is Navy Yard.
Taking advantage of the patio seating dining options at our local favorites spots this weekend, we headed out to the Salt Line. Again, hand sanitizer stations were prominent at the entrance, and all staff wore masks. Guests are asked to only enter the interior to access the restroom and must adorn a mask while doing so. We were seated with a nice view of the water, and started with a Frozen DC Crush for me - made with Finlandia vodka, Luxardo Triplum, orange, and DC Brau Orange Crush spiked seltzer. It was fun and tasty! Keith ordered the RAR, Nanticoke Nectar, American IPA from Maryland. With 7.4% ABV, this beer was tasty and paired well with all the seafood. He later ordered the Atlas, The Precious One, IPA from DC that is brewed with fresh apricots, which was a bit overpowering for his tastes.
From the raw bar, we ordered a trio of oysters from Maryland, Rhode Island, and Maine in both medium and large sizes, with medium-high salinity levels. My favorite were the Breachway oysters from Rhode Island that were medium sized with a fresh seawater finish that was absolutely delicious on its own. No lemon, horseradish, hot sauce, etc needed. Just slurp and enjoy!
We also ordered classic favorites: Stuffies - 3 baked topneck clams stuffed with smoked linguica, lemon, bread, and parmesan, and Fried Clam Bellies - Ipswich clams served with tartar sauce and lemon wedges. Today, the clams were a little skimpy and on the small side, but had wonderful flavor and chew nonetheless.
We also shared a new summer pasta dish that piqued my interest. The Summer Scallop Bucatini featured butter basted scallops, roasted heirloom tomatoes, marinated cherry tomatoes, basil-almond pesto, and black pepper chèvre. First, we were not expecting a red sauce. Second, goat cheese with tomato sauce?! Third, cheese with scallops?!? But everything together was absolutely AMAZING! Mind. Blown. I loved this dish and would definitely order it again.
Again, we are HUGE fans of the Salt Line and have been many times over the past 3 years. We even ordered take-out from them earlier on during this COVID pandemic. Find some of my Salt Line posts from my Instagram page below:
2017: Seafood Tower
Total Rating: 4.38
Food: 4.5, Price: 3.5, Service: 4.5, Ambience: 5, Accessibility: 5
