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FLYING FISH
OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA
Having just entered the Old Town dining scene in
February of this year, it is clear that this newcomer has
a lot going for it already, beginning with location,
location, location. Indeed, judging from a packed
house late on an ordinary Monday evening Flying Fish
is not having trouble reeling in tourists and Old Town
residents, alike. Foot traffic along king Street aside,
though, Flying Fish offers many reasons to not only
visit once-due to curiosity or convenience-but to visit
many times.
And topping the reasons-to-visit list is a unique,
fascinating atmosphere, complete with a large mural of
a fish flying over several DC monuments; an attractive
sushi bar, with a large fish tank above it; hand-painted
tables, each distinctive; and interesting light fixtures,
which resemble fish tales. Plus, those wishing to be
saved from secondhand smoke will enjoy the fact that
the entire dining room is smoke-free. (Smokers, take
heart: you can do downstairs to the restaurant's bar
for a smoke-break. On top of that, the Flying Fish
servers, although dressed in crisp white shirt and black
pants, as well as ties and suspenders, are
down-to-earth and helpful- and apologetic when there
is a wait for food. Something that seems to happen
fairly often. Even so, the restaurant's food is
enjoyable, especially its sushi.
Indeed, extremely fresh, anything that originates
behind Flying Fish's sushi bar is excellent. Meanwhile,
kitchen selections seem hit or miss thus far. Yet, with
that said, the restaurant's dinner menu is diverse.
Even though most items feature seafood, many others
feature chicken, beef, pasta, etc. Of the sea-centric
options, the seafood platter, offered grilled or fried,
with its white fish, calamari, shrimp, and scallops, is
more than satisfactory when it comes to taste;
however, recently, it was served warm at best. This,
I imagine, led to the seafood's less-than-perfect
consistency. On a brighter note, thought, the crab
stuffed chicken-chicken scaloppini in a chili-lime-butter
sauce with capers, pimento and crab meat was
exceptional and served piping hot. Furthermore, my
friend and I had no complaints about the bread sticks
with wasabi-hummus dip. Nor did we have any gripes
about our appetizer of Portobello fries-thick cuts of
Portobello mushrooms, battered and fried, served with
Asian slaw and soy sauce. Yet the overall highlight
was the grilled doughnut - a grilled, glazed doughnut
topped with vanilla ice cream, served with fresh
berries, ripe melon, and moca-chocolate syrup!
$$ - 815 king Street - 703/600-3474
OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA
Having just entered the Old Town dining scene in
February of this year, it is clear that this newcomer has
a lot going for it already, beginning with location,
location, location. Indeed, judging from a packed
house late on an ordinary Monday evening Flying Fish
is not having trouble reeling in tourists and Old Town
residents, alike. Foot traffic along king Street aside,
though, Flying Fish offers many reasons to not only
visit once-due to curiosity or convenience-but to visit
many times.
And topping the reasons-to-visit list is a unique,
fascinating atmosphere, complete with a large mural of
a fish flying over several DC monuments; an attractive
sushi bar, with a large fish tank above it; hand-painted
tables, each distinctive; and interesting light fixtures,
which resemble fish tales. Plus, those wishing to be
saved from secondhand smoke will enjoy the fact that
the entire dining room is smoke-free. (Smokers, take
heart: you can do downstairs to the restaurant's bar
for a smoke-break. On top of that, the Flying Fish
servers, although dressed in crisp white shirt and black
pants, as well as ties and suspenders, are
down-to-earth and helpful- and apologetic when there
is a wait for food. Something that seems to happen
fairly often. Even so, the restaurant's food is
enjoyable, especially its sushi.
Indeed, extremely fresh, anything that originates
behind Flying Fish's sushi bar is excellent. Meanwhile,
kitchen selections seem hit or miss thus far. Yet, with
that said, the restaurant's dinner menu is diverse.
Even though most items feature seafood, many others
feature chicken, beef, pasta, etc. Of the sea-centric
options, the seafood platter, offered grilled or fried,
with its white fish, calamari, shrimp, and scallops, is
more than satisfactory when it comes to taste;
however, recently, it was served warm at best. This,
I imagine, led to the seafood's less-than-perfect
consistency. On a brighter note, thought, the crab
stuffed chicken-chicken scaloppini in a chili-lime-butter
sauce with capers, pimento and crab meat was
exceptional and served piping hot. Furthermore, my
friend and I had no complaints about the bread sticks
with wasabi-hummus dip. Nor did we have any gripes
about our appetizer of Portobello fries-thick cuts of
Portobello mushrooms, battered and fried, served with
Asian slaw and soy sauce. Yet the overall highlight
was the grilled doughnut - a grilled, glazed doughnut
topped with vanilla ice cream, served with fresh
berries, ripe melon, and moca-chocolate syrup!
$$ - 815 king Street - 703/600-3474
| No-VA Living Magazine Article - August 2005 |
Fine Dining, Sushi, Seafood, karaoke, Live entertainment, DJ