PassionFish is the fifth restaurant of Passion Food Hospitality, whose owners, Chef Jeff Tunks, Gus Dimillo, and David Wizenberg, are known for the passion, savvy, flavor, and style of all their ventures.  Located in the popular Reston Town Center, 40 minutes from downtown Washington, DC, the restaurant is prominently positioned on the corner of Democracy Drive and Explorer Street, in the southwest corner of the office building encompassing the entire block.

PassionFish is the next generation, twenty-first century rendition of the group’s first restaurant, DC Coast, taking its tri-coastal seafood theme to a global level.  The menu and food concept are driven by nationally recognized chef Jeff Tunks, whose ‘passion’ lies in sourcing a premier selection of seafood for his establishments.  With a cultivated palate based on his 25 years’ experience in the kitchen, Tunks continues to present surprising and creative choices on an ever changing seasonal basis.  The cuisine of PassionFish represents the bounty of the world’s oceans, lakes, seas, and waterways reflecting the flavors and natural resources of the Mediterranean, Europe, the Americas, and Asia – the latter, with a dedicated sushi chef.  The vast array of seasonal fresh seafood and distinctive flavors at PassionFish are enhanced by simply elegant presentations.

 

The PassionFish Raw Bar features Oysters Fresh Daily, Wild Wellfleet Clams, Jumbo Shrimp and Prawns, Fresh Florida Stone Crab Claws and Poached Lobster; at dinner, order the ‘Big Daddy’ for a generous and economical selection of them all.  In addition to the classic makimono and sushi offerings, appetizers range from Togarashi Spiced Seared Tuna Tataki with Siracha Dashi Remoulade; to Classic Peruvian Style Ceviche with Fresh Lime Juice, Red Onion, and Habanero; to Hamachi Crudo with Ruby Red Grapefruit, Jalapeno, Sweet Soy and Green Tea Sea Salt.  On the hot side, there’s Grilled Baby Octopus with Pearl Couscous, Moroccan Olives, Preserved Lemon, and Harissa; Steamed Blue Hill Bay Mussels Veracruz with Tomato Sofrito, Capers, Olives, Jalapeno, and Dos Equis Beer; Baked Clams Casino with Pancetta, Vidalia Onions, Red Bell Peppers and a Parmesan Crust; and the Crispy Vietnamese Crab and Shrimp Springrolls with Bibb Lettuce and Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce. 

 

Fisherman’s Wharf Cioppino with Prawns, Clams, Mussels, and Today’s Catch served with Crusty Warm Garlic Bread is a highlight of the dinner menu, along with such exotic dishes as the Whole Roasted Mediterranean Branzino with Chilean Olive Oil, Meyer Lemon, and Sauce Verde; the Butter Poached Lobster with Red Thai Curry Sauce, Pineapple, Jasmine Rice, and Kaffir Lime; and the Grilled Prawns à la Plancha with Romesco Sauce.  Today’s Catch, Simply Grilled with Olive Oil, Lemon, and Green Salad is about as pure and perfect as seafood can get, and the Pan Seared Day Boat Scallops with Handmade Cavatelli, Golden Chanterelles, Butternut Squash and Veal Jus is a dish of subtle delicacy.

For lunch, the Tuna Niçoise Salad with Seared Bigeye Tuna, Haricots Vert, Fingerling Potatoes, and Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette vies with the Baja Style Crispy Fish Tacos with Warm Corn Tortillas and Traditional Accompaniments for your attention.  Succulent seafood sandwiches include The Jumbo Lump Crabcake Sandwich with Old Bay Tartar Sauce and Sweet Potato Fries; the Louisiana Fried Oyster Po’Boy on Leidenheimer Bread, Dressed, with Zapps Potato Chips; and the Maine Style Lobster Roll with Fresh Poached Lobster, Celery and Cucumber on a House Made Bun.  The Shrimp and Grits with Sautéed Gulf Shrimp, Tasso, and Creamy Hopping John Grits is a comforting down home option, while the Miso Glazed Scottish Salmon with Szechuan Eggplant and Sesame Soy Vinaigrette is a more exotic selection.

PassionFish is a proud supporter of Smart Markets Local Farmers, and the freshness of local organic vegetables shines in throughout the menu in items like the “Community Garden” Simple Green Salad of Locally Grown Greens and a Dijon Mustard Champagne Vinaigrette, as well as in more complex dishes and sides.  The desserts are calculated to complete each meal perfectly, from the richness of the Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée with Hazelnut Biscotti and Nutella to the light and refreshing Selection of House Made Sorbets which features seasonal flavors such as Chocolate, Sour Apple Cider, Spiced Pear and Pomegranate.

True to its comfortable suburban surroundings, the PassionFish atmosphere has a distinctly relaxed elegance.  It is the first of the Passion Food Hospitality establishments to offer a children’s menu, full of fine dining options sure to appeal – including the Beginner Sushi Roll and the Handmade Pasta; with entrées all priced at $6 and including a beverage, they’re sure to appeal to parents, as well. Servers wear jaunty blue-and-white striped shirts [no ties] and long white aprons. The tables in the most prominent of the many dining areas are bare dark wood topped with shimmering woven placemats, and the sleek stainless flatware is playfully fish-shaped.  Order the Crispy Fried Ipswich Clams with Butter Pickle Tartar Sauce, and they’ll arrive in a blue-and-white checkered enamel bucket; mussels are served in bright blue Le Creuset cast iron enameled pots.  Take a closer look at the grouping of fish sculptures holding court above the front of the restaurant, and you’ll see they are cleverly fashioned of ‘found objects.

The restaurant’s décor has a subtle but unmistakably nautical focus.  A chilled seafood station anchors the main dining room, whose broad and soaring walls recall the curved salons of grand old ocean liners of yesteryear.  A dramatic glass staircase rises to the upper-level dining area; tucked beneath, between its transparent walls, is a custom red wine storage cabinet.  Delicate strings of hand-blown glass bubbles seem to float to the ‘surface’ of the monumental chandeliers. Industrial ‘porthole’ light fixtures glow from the banquette bases.  Aquatic tones of cool blue-grays and silvers predominate on the walls and on the bubble-patterned banquette upholstery, while the carpet, the rugged wide-plank floors, and chair frames are grounded in rich dark browns.  Tiles of gleaming white quartz and olive green patterned glass provide the understated backdrop for the bar, with its simple wood plank shelves, and a lively pattern of blue and green glass tiles frames the open stainless kitchen – a design trademark of all the Passion Food Hospitality restaurants.  Floor-to-ceiling windows dressed simply in bronze silk panels illuminate the grand dining area, offering views of passers-by and the tranquil community park.  Banquet rooms, both large and small and equipped with A/V capabilities, are handsome private extensions of the main dining room.