Naomi Brookner /The Gazette
Chesapeake Bay soft shell crab with smoked tomato fondue and basil aioli tastes as great as it looks.
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7121 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda
301-656-5515
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sun. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Style of cuisine: Regional American
Dinner entrées: $14-$25
Credit cards: All major cards
Accessible
www.redwoodbethesda.com
Ronald Reagan was wrong. When you've seen one redwood, you haven't seen them all.
Redwood on Bethesda Row, opened July 21, is the creation of Jared Rager and Eli Hengst, the powers behind Mendocino Grille in Georgetown and Sonoma on Capitol Hill. Do you sense a theme?
Designed by Griz Dwight of GrizForm, it spans 150 feet with 10-foot-tall windows opening onto Bethesda's first pedestrian street. Redwood reclaimed from olive casks, slate and steel, towering 18-foot ceilings and stone and cork floors make this Redwood is a thing of beauty.
Within its 7,500 square feet are a 120-seat dining room, 75-seat bar-lounge, 15-seat elevated dining bar and 30-seat private dining room with a wood-burning fireplace (whimsically capped by a glass stag's head). Outdoor tables and chairs can seat another 100 diners.
Although expansive, the spaces are comfortable, even cozy. A tall glass wine rack divides the dining room. Each half has banquettes on the back wall and marble-topped serving tables in the middle for the wait staff. Tables abutting the window wall take in the street scene. Who knew that recycled black seat belts could make attractive chair webbing?
Great diligence has gone into staffing. Executive chef Andrew Kitko moved from San Francisco where his stellar credits included Gary Danko, Bar Tartine, Aqua and most recently, Palmetto). Co-executive chef Drew Trautmann comes from D.C.'s Sonoma. Their seasonal menu is rooted in the American experience. Showcasing the bounty of the Mid-Atlantic region, ingredients are organic, locally sourced and sustainable whenever possible. Meats are raised naturally, seafood is wild or sustainable, and cheeses are artisanal.
A plate of mixed olives provides enjoyable nibbling as we peruse the menu. Delicately sweet, non-dairy corn chowder flecked with bits of cherry tomato is a pleasant starter. Equally refreshing, the Tuscarora Farms beet salad melds diced red and yellow beets, nippy wild watercress, organic Lancaster yogurt cheese and lemon vinaigrette. A Chesapeake Bay soft shell crab reposes on smoked tomato fondue, encircled by a swirl of green basil aioli; it's as great tasting as it is good looking.
An adventurous osso buco lover digs a tiny fork into roasted new frontier bison marrow bones. Slit lengthwise, the hefty, herb-mushroom-crusted bones resonate with a rich mouth feel. I'd slather a forkful on bread if there were some; instead, I put it on a mini-corn cake selected from a plate with cheese-filled gougeres.
Among the entrées, local black bass filet is a revelation. Crushed coriander seeds add texture and flavor. The underpinning of eggplant and red bell pepper "marmalade" resembles peperonata.
A trio of silver dollar-size day boat scallops, super-fresh and perfectly seared, complements mashed potatoes, baby corn and chanterelles.
Two tasty Manchester Farms spice-glazed quail pair nicely with roasted plums and braised local greens whose texture resembles kale.
The kitchen's wood-burning oven does well by Vande Rose Farm's pork loin. Creamy Anson Mills grits and luscious melted Vidalia onions are the right accompaniment.
A wood-grilled 16-ounce New York strip steak, whole roasted fish of the day and smoked beef short ribs are offered "for the table" — family style.
For a sweet ending try the justly popular chocolate-peanut butter mousse bar (chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, a dollop of peanut butter mousse with peanut brittle and caramel sauce). For something simpler, next door neighbor Dolcezza supplies noteworthy frozen treats like yellow peach Bourbon sorbetto and Tahitian vanilla gelato. Artisanal cow, sheep and goat cheeses from Maryland, Virginia, Vermont and Georgia offer an alternative conclusion.
The service is professional, knowledgeable and helpful. Asked for wine suggestions, our server obligingly offers a taste of two from 16 open bottles held with nitrogen in Winekeeper Cruvinets. Redwood offers 125 wines (16 by the glass), eight local and regional drafts and two dozen microbrews. Brian Cook, formerly at The Source, is the wine program manager.
Big and beautiful with food to match, Redwood is Bethesda's latest natural asset.
