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CAPITOL CUISINE
In Washington’s Buzzard Point neighborhood, fish maestro Greg Casten has unveiled The Point, a handsome,12,500 square-foot seafood emporium.
article and photos by Celeste McCall
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s Washington gradually returns to normal, new restaurants are arriving on Capitol Hill and nearby. In the upand-coming Buzzard Point neighborhood, Washington seafood maestro Greg Casten has unveiled The Point, a sprawling seafood emporium at 2100 Second St. SW. Why Buzzard Point? “We’re looking at where the Potomac and the Anacostia meet,” he responded, as we munched crunchy Boardwalk fries at his spacious new restaurant. Casten, 58, is also founder and owner of ProFish (seafood purveyors), Ivy City Smokehouse and Tavern, Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place and Nick’s Riverside Grill (both on the Georgetown waterfront). Designed by Allison Cooke of Core Architecture + Design, the 12,500-square-foot restaurant is gorgeous. The soaring, 22-foot ceiling is zig-zagged with giant neon crustaceans, sweeping booths and lots of plants. In the ladies room, yellow shoe soles hover overhead. Executive chef Benjamin Lambert (who cooked at Restaurant Nora), creates fire-grilled seafood clam beignets, whole branzino and “turf ” dishes involving duck and chicken. Among vegetarian options is fire-roasted cauliflower shawarma.
Perusing the smaller luncheon menu, Peter and I sat outside on the spacious terrace, overlooking the Yacht Club and passing helicopters. Five fire pits will ward off chilly weather. Crab aficionado Peter eyed the jumbo crab cake sandwich, listed at “market price.” Crabs are extremely expensive this year, Casten explained. “The highest in my 31 years in the business.” ProFish pays $40 per pound for jumbos. “We absorb some of the price,” Casten said. At The Point, the crab cake sandwich was $26, and Peter went for it. Nestled in a brioche bun with the fixings, the jumbo cakes were flavorful, moist and filler-free, practically falling apart. I considered the crispy calamari, but decided on mahi mahi tostados. Good choice; firm white fish chunks were arranged atop a crisp tortilla, napped with cabbage, tomatillo-avocado salsa and radish wedges. Ideal for sharing, the $26 Ivy City Smoked Fish board is loaded with salmon, rainbow trout, whitefish salad and other goodies. Lunch for two—including my glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc—came to $58 before tax. Service, provided by Franny, was excellent. The Point is open daily; call 202-948-2522 or visit www.thepointdc.com. And, coming soon to Buzzard Point: La Vie (a spinoff of the District Wharf ’s La Vie), around the corner from The Point. For updates visit www.lavie-dc.com
ker indicates, this sprightly pie palace serves square, Detroit-style pizza. Made with King Arthur organic flour, crusts are crowned with “red,” including tomato sauce, pepperoni, house-made vodka sauce and more. Emmy’s “white” toppings—sans tomatoes— might include smoked Gouda, banana peppers or—a nod to the South—Nashville hot chicken with Alabama white sauce. You can also find burgers, cheesy garlic sticks, eggplant parmesan. Full bar. A nationwide chain, Emmy Squared operates another local offshoot in Shaw. Navy Yard Emmy’s is open Thursday through Sunday evenings. For more information call 202-2902810 or visit www.emmysquaredpizza.com.
Wine About it Another Navy Yard newcomer is Maxwell Park, a lively wine bar at 1346 Fourth St. SE. (There’s another location in Shaw.) The mind-boggling list offers four sizes: a 2.5 ounce taste, a five-ounce glass, a half or full bottle. Complementing the fruit of the vine are victuals including mixed nuts, marinated olives, smoked trout dip, grilled truffled pimento cheese. Navy Yard Maxwell Park is open nightly. For exact hours call 202-792-9522 or visit www. maxwellparkdc.com.
Squared Away In the Navy Yard near Nationals Park, Emmy Squared Pizza debuted recently at 1300 Fourth St. SE. As the moni-
Navy Yard Emmy Squared Pizza assistant general manager Corran Sawyer displays a signature Detroit-style pie.
Viva Espana! On Barracks Row, Bodegon Spanish Tapas—a spinoff of Georgetown’s Bodega—has arrived at 515 Eighth St. SE. You’d never recognize the space (formerly Medium Rare), transformed into a vision of Madrid or Barcelona. Bullfighter motifs, colorful ceAugust 2021 ★ 61
