January 19, 2006
Mood Indigo Landing
From its Potomac River perch, the recently shuttered Potowmack Landing restaurant on Daingerfield Island just north of Old Town Alexandria featured some of the area's best views of Washington. Unfortunately, the uninspired fare meant that it often made more sense to pack a picnic and enjoy your lunch and the beautiful scenery from a grassy patch outside the place than to actually eat there.
On April 10, the food will finally match the views when Potowmack Landing pulls a Prince and reinvents itself as Indigo Landing, helmed by new executive chef Bryan Moscatello. Moscatello -- who formerly manned the kitchen at Denver's outstanding Adega Restaurant + Wine Bar (no relation to Silver Spring's Adega Wine Cellars) and at Cherry Creek's Mirepoix and who was named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2003 -- has apparently been scouring South Carolina's Low Country in search of ideas for the restaurant's Southern-tinged menu.
Although the Washington dining scene may be very close to maxing out on high-end Southern cuisine, Moscatello brings considerable cooking chops to the party. Until Adega closed in August 2005 when its owners refused to let Moscatello buy into the place, his kitchen consistently turned out challenging, complex dishes such as sherry-glazed skate wing, butter-braised halibut cheeks, and juniper/orange-seared venison (this DCist recalls having eaten a fantastic sweetbreads dish there in 2002).
What's more, under Master Sommeliers Kenneth Fredrickson and Chris Farnum's watch, Adega developed one of the very best wine lists on either side of the Mississippi. Here's hoping that Indigo Landing's management -- the Star Restaurant Group (which runs Zola, Red Sage, and the Spy City Café) and Guest Services, Inc. -- brings in someone who can fashion a similarly stellar wine program to give Moscatello's food the liquid partnering it deserves. Can you tell we're excited?
|
Unfortunately, the uninspired fare meant that it often made more sense to pack a picnic and enjoy your lunch and the beautiful scenery from a grassy patch outside the place than to actually eat there.
C'mon, their food wasn't that bad, DCist, was it? I ate there twice, and both times I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did my guests. Not saying there isn't room for improvement, and yeah it wasn't the most adventurous menu... but I wouldn't say it wasn't worth dining there!
Wasn't it called Potowmack Landing?
When I was a kid, the mall had a toy store called Potowmack Toys that had the best collection of stuffed animals ever. While I'm glad to see Potowmack Landing spruce itself up, I wish they would keep the name. It made me think of the old toy store.
alexandra: Thanks for noting that I missed the "w"; it's since been added. Having grown up in Columbia, I also remember Potowmack Toys at the Columbia Mall. I believe that it's still kicking around there under a different name -- Create-a-Hobby.
Jay: No, I don't think the food there was bad. I just found it to be exactly as I wrote -- uninspired. Particularly with the stunning views of D.C. and relaxing setting off the G.W. Parkway, it was a perfectly nice place to meet friends and hang out, but I don't think that very many people would have called the restaurant itself a *dining* destination. To me, it was similar in style to the old Space Needle Restaurant in Seattle; OK food, but it clearly played second-fiddle to the views of the city, the mountains, and the Sound. To be sure, I certainly wasn't comparing Potowmack Landing to Hank's Look-Around Cafe or something. But I do think that Indigo Landing will be a true dining destination; that is to say, the views will be the icing on the cake that is Moscatello's cooking.
Michael- I think Create-A-Hobby was always a separate store on the 2nd level. Potowmack Toys was on the first floor near the fountain, then it closed. Eventually a KB Toys opened upstairs.
Hooray for growing up in the Columbubble. What village were you?
I think the Powtomack Landing food was wonderful. You could take a group of people and everyone found something to eat, even my picky mother-in-law. I think the new managers may be buying into "what's hot now" ideas. The resturants that survive are the resturants that customers can count on to have good tasting food. Just look at many of the Alexandria resturants that have been in business for years. They don't change their menus every week. Isn't that what brings you back, the memories of what you ate there and want again.
As a DC cyclist very familiar with the potomac views, eating at the Indigo landing gave us a very beautiful view of DC at night. The food was ok (I am not a big seafood fan, my friends liked it though!). The service was excellent, I mean outstanding; once I told the folks that I'm allergic to bacon, they made every effort to get us the starters, the breads, entrees and everything without the bacon/pork/hamsticks....etc. It's a bit pricey, but for the looks, service, and friendly atmosphere, I would recommend it. If you're not a seafood fan, it's not the place you want to take your date to unless you want to impress her with the views and paycheck.