By DCist Contributor Elizabeth Traynor
Walking into Drift on 7th on a rainy night feels a little like you’ve escaped to restaurant closer to a body of water not named the Potomac. The walls are a bright aqua, driftwood accents pepper the small space, and a bartender is eager to hand over a drinks list with a decidedly citrusy spin.
Formerly the home of Fishnet, chef Ferhat Yalcin’s newly-reimagined Drift on 7th offers a more enterprising seafood menu. It also boasts a tropical vibe that was evident at a recent media preview, especially with a bar that takes pride of place in the new design.
While Ferhat did make some major menu changes—including adding items like soup and ceviche—we were first greeted with a basket of hake tots, a popular Fishnet staple that made it to the new menu.
The panko crumb breading turns these into adult fish fingers, while the calamari served alongside is so expertly prepared that you hardly taste the breading at all. As a result, the freshness of the squid shines, rendering the accompanying remoulade almost unnecessary. A squeeze of lemon will do.
Ferhat does his best work in the “whole fish” variety. For the adventurous, two seared sardines served with toasted bread and an olive tapenade is a delightfully tender, savory appetizer.
If you’re looking for a way to test your dinner companion’s fortitude, order up the pan roasted porgy. Served as a whole fish, some delicate deboning is required before you can dig in. Your efforts will be rewarded: stuffed with herbs and garlic, the meat of the fish flakes delicately onto your fork. It’s fresh, flavorful, and tastes as if it just came off the boat—just like seafood should.
Some menu items miss the mark, which is to be expected as Drift finds its sea legs (sorry). The crab cake sliders could use a little more crab-to-bread ratio, and the lobster bisque skewed a little salty.
Rounding out the meal, a tart lime pie is mellowed at dessert with homemade whipped cream and a buttery graham cracker crust. For the kids (or young at heart), the banana split isn’t a revolutionary remake of the classic. But sometimes, as the best of Drift on 7th proves, a classic concept only needs a tweak.
Drift on 7th is at 1819 7th Street NW, and is open Sunday – Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Thursday – Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.
