Dish of the Week: Smoked Fish
Where: Ivy City Smokehouse Tavern, Neopol Savory Smokery
Ivy City: it’s not just for fledgling distilleries anymore. At least, not since Ivy City Smokehouse set up shop. It first opened a market last November and has since added a tavern above the street-level fishmonger.
The Smokehouse’s fishmonger, Peter Martone, could be found at events last summer and fall, shucking local oysters and eventually serving up samples of smoked salmon and Indian Candy—cured and sweet pieces of salmon that can be eaten as a sweet and savory snack. Owned by adjacent wholesaler ProFish, the smokery and tavern represent an expansion of an Ivy City business that’s already been in the neighborhood for decades. Martone did a stint working with ProFish eight years ago following a career as a fisherman off Chincoteague, Virginia and New England; after recently working in retail operations across Washington, he came back to ProFish to work on the smokehouse project.
The Indian Candy has been an early bestseller at the market. Packages of smoked salmon with a regular, gravlax, or pastrami cure are available in vacuum packs at the market, as well as in select stores across the city. And it’s cheap. A 16-ounce package is less than $20, not more expensive than anything you’ll find at, say, Trader Joe’s. Often it seems there’s a local premium to be paid for small-batch, homegrown, quality products, but the Ivy City Smokehouse offerings have upended that model.
“We wanted to offer the public fish at a lower dollar,” explains Martone. “We’re 30 minutes from the Bay.” The market has a concise but accessible array of fresh seafood. Prepared smoked products come right out of two large smokers in the back of the store.
Now those same smoked goods can be had at the upstairs restaurant, including what may be the city’s best seafood charcuterie: the Ivy City Smokehouse Platter for $20. That sweet Indian Candy and thinly sliced salmon is joined by a whitefish salad that is heavy on chunks of fish, using only as much mayonnaise as it needs, along with peppercorn-laced cuts of hot smoked pepper salmon and smoked rainbow trout, all laid out on a board with vegetable cream cheese, garnishes, and bagels from Lyon Bakery.
Just down the road from Ivy City, Neopol Savory Smokery is also bringing smoked seafood to the District, along with smoked tofu, egg salad, and even heads of garlic. Based out of Belvedere Square Market in Baltimore, they’ve been bringing smoky goodness to Union Market since 2014. We included their smoked salmon among our favorite breakfast sandwiches.
Small Bites
Embassy Chef Challenge
To many visitors, the food samples are the best thing about the embassy open houses held around Washington the last two Saturdays. The biggest culinary event of Passport DC’s May programming is yet to come. The Embassy Chef Challenge will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building on Wednesday, May 25. Chefs representing 19 embassies will serve up tastes of their homeland, from a Czech bacon-wrapped duck paté called Uzbek plov to the British Virgin Islands’ rum-infused “Painkiller.” Some will put their official embassy chef to work, while others will bring in a ringer. The Embassy of the Philippines, which chose to fly in Chef Claude Tayag, who was previously featured on Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations,” to cook a Filipino rice dish (like paella) using bangus, the country’s national fish. Tickets are $65.
9th Street NW Openings Continue
Some heavily anticipated restaurants finally opened their doors in Shaw within the last week. Buttercream Bakeshop (1250 9th Street NW) by Tiffany MacIsaac is now selling her egg, bacon, and cheese breakfast sandwich—rolled in milk bread—every morning. Round croissant-style pastries called Flakies stuffed with seasonal fillings, a buttermilk scone filled and glazed like a cinnamon roll, and Nutella HoHos are among the featured baked goods in the 12-seat shop, which will also specialize in custom wedding and special occasion cakes. Meanwhile, All Purpose, on the retail level of the same building as Buttercream, opened last Friday. It’s a collaboration between the co-owners of The Red Hen and Boundary Stone that showcases a Roman menu accented with Italian-American classics.
Sunday Supper Jubilee
On June 5, Union Market (1309 5th Street NE) will host a fifth annual Sunday Supper Jubilee featuring big name women chefs and benefiting the Executive Education Program for Women in Culinary Leadership and the James Beard Foundation. A Who’s Who of DC’s best female chefs — or best chefs who just happen to be women — will serve savory bites, a sit-down dinner, dessert showcase, and cocktails, tequilas, and other booze. Over 16 restaurants will be represented, including Hank’s Oyster Bar, Ripple, Requin, and Centrolina. Tickets are $250.
