Siren’s Grand Plateau comes with 12 oysters, 12 littleneck clams, skull island prawns, Maine lobster and sashimi. (Photo by Scott Suchman)

Dish of the week: Seafood tower

Where to find it: Old Ebbitt Grill, Whaley’s, Pennsylvania Six, Fiola Mare, Le Diplomate, Hank’s Oyster Bar, Siren

If there is a food class where freshness, quality, and terroir is important, it is the raw bar. High quality and proper handling is vital to ensure food safety of the raw ingredients. And there is little space for raw bar products to hide behind the hands of chef intervention. A mignonette and a basic cocktail sauce may be all that is needed to complement a Pemaquid oyster or Skull Island prawn.

Old Ebbitt Grill’s (675 15th St. NW) Orca Platter ($139.99) has been D.C.’s defining seafood tower for sometime. The ever popular restaurant is one of the city’s favorite spots for raw bar. That’s due in no small part to their half price oyster happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. until close. As one of the highest revenue grossing restaurants in the country, they were well able to afford expanding their deal a few years ago from five to seven days a week. The half price deal applies to the killer whale of a platter, making the combination of one lobster, six Jonah crab claws, six clams, 24 oysters, and a dozen shrimp a can’t miss, especially when dining at the right time of day or late night. There are also a selection of smaller Walrus Platters, too, starting at $15.99.

The more icy levels on the dramatic seafood plateaus they stand on, the more variety. That means, the bigger the better. And the emergence of several top notch seafood restaurants on the scene means that 15th Street isn’t the only place to get towers of aluminum trays and crushed ice.

At Siren (1515 Rhode Island Ave. NW), newly opened by Robert Weidemaier in the Darcy Hotel, the menu notes that each item receives “its own distinct flavors, spices, and garnishes, to enhance the natural sweetness.” But by and large the crustaceans must stand for themselves. There’s also Whaley’s (301 Water St. SE) in Yards Park. The towers here come in small, medium, and large ($65, $95, and $140) depending on how many diners are partaking.

At decadent Fiola Mare (3050 K St. NW) in Georgetown, the larger you go platter-wise, the more is added to the mix. That’s not to mention that raw bar sounds that much more glamorous in the romance languages. It’s frutti di mare in Fiola Mare’s Italian, or fruits of the sea. Here, the base ($46) includes oysters and clams, mussels, prawns, and tuna tartare. The medium-sized platter ($85) ups the ante with sea scallop, lobster, king crab, and langoustines. The largest platter ($240) adds an ounce of Transmontanus caviar to the mix. Frutti di mare is fruits de mer in French and at Le Diplomate (1601 14th St. NW), where the plateaus are served petit or grand ($75 and $140).

Inspired more by the Keystone State than by the gems of the Mediterranean Sea, Pennsylvania 6 (1350 I St. NW) nevertheless boasts an extensive raw bar program. There, the grand plateau ($68.50) is the half-sized platter. The royal ($130.50) doubles the shellfish quantities and adds a selection of seasonal crab.

Large raw bar platters in the $140 range are an average around the city, with medium or half sized platters ringing in at half that. That makes Hank’s Oyster Bar’s large seafood plateau a deal at $75. It’s mix of oysters, middleneck clams, shrimp cocktail, and peel and eat shrimp, ceviche, and lobster is intended for two to four people.

Previously on Dish Of The Week:
Grilled And Smoky Asparagus
Cool Off With A Caipirinha
Chilaquiles
Arancini
Get Amped for Ramps