In choosing to shop at a farmers market, consumers send the message that they care about buying local produce from an independent farmer they can meet in person. New Anacostia riverfront restaurant The Salt Line (79 Potomac Ave. SE) is applying this principle to seafood, garnishing the catch of the day with a personalized Chesapeake Bay origin story.

Opening today near Nationals Stadium, The Salt Line features a menu of New England classics and contemporary dishes masterminded by executive chef Kyle Bailey and the team from Long Shot Hospitality group (Sixth Engine, The Dubliner, Town Hall). The Salt Line also counts Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman as a partner and investor.

While many other restaurants serve local fish, The Salt Line will institutionalize its sourcing through Dock to Dish, a cooperative that supplies “fishermen’s fish” to consumers and restaurants. As a community-supported fishery, Dock to Dish adapted the community-supported agriculture model from land to sea. Founded in 2012 on Long Island, NY, the program now counts The Salt Line as its first D.C. restaurant.

All season long, The Salt Line will receive a weekly delivery of Chesapeake Bay fish from Old Line Fish Company of Annapolis. At a time when some 90 percent of U.S. seafood is imported, The Salt Line is swinging the pendulum in the opposite direction.

Barton Seaver, a sustainable seafood expert, sees Dock to Dish as a reflection of the “civic, social, and economic virtues espoused by and accomplished by the farm-to-table movement.” Noting “one of the areas in which this movement has not made much penetration is in the seafood industry,” Seaver believes the Dock-to-Dish model represents a return to seafood of provenance.

“The beneficial disruption that Dock to Dish brings isn’t the fact that they sell seafood,” says Seaver, former chef at the now closed Hook and Tackle Box restaurants in Georgetown. “It’s the fact that they sell seafood from the standpoint of how to best benefit the fishermen.”

He adds that, “It very much reverses the narrative of seafood, going from a species-specific conversation and species-specific menu to a narrative-specific menu. What that opens up is the freedom to sell whatever the fishermen catch.”

In applying the farm-to-table model to seafood, Dock to Dish is challenging consumers to “reconsider conversations and momentums we thought we were comfortable with,” says Seaver.

In time, most consumers became familiar with the farm-to-table label, possibly to the point of indifference. By extending the principle to seafood, Dock to Dish is illustrates that “there’s more to it if we allow for its evolution.”

Sam Fromartz, editor in chief of the Food and Environment Reporting Network, concurs that Dock to Dish is “a real positive.”

“To present what local fishermen catch, with more of a story, will enhance the culinary experience. It may also help drive demand for local seafood,” says Fromartz.

The Salt Line menu will not rely solely on Dock to Dish, but will integrate the weekly catch with fish from other suppliers. The menu will satisfy traditionalists with its lobster roll, clam chowder, fried seafood platter, and other time-honored favorites. Those not looking for fish can dig into roast beef or stuffed shells. One crudo standout is the scallops with gooseberry chutney, tarragon labneh, and pinenuts. The raw bar menu includes seafood charcuterie, such as swordfish mortadella and several kinds of smoked and cured fish.

The drink menu includes New England tap beers and local brews from Right Proper, Ocelot, 3 Stars, and others. House cocktails are crafted around local spirits such as Catoctin Creek and KO Distillery, both out of Virginia.

Nostalgic desserts include a banana split, blueberry ice box pie and an oversized fluffernutter milkshake, developed in consultation with Bailey’s wife, Tiffany MacIsaac of Buttercream Bakeshop.

In keeping with the coastal vibe, the nautical-themed dining room and patio face the waterfront and afford views from almost every seat.

The Salt Line is located at 79 Potomac Ave. SE. Hours are Monday to Wednesday 5 p.m. to midnight, Thursday and Friday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight. The outdoor bar opens at 3 p.m. on weekdays. Happy hour is Monday to Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. except on Nationals home game days. The restaurant opens 1 ½ hours before the start of home games.

TSL Dinner 5.26.17 by Travis on Scribd

TSL Inside Bev 5.12.17 by Travis on Scribd