Klaw - Big Things In Little Places

Klaw

Temple Bar Neighborhood

5A Crown Alley, Dublin 2

www.Klaw.ie

Klaw is an inconspicuous little place, and I do mean little, in Dublin's Temple Bar neighborhood. It's a bohemian area full of shops, pubs, and some excellent food. 

I'd read about Klaw during my research of Dublin and decided it was a must-try.

It's got 12 seats and two tables. 

 It is a very casual spot. The door is hard to open and you're literally sitting back to back with the other people lucky enough to get a seat at a table. The picture above shows the customer art-work area above the other six stools. There are some creative folks running around that town.

What I didn't expect was the care taken with the seafood. It was among the best I've seen in a place like this. Gorgeous, manicured, with attention to detail.

 Here's a shot of the menu. No screwin' around. Minimalist, purposeful, goodness.

 My intrepid dining companion Brett is shown with his Colorado Cap waiting for our meal. The kitchen is behind him and the bathroom is just beyond. You have to walk the line to get to it.

 It was a late lunch so I didn't order anything other than the lobster roll. It had more mayo and herbs that I'm accustomed to in the US, but it was very good.

Lest I forget, the chefs were very friendly and happy to chat. His English was much better than my French, which was his native language, but we talked food and got along just fine.

In closing - if you're in Dublin, I would not skip this place. It's a little pricier than your average lunch spot, but seafood and care of this order don't come cheaply.

If you stop in, tell them you read about it on Pleasures of the Table!

Brine - Best Oysters in the Biz, and More

Brine

2985 District Ave.

Fairfax, VA 22031

www.brinerestaurants.com

703-280-1000

Looking for something a little different? Tired of steakhouses and small plates? Check out Brine.

We started with a No Juice, No Cherry, which is a rye cocktail, and a glass of Sex. Sex is a rose sparkler they have on tap if memory serves. Nice way to start the dinner. 

Brine owner Travis Croxton has his fingers in more pies than Tiffany Macisaac. Seriously. He helped Derek Brown with Eat The Rich and has several other restaurants which include Merroir, Rappahanock Oyster Bar, Rocksalt, and now Brine. Think steakhouse, but with the main protein being fish.  

Travis' family has been in the oyster business for decades and they have some of the tastiest oysters around. They are treated well here.

Besides the pristine oysters, there are many more composed dishes being sent out of Chef John Critchley's kitchen including Lambs and Clams, made with house-stuffed merguez sausage.

The gazpacho packs some incredible flavors. 

These are the exactly what I think of when I get a craving for oysters. The brine is light and the oysters are just the right size. They're so good I had to order another dozen.

This was the bucatini with guanciale and chili threads.

The radish salad.

The yellowfin carpaccio was tremendous. Lots of flavors and textures going on.

We shared the wood-roasted whole fish. Expertly done and very tasty.

Dessert was a chocolate bavarois with peanut brittle. No slouching on the finale.

Cheryl finished up with a liquid dessert: Mommy's Snow Cone. Orange mocha syrup with rum and ancho salt. Things I'd never think to put together, but ended up being greater than the sum of the ingredients. Very creative.

If you find yourself in the Mosaic district this place is certainly worth checking out. Twice. They take the steakhouse format and elevate it with serious creativity and skill in the kitchen as well as the bar. Expertly prepared proteins served a la carte with sides that you won't find elsewhere.

If you go, say hi to Chef Critchley for me and tell him you read about it on Pleasures of the Table.

Looking for the freshest seafood this side of Crete? Try Kellari

Stavros Aktipis is the man from Manhattan with his eye on the prize of having the freshest seafood in DC.
He took over the old Restaurant K by Allison Swope at 1700K St. N.W.
His crew got the place finished very tastefully in record time. Nice fixtures and warm, cozy touches abound.
Stavros himself is a family man who loves to have kids in his restaurant. He says kids make him feel lucky and invulnerable, like nothing bad can happen when his family is around. Nice guy.
Anyhow, on to the food! I only tasted a couple of dishes as I already had plans that night, but what I had and saw was good. This is a view of the fish display. You choose what fish you want, order it by the pound, tell them how you want it prepared, and it's done family-style. You can order a couple of whole fish or shellfish for the family.

The light was a little dim, but as you can tell here it's very cozy. I like the cut-outs with the Greek words that are back-lit. Not sure what they mean, but it's nice looking.

Stavros and me. I deal with a lot of restaurant owners in my line of work and I have to say that he is one of the nicer guys I've met. He's above-board and does what he says he's going to do. At the end of the day that's what you're left with. Did you keep your committments or not?

This is the flaming cheese. Pretty fuzzy picture, but the waiter was about to dowse it with lemon juice to put it out so I was in a hurry.

These are the sardines, grilled simply and quickly with lemon, olive oil, and parsley. Crispy on the outside, tender and flaky on this inside.

Bottom line, it's worth the trip to DC. Bring your family. It's that kind of place. Tell Stavros, or the General Manager, Yacine, that I sent you!

Thanks for reading folks.