Located on the water at the Navy Yard, across from Nationals Stadium, the new restaurant, The Salt Line, will transport you to New England with its nautical décor, amazing outdoor patio and outstanding gluten-free seafood menu…
A New England girl at heart, I fell in love with The Salt Line as soon as I walked in the door. Looking out to the water, for a second I forgot I was still in Washington D.C and was able to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. The Salt Line has prime real estate, right on the Southeast water front, with plenty of outside seating and an amazing outdoor bar. If you are looking for fresh seafood or a raw bar, this is definitely the place to head to.
We started with the seafood charcuterie, which is a mix of many different types of seafood spreads and cracker toppers. Unfortunately, they do not have gluten-free crackers, so just ask for this dish to be served without crackers. The charactuerie can easily just be eaten on it’s own, no crackers needed! This would make the perfect appetizer to share with friends, or just for yourself… because it was that good! The platter comes with a cold smoke artic charpotted lobster, which is super delicious and is filled with big chunks of lobster. It’s like eating the fillings of a lobster roll in this cute little pot. If you like ceviche, I also recommend trying the razor clam ceviche, served in a shell!
Next, we tried the Maryland Crab & Avocado salad, listed as an appetizer, but this is definitely big enough for a meal. The salad has lots of crab meat and avocado, golden beets, sorrel, macadamia nuts and served with a poppy seed dressing. This is the perfect summer salad for those that are looking for seafood but not a heavy meal. Also, listed on the appetizer menu was the grilled octopus. This dish is MUST order. I was even with a friend who had never tried octopus before, and after one bite of this dish she was hooked. The octopus is soft and not chewy, and served with pickled eggplant, seared red onion, warm fingerling potatoes, and a balsamic reduction. If you have never had octopus, I suggest ordering this dish- you won’t be disappointed. These dishes are also both already gluten-free so no substitutions needed!
Lastly, for our entrée, we had the crispy skin rockfish, which was flaky and cooked to perfection. The dish has the perfect mix of saltiness served with peas and tasso ham. Although some of the menu is fried, which is not unusual to see at a seafood restaurant, there are plenty of dishes that are gluten-free or can be modified to make gluten-free. The chef also mentioned they would look into getting gluten-free pasta, so I will definitely be back to see if they get it!
If you are heading to Nationals Park, I highly suggest coming here before or after. This will be the hottest place to come with the huge outside space and bar. In the mood for seafood? Be transported to New England by visiting the Salt Line!