{"id":337053,"date":"2025-12-10T02:23:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T02:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/opal-chevy-chase-washington-dc-john-tanners-barbecue-blog\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T02:23:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T02:23:26","slug":"opal-chevy-chase-washington-dc-john-tanners-barbecue-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=337053","title":{"rendered":"Opal, Chevy Chase, Washington, DC \u2013 John Tanner’s Barbecue Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Time for yet another dinner to celebrate my birthday! This time it was just for Nancy and me. Where to eat this time? Opal<\/a>, just up the street at 5534 Connecticut. I\u2019ve reviewed Opal twice, here<\/a> and here<\/a>. We went on a weeknight and the downstairs was pretty noisy, so we were accommodated with a table upstairs. I ordered a celebratory cocktail, a Woodford Reserve on the rocks.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll pause to philosophize. As often is the case, I got a moderate pour. I regard such moderation as a false economy. A generous pour, as at La Ferme<\/a>, for example, sets such a positive tone for the meal, as does an amuse bouche or any other bit of lagniappe, especially at the start of the meal. On the other hand, placing a fee for bread service, the chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant, or the hushpuppies at a barbecue place sour the mood. Back to the meal.<\/p>\n

Our mood was brightened by Chico, our server. He did an outstanding job. He had mastered not only all of the different dishes on the menu but how they went together. It was a treat to watch him work with the young couple at the next table out to celebrate their anniversary. They were getting the five course \u201csimple supper\u201d and he discussed possible substitutions and choices for the entree, and made the occasion memorable indeed. <\/p>\n

We began to order and Nancy chose the arugula salad. Chico told us that the salad was too big for Nancy, and suggested we split it. Here\u2019s my first portion, <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

and enough remained on the platter, briefly, for a second round for each of us. The menu said it included green goddess dressing, radish, almonds, and parmesan, and as Chico confirmed, pesto. Nancy and others were crazy about this salad.<\/p>\n

I decided to start with the half dozen oysters cooked with a smoky tomato butter.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

I squeezed on the juice from the charred lemon to balance and enhance the sauce. The oyster crackers had a touch of dill, so I suppose they were house-made.<\/p>\n

I chose the swordfish with \u2026 \u201cCarolina barbecue.\u201d No, I wasn\u2019t going to get a side of pork from Wilber\u2019s<\/a>, worse luck. The \u201cbarbecue\u201d was a sauce that included both mustard and tomato, mostly tomato. The idea of a mustard sauce was a big draw, but the dish was not what I expected.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

It came atop creamed hominy, and heirloom tomatoes apparently were mixed into the sauce, which also included something crisp. As you can see, that\u2019s a whole lot of sauce, enough to overwhelm the rest of the dish. I suppose it was just as well, as the tuna had been overcooked and dried out. The sauce counteracted the dryness, but it wasn\u2019t the type or quality of sauce that I expected.<\/p>\n

I also had suggested we share a side of the wood cooked summer vegetables in tamarind sauce.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Tamarind sauces are usually both sweet and sour or tangy. This tamarind sauce was all sweet, and there was a lot of it. I was hoping for more caramelization of the vegetables \u2014 a little char.<\/p>\n

Nancy ordered the trout, and that photo does not do it justice. It arrived atop creamed hominy<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

graced with a necklace of egglant caponata summer vegetables with a black olive vinaigrette. There also was a side of thick and tangy labneh. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Nancy absolutely loved her meal. The trout and the vegetables, especially with the labneh, were just what she wanted. She enjoyed the complementary variety of flavors. Everything was cooked and seasoned beautifully.<\/p>\n

The bill included a three percent surcharge, as noted on the website, and with tip was just over $225, which seemed hefty. I suppose I would have been more reconciled to it if that cocktail had been a La Ferme pour. The dinner reflected our two previous visits to Opal, both linked above. When it is good it is very, very good, and \u2026 sometimes it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Click \u201cfollow<\/strong>\u201d on our front page to receive blog posts in your email box. Or bookmark us and check in from time to time. We\u2019re on\u00a0Instagram<\/strong>\u00a0 (johntannerbbq<\/strong>) \u00a0and \u00a0X\/Twitter<\/strong>\u00a0 (johntannerbbq1).<\/strong>\u00a0 If you\u2019re planning a trip, you can \u201cSearch<\/strong>\u201d the name of the destination city, state, or country for good restaurants (in Europe, often close to sites, like the\u00a0Louvre<\/a>,\u00a0Prague Castle<\/a>,\u00a0Vienna\u2019s Old City<\/a>,\u00a0or the\u00a0Van Gogh Museum<\/a>, that you\u2019ll want to visit in any event). \u00a0We welcome comments and questions, and eagerly seek suggestions of places to eat.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Time for yet another dinner to celebrate my birthday! This time it was just for Nancy and me. Where to eat this time? Opal, just up the street at 5534 Connecticut. I\u2019ve reviewed Opal twice, here and here. 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