Winter Break Adventure at PassionFish

Winter Break is always a glorious time for us since we work at a university. It is a great opportunity for us to check out a new restaurant on a food adventure and relish in our time off from work, and this Winter Break was no different. At the end of December, we ventured to Bethesda, MD to have lunch at PassionFish Bethesda. The restaurant is located on the corner of Woodmont Avenue and Bethesda Avenue, across the street from the Barnes & Nobles store on Bethesda Row. PassionFish is a pretty large restaurant with a rather chic and modern decor, so it definitely is a good option for a special occasion or a date if seafood is your jam. When we arrived, there weren't too many people at the restaurant, but over the course of our time there it actually got pretty packed.

Because we were on vacation, ordering cocktails was a must. We decided to order from their Speciality Cocktails list---Simone had the Hurricane and Damien had the Kentucky Sunset. The Kentucky Sunset was absolutely delicious. PassionFish makes their own lemonade, and it was a perfect companion to the bourbon and crème de cassis. Although Damien likes bourbon, the drink wasn't too strong and actually had a nice hint of sweetness to it that we think anyone would enjoy. And the Hurricane was delicious as well! New Orleans can always create an amazing cocktail, and PassionFish's version was a delightful balance of sweet and boozy. And the best part of both of our cocktails? PassionFish put a small mermaid trinket on the rim of each our glasses! You can see them in our pictures below.

PassionFish offers their guests complimentary bread with a Smoked Whitefish Spread (in lieu of butter, though you can get butter upon request). The bread was warm and delicious, but we had some mixed feelings about the spread. The Smoked Whitefish Spread was very unique---it tasted like butter with a semi-strong infusion of fish flavor. It was decent, but it wasn't the best thing we've ever had. Simone thinks that they should have gone with salmon lox instead (if lox is your thing). If you go to PassionFish, we recommend ordering both the Smoked Whitefish Spread and the butter so you have options.

Passion Fish offers primarily seafood on their menu---their dishes range from everything from sushi to fish tacos. We opted to ordered three different sushi rolls because as you know from reading our blog, we really love sushi. We had the The Rock, Salmon Sunrise, and Firecracker rolls. The sushi was very good. The Rock sushi roll included spicy tuna, mango, avocado and dynamite tempura rock shrimp. We both loved this roll. The Salmon Sunrise was an interesting blend of salmon, spicy tuna, avocado, crunchy flakes, and yuzu-sriracha. Yuzu is a sour Japanese citrus fruit which was an interesting taste with the sriracha. Simone was not the biggest fan of the Salmon Sunrise because of the yuzu-sriracha. The Firecracker roll was tempura shrimp, spicy crab, seaweed salad and dynamite tobiko crunch, and it was very tasty.

For our entrees, Damien ordered the Grilled Salmon Burger because salmon is one of his favorites. Unfortunately, the sandwich was pretty bland. The salmon definitely needed more seasoning. The Simple Green Salad that accompanied it was nothing to write home about, either. Simone ordered the Seafood Cobb Salad, which was similar to a traditional Cobb Salad except the salad was served with cold seafood---cold shrimp, crab, and salmon. PassionFish was generous with the amount of seafood in the salad, which was great. The presentation of the dish was beautiful hence Simone was not paying attention when she poured the accompanying Louie Dressing all over the salad. The dressing was overwhelmingly fishy---it tasted like raw fish mixed with creamy dressing. The dressing was definitely not Simone's favorite and she will never eat it ever again. It was a shame because the salad was definitely flavorful and robust with delicious seafood.

Overall, we would give PassionFish Bethesda a 3.5 out of 5. The sushi was amazing and the ambiance was perfect for a happy hour or romantic meal, but our entrees let us down. The restaurant is located near several parking garages which is helpful because parking in Bethesda can be a pain. We would recommend PassionFish for a fun happy hour (they have some good specials), a date, or if you are in the mood for a sushi adventure with a friend. Until next time, treat yourself to a great meal soon! Oh, and happy new year!