Father's Day At Clyde's Chevy Chase

I have to admit that when I received the email that the family was going to convene on Daddy's Day at Clyde's, my heart dropped a bit. I really wasn't up to a chain restaurant experience, hoping instead for a foray into a new culinary venue.

I was pleasantly surprised - while the service was a bit confusing (we got there at the end of brunch and our wait staff changed mid-meal - the food was very fresh and tasteful, not to mention reasonably priced. I am used to visiting Clyde's in Georgetown and Columbia - two diametrically opposed locations. I have never been over impressed with either. It's usually for a lunch with clients that demand American fare and I find myself with the same appetizers and a burger. Yawn.

Yesterday was different. While our starters did contain our obligatory fried calamari and oysters (some family members won't leave home without 'em!), we branched out a bit with the Sesame Crusted Tuna Tataki which was served with seaweed salad, pickled carrots and onions, cucumber, Sriracha sauce, and wasabi vinaigrette. Yum. The sushi grade tuna worked well with the pickled veggies and I found myself eating most of those as my husband and others devoured the tuna.

Although there were nine of us, we only ordered five different entrees:

• Maine Lobster (all the dad's ordered this for some reason) with French fries, cole slaw and the obligatory lemon butter,
  
• Crab Cakes with asparagus, roasted potatoes and mustard aioli,
  
• Smoked Baby Back Ribs
  
• Trout Parm - Parmesan crusted trout, green beans,roasted potatoes with a bit of hollandaise, and the Prix Fix special
  
• Grilled Rockfish with crab salad and guacomole, Shrimp cocktail and Blueberry Strawberry Crumble for dessert.
  

My sister-in-law could not believe the size of her Trout Parm, so she spread half of it around the table. It was very good with a fried parmesan taste. My stepdaughter and I ravaged my husband's lobster, but he didn't mind since he really liked the crab salad and grilled rockfish from my plate. The three shrimp in the cocktail were huge and more than enough to share with other diners. As you can see, we are really into the 'family style' sharing thing - no plate is safe. Unless it is my father-in-law. No one got a hold of his fried oysters. I loved my rockfish - it was so flavorful without being over seasoned. Nothing was overcooked and portions were more than enough. Dessert was okay. I was more than glad to share the Blueberry crumble. It really didn't leave an impression. However, the Sinful Chocolate cake my sister-in-law ordered was good but not overwhelming. All in all, it was a pleasant afternoon and I will certainly return when I'm in the area and just am not feeling a hot stove (hmmm, isn't that always?). Clyde's of Chevy Chase 5441 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Phone: 301.951.9600