the wharf

the wharf did not have any serious strictseafoodoptions such as fish filets and/or "catch of the day". instead, almost everyseafoodoption was fried and smothered in different sauces; or with different pastas; or in a sandwhich. while that's not really terrible, i would suggest that this restaurant seemed to be a 'pub food' restaurant first that has fish-esque options, rather than a fish restaurant that has some pub food options. the only natural food entree choice that had minimal additives was the chicken piccata which, i will admit, was delicious. i would say the wharf is a pretty decent pub.

last friday night we intended to go out to dinner in d.c. for our date night. however, some work got in the way and we needed to improvise. since we had to cancel our reservation, we decided to go some place new in old town that was a little easier to get into. we decide to try the wharf , since we were in the mood forseafoodand it seemed like a good fit. it was really nice to support an old town restaurant and we really enjoyed our stroll around the restaurant in the heart of old town. the downstairs of the wharf is so historic and quaint. i love the old wood and the rustic feel. apparently the beams were charred during a civil war fire. so if that doesn’t get my history-loving heart pitter-pattering, i don’t know what will. we sat upstairs, which was slightly less beautiful but a little quieter (because the bar is downstairs). we actually really appreciated the quiet since it was perfect for a romantic date and a great opportunity to catch up after a busy week.

ranking. i'm surprised that the wharf is ranked so low. it's menu is excellent. i would not call it "pub food" by any definition. the oysters on the half shell are the best in the dc area. several restaurants have "gourmet" oysters at high prices. the wharf's oysters are not considered gourmet but they rank with the best on the gulf coast in size and flavor. not only are theseafoodchoices without competition, the steaks and other offerings are well above dc averages.

used to be a pretty good place. two of us ate lunch her last week after not having been for about 15 years or more. we used to love theseafoodat the wharf, but the crabcake i had was pretty bad. there were a few lumps on top, and the rest was filler, some kind of mushy sauce, and crab meat shreds. i order crabcakes everywhere i go during the summer and there are plenty of great ones out there...but not at this place! i won't even consider returning. service was bad too. the server never checked on us to see if we needed more water or how the meal was. it wasn't too crowded as we were eating after 1 pm. we waited a long time for our food. everything about this place was a disappointment except that we snagged a parking place directly in front of the restaurant, so we didn't have to pay much to park.

they should rename "barf" really badseafoodlow quality at a high price. i would avoid