Fyve Restaurant Lounge

Tag : Salmon Leather

The Ritz-Carlton group has been big on chef“consultants.” Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert wastapped to install bistros in DC and Philadelphia hotels, and rumorhas it that the Ritz is angling for Hell’s Kitchen chef Gordon Ramsey to oversee the kitchen of what was once Maestroin the hotel’s Tysons Corner branch. For the new Fyve,located in the more conservative Pentagon City hotel (you’llsee as many men in fatigues as women in Theory blazers), the chainlooked to homegrown talent: a chef who actually would be working inthe kitchen.
Enter Amy Brandwein, Roberto Donna’s protégé atGalileo and Bebo Trattoria . The chef at Fyve shares her mentor’s affinity for robustItalian flavors, and it’s hard not to fill up on the generousbasket of crusty country bread and spiced crackers, served with apurée of artichokes and pecorino. Brandwein’smarvelous spring-vegetable soup is a Parmesan-rich broth with abounty of finely chopped zucchini and cauliflower, sweet corn, andcarnaroli rice. More restrained but also lovely is acharred-octopus salad gilded with green olive oil.
So far, main courses are works in progress. A lemon-roasted chickenwith almonds and pears would have been delicious had its rosy meatnot been as dry as overdone turkey. Amy’s Purse—a filetof cod poached in a cumin-scented tomato broth (and cutesily namedfor its presentation in a plastic bag)—was about as excitingas spa food. A Moroccan-spiced salmon set over bland olive-scentedmashed potatoes was, conversely, far too salty.
Gray leather place mats, orange overstuffed chairs, and atrip-hoppy soundtrack set a modish tone, but the rest of thecream-colored, chandeliered dining room is still very much the oldRitz.
This review appeared in the July, 2008 issue of The Washingtonian.