Portions of the below from a press release.
The Salt Line (79 Potomac Avenue SE), a New England inspired “oyster and ale house” opens this Thursday, June 1 in the shadow of Nationals Park’s home plate gate. Executive Chef Kyle Bailey (formerly of Birch & Barley and the Executive Chef of the Long Shot Hospitality Group, which also includes Sixth Engine), will be at the helm in the kitchen.
The beer menu strikes a balance between beers from local and New England breweries. A trip to the bar on Saturday night as part of the soft open revealed 24 draft lines devoted to beer. The press release notes, “The beer selection emphasizes New England breweries like Oxbow Brewing Company, Allagash Brewing Company, and Smuttynose Brewing Company, as well as local offerings from Right Proper Brewing Company, Ocelot Brewing Company, 3 Stars Brewing Company, Charm City Meadworks, among others.”
The Salt Line focuses on New England dishes like lobster rolls and clam while also providing more refined and eclectic options like octopus carpaccio, crab and avocado salad, and a seasonal Nashville “hot” soft shell crab. The restaurant’s sustainable seafood comes thanks to Bailey’s status as the DC region’s founding member of Dock to Dish. This CSA-esque program connects commercial fishermen and sustainability advocates through a supply-driven system of sourcing and distributing wild harvest seafood.
The program debuts at The Salt Line, where Bailey will feature the day’s catch – often underutilized species of fish – purchased from individual fishermen in the Chesapeake Bay region. Everything offered through Dock to Dish will come from within 100 miles of the restaurant, and the program has the potential to nearly eliminate food waste.
The 3,500 square-foot restaurant can accommodate 110 diners with an additional 125 seats on the covered outdoor patio. The Salt Line will be open Monday to Wednesday from 5pm to midnight, Thursday and Friday from 5pm to 1am, Saturday from 11am to 1am, and Sunday from 11am to midnight. The outdoor bar and patio will open at 3pm on weekdays. The restaurant will open one and a half hours before the start of any Washington Nationals home day game. Happy hour specials will be offered Monday to Friday from 3pm to 6pm except on Nationals home games. For more information, please visitwww.thesaltline.com.
Below: check out some photos from our trip to The Salt line this past weekend!
Disclosure: I received complimentary dishes at the soft opening (as is typical of soft openings), but the invitation was not contingent on coverage.
Banner next to The Salt Line’s front entrance. It’s in between similar banners for All-Purpose Pizzeria and a new Dacha location. So…the Capitol Riverfront might have some traffic soon.
Draft beer menu from the soft opening. Most beers were $6-7 for 16oz.
Eat your vegetables.
Oyster shooter with Port City Optimal Wit and yuzu-infused sake.
Raw bar greets guests as they walk in. The raw bar is part of the actual bar, with the intention that shuckers and bartenders can interact together and with guests.
Baltimore-style coddies. Codfish balls on Saltines with house-made yellow mustard.
Nashville-style “hot” soft shell crab.
The Salt Line team visited Woodford Reserve to make a custom blend for the bar. It runs sweeter, but smoother, than typical Woodford.
24 draft lines pour New England and local beers.
Each lobster roll contains the meat from a 1 pound lobster.
Pirate banana split. Why not?
