Opal - Review - Chevy Chase - Washington DC - The Infatuation

"In a neighborhood where the sidewalks are constantly at risk of stroller gridlock, Opal in Chevy Chase offers an escape. Unlike many restaurants in the neighborhood, the soundtrack is less slurping from sippy cups and more slurping of wood-fired oysters. It seems like everyone here has left the kids at home for the night with the singular mission of gorging themselves on swordfish and getting twisted off cucumber and rose water G&Ts. The “Simple Supper” is simple in name only. The five-course tasting menu lets you pick a main—the menu changes, but some of the current offerings are a turnip schnitzel, rainbow trout, and that bbq swordfish—paired with dishes like a lemony English pea ricotta agnolotti and a chive blini with yuzu labneh and roasted shrimp. If you’re ordering a la carte, get the clams and saffron spaghetti. The broth adds a welcome richness to the housemade pasta, and is ideal for mopping up with a slab of focaccia from the wood-fired hearth. It’s hard to go wrong with Opal’s cocktail program, but we love the PP+T with pisco, pineapple juice, and a touch of turmeric, and the espresso martini, blessedly rendered non-basic thanks to the addition of orange essence." - Liz Tracy