Chef Tony's Fresh Seafood-Bethesda — Restaurant in Kensington

I have visited Chef Tony's a few times over the past year. It is a small restaurant with big dreams and the food reflects a drive for notice within the Bethesda area.

/Food/ Appetizer: Of the appetizers I have tried over the course of my visits some being sampled from my SO's plate, I enjoyed the mussels and crab soup the most. The mussels were fresh and served in a delicious warm broth with bread and the crap soup had lumps of crab in a creamy base. I wish I had a spoon for the mussel broth!

Entree: As a seafood restaurant, the 3-course prix-fixe doesn't have any steak or red-meat listings but boasts salmon dishes, cod, monkfish, chicken dishes, and a few others I cannot recall. My personal favorite entree is the Scottish Salmon served with plantains and a cucumber salad, served medium-rare.

The comment about "big dreams" applies to the entree dishes I have sampled mainly because of lack of consistency, i.e. they are still experimenting with the dishes? The fish is fresh and perfectly cooked, however, the portions and servings have varied across my visits. E.g.: one time I had 4 plantains piled on the plate w/ my salmon order and then next there were 3 artfully arranged plantains, propped up for display; the cucumber salad on the side versus under the fish, etc. Consistently delicious, just variability in plating/serving makes me think there is still some experimentation with how the restaurant wants to present itself (and their food).

Dessert: About half of the desserts on the menu are made by Chef Tony's wife. The ones I have sampled pick directly from the house-made desserts which include cheesecake w/walnut crust, creme brulee, and tiramisu. Cheesecake: very, very rich. My significant other confided that they dream about the cheesecake at Chef Tony's because of the walnut crust. I was pleasantly surprised about how nutty and delicious the crust was with the chunky walnuts adding a nice texture to the thick cheesecake, however, I find the cheesecake very heavy and dense and the crust can be hard to cut through at times. Delicious, but again, consistency across visits has some crusts thicker than others. Served w/ strawberries, blackberries, and a sprig of mint on the side that helped constrast the creamy cheesecake. Creme brulee: perfect. served w/ strawberries, beautifully bruleed and flecks of vanilla bean throughout. Tirimisu: fluffy and creamy with a generous amount of cocoa powder dusting the top. Definitely something to split.

/Atmosphere/ The servers and Chef Tony have a family-like camaraderie that makes dining pleasant as all the servers are friendly and willing to help each other. The dining room is an odd shape with an alley like stretch of two-person tables walled up to the right of the entrance, a small area of tables upon walking in, and another dining room towards the back near the kitchen door. The two main dining areas are connected by a stretch that passes the semi-open kitchen/bar area. Chef Tony can been seen through the semi-open kitchen and often greets guests as they walk through. The decor is an odd mashup of Spanish-inspired and homey-chatskis that make the dining room causal and unpretentious. Also separating the dining spaces is a transition from wood in the entry-way dining area and tile in the back area. I would love to see a layout overhaul of the dining room area to unify and update the interior but the home-y-ness adds to it's charm.

/Price/ Reasonable for the Bethesda area (~$17-$25 for dinner entree, $35 for 3 course prix-fixe) and so many promotions and loyalty programs in frequent rotation. Chef Tony sends out an email letter if you sign up w/ deal promotions.

Overall, I enjoy the whole experience at Chef Tony's more than the individual dissection of its parts. The fresh seafood is wonderful but the combination of relaxed atmosphere with the friendliness of the staff make it a nice evening spot in the bustle of downtown Bethesda...

Chef Tony's at The Promenade is Chef Tony's second location, which opened in January 2021. Unlike their other location, the parking is complimentary to all dining guests. When booking online, there was no option to select outdoor dining but we were glad they were able to accommodate our request. The service was good. If we needed something (e.g., silverware, small plates, boxes), they brought it to us. The staff (especially Jealni) were friendly and attentive. After placing our order, we were given herb crusted sliced baguette with a garlic infused olive oil dipping sauce.

For drinks, I recommend the Margaret's Mug, which consisted of Cava, Chambord, Pineapple, and Fresh Blueberry. It was light, sweet, and refreshing. I liked how it was served in a mug and topped with Cava to create a bubbly foam top. I didn't enjoy the Classic Old Fashioned as much. I didn't like how it was served with ice cubes instead of a block of ice. It felt watered down.

For appetizers, we shared Bethesda's Best Crispy Calamari, Baked Skipjack Oysters, CT's Famous Grilled Caesar Salad, Baked Eggplant, and Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

The Bethesda's Best Crispy Calamari consisted of calamari rings and tentacles flash fried, garnished with pepperoncino, and served with lemon basil aioli. I liked how they were lightly breaded and crispy as described.

The Baked Skipjack Oysters consisted of half dozen of skipjack oysters baked with spinach, cream, and parmesan. It reminded me of Oyster Rockefeller. I liked how they were fresh and I was surprised how big the oysters were.

The CT's Famous Grilled Caesar Salad consisted of grilled romaine lettuce finished with a balsamic reduction drizzle, shaved parmesan, and buttery garlic bread crumbs. I liked the smoky flavor, which adds depth to the dish.

The Baked Eggplant consisted of lightly breaded eggplant baked in a chunky tomato sauce topped with mozzarella. It reminded me of a Baked Eggplant Parm. I liked how the tomato sauce had chunks of tomato in it.

The Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts consisted of brussels sprouts sauteed with applewood smoked bacon and garlic and garnished with buttery breadcrumbs. This was our least favorite appetizer as we felt that the overall flavors of the dish was a bit on the saltier side and that the brussels sprouts could have been cooked more thoroughly.

For dinner, we enjoyed everything we ordered - Grilled Whole Turkish Branzino, Organic Scottish Salmon Pasta, Italian Style Paella, and Mussels and Linguini Pasta.

The Grilled Whole Turkish Branzino consisted of grilled whole Mediterranean seabass seasoned with garlic and fresh herbs served with crispy baby potatoes and daily vegetable medley. It was a bit salty but still delicious.

The Organic Scottish Salmon Pasta consisted of penne pasta cooked with salmon chucks, artichoke hearts and fresh tomatoes in a creamy pesto sauce. It was delicious but filling.

The Italian Style Paella consisted of angel hair pasta pan roasted with scallop, PEI mussels, shrimp, and lump crabmeat in lobster tomato broth. It was nice that they were able to split into two portions.

The Mussels and Linguini Pasta consisted of linguine cooked with mussels, bacon, white beans, and tomato in a light buttery white wine sauce.

Everything on the dessert menu sounded delicious. I decided to get a Blueberry Cheesecake to-go to enjoy tomorrow. It consisted of an almond crunch crusted blueberry cheesecake served with fresh blueberries and blueberry sauce.

By the end of the night, the patio got really dark and stormy-looking. Patio umbrellas and string lights or lamp posts would be a great addition...

I came two days ago, the older gentleman was on the phone, once he finished I asked if he had a table for two (one table had a family of 6 at the front of the restaurant the rest was empty). He asked if I had a reservation, I stated no, he then informed me there was no a table available for 2 people for at least 3 hours. I thanked him and left. We went home and booked a reservation for 2 days later.

Honestly I’m really confused why there are so many high ratings for this place. My husband and I made reservations and were seated in a tiny hallway next to pile of furniture, I understand it was probably furniture from before covid, but it was weird to be put away in the “corner” away from everyone. The calamari everyone raves over was average, the smaller pieces were crispy and the big O’s were soggy. The sauce was flavorful. The cream of crab soup might actually be the worst I have ever had. I asked before ordering it and the server stated it was amazing and the best. It’s heavy cream with a lot of salt, and a couple of pieces of crab they threw in. The soup was luke warm and the lumps of crab were cold. When I told the server it was cold, he took it and microwaved it and brought it back. The taste of it was still not good even heated. I DO NOT recommend the soup. Lastly we got the pan seared jumbo scallops. They were anything but jumbo. They did taste good, and I would recommend those, but again the mashed potatoes and the veggies were cold. Overall, would not return to this restaurant.

Also just a side note they have a gender neutral bathroom which is fine. But I hate when guys leave the seat up. I know there is no control over this, but it really just bothers me. Also when you wash your hands, there is no hot water, it looks like it has been disconnected. You are only able to wash your hands in super cold water. For proper washing it should be warm, but that is just a side note, and it did not impact my rating.

Lastly the older gentleman in a suit walked around and spoke to every table several times, but not once came to us. I’m sure the staff told him of our cold food, and he knows we were stuffed in the bath corner with the piles of furniture.

UPDATE TO REPLY TO CHEF TONY 9/17/2021: I’m unable to comment on your response since it’s 4 months after my original posting (I guess there is a time limit) I’m responding 14 hours after your response Chef Tony. 4 months ago when I wrote this review, you did not have outdoor seating. The day I came in originally it was raining, the older gentleman (manager of some sort) was rude and completely disinterested. I didn’t write anything about outdoor seating because I didn’t request it. My review is based off the food and multiple experiences we had. Of all the restaurants in Bethesda this was the worst service and food. I understand you don’t like my one star rating, but you should try and improve your staff and food in order to get a higher rating and not assume it’s because we wanted to sit outside. Please go back and reread the multiple issues we outlined and correct them so no future customers have a terrible...