Seafood Delights at Whaley's

I’m just going to keep this brief and say this: order the seafood tower. No, seriously. Skip whatever plans you had for dinner tonight, head to Navy Yard, procure a table at Whaley’s, and order a damn tower.

Opened by the same guys who brought you the great DGS Delicatessen, Nick and David Wiseman were inspired by the oyster bars of yesteryear as well as childhood visits to Crisfield’s (which we still haven’t been to since moving to Silver Spring nearly three years ago – something that needs to be rectified soon!) and introduced Whaley’s to the District.

And while we visited prior to the opening of their highly anticipated rosé garden, chef Daniel Perron has whipped up a handful of fantastic house cocktails that both wowed us.

We started the evening off with their day boat scallop crudo. Beautifully presented, it was light and refreshing while leaving plenty of room for our next course.

And back to that seafood tower. That glorious, glorious tower. It was a sight to behold. While we opted for the small version, Whaley’s also offers medium and large towers, the biggest of which will accommodate up to six people. But still, between the two of us, this was plenty.

A smorgasbord of treasures from the sea and priced at $65, the tower included smoked catfish, squid salad, clams, mussels, shrimp, artic char crudo and tartar, and last but not least, lobster tail.

So yeah, it was great. Like really great. I can’t remember the last time we’ve split a seafood tower let alone had so much great seafood in one sitting.

We closed out the evening with their chocolate tart. Topped with peppermint mouse and hazelnuts, it was a sweet ending to a very satisfying meal.

It’s a shame we’re not closer to Navy Yard because we would be taking advantage of their dollar oyster happy hour on a very frequent basis. But regardless, just go and order that tower already.