“He was a bold man who first ate an oyster,” Jonathan Swift famously wrote.
The 18th-century satirist was right—plucking something alien from the sea and putting it into your mouth can be, well, more than a modest proposal. But it takes even greater audacity to turn that oyster into a sake bomb with ponzu, scallion, and chile, and still more to plumb the depths and come up with a charcuterie board.
We’re not saying that chef Matthew Singer was the first to eat an oyster, to make a shooter, or to prepare seafood charcuterie, but in Northern Virginia, there is no question that the culinarian is at the top of his class when it comes to the denizens of the briny deep. Singer leads the kitchen at Ballston’s The Salt Line in conjunction with Long Shot Hospitality chef/partner Kyle Bailey, who created the menu at the original restaurant by that name, in DC’s Navy Yard.
The Arlington Salt Line opened in October with a bill of fare that was roughly half new, all devoted to a theme of New England–style seafood. Now, Singer says that his unique dishes account for about 60 percent of what’s offered. “I think we’re definitely sort of getting more adventurous,” says the Connecticut native. “But we’re not doing odd things. We’re letting loose a little more.”
Reintroducing seafood charcuterie, which had been discontinued at the Navy Yard location when the pandemic hit, was one of Singer’s first moves toward independence. “It really allows us to be creative,” he says of the project, which executive sous-chef Matthew Sperber has taken under his wing.
When I try the platter, served on a blue-lined white dish, five examples of that inventiveness are on display. Swordfish chorizo and halibut bratwurst are both seasoned just like the sausages they replicate. Shrimp gives both the meaty bite that molars will crave chomping into. My favorite of the collection is monkfish liver mousse, as creamy and rich as a poultry version—it’s glorious spread on grilled bread and paired with a bite or two of varied house pickles. There’s also smoked salmon and marinated mussels. Sperber and Singer pull the potential fishiness out of those products and replace it with lip-smacking, sweet acid.
The charcuterie board is on the raw bar menu, which is updated daily. Items range from single oysters that hail from both New England and the Chesapeake Bay to towers that feature shellfish along with cheffed-up accompaniments like seasoned salmon roe and pickled mussels. But after I’m done with the charcuterie, I’m more likely to head to the crudos.
All of the raw fish dishes that I tried were impressively fresh, but I was bowled over by the full flavor of the kanpachi. The fish, known in English as amberjack, is presented in five petite slices under a haystack of colorful vegetables and herbs. Carrots and ginger are presented in matchsticks along with dill, each contributing its own burst of sweetness, fire, and green freshness. Cumin salt brings the combination down to earth. At $16, it’s not cheap for five pieces of fish, yet that wouldn’t stop me from ordering it again.
But the cooked seafood is just as worthy of your time and gastric real estate. Maybe it’s the New Englander in me, but I was especially fond of the stuffies: topneck clam shells piled with the bivalves’ chopped flesh, yes, but mostly buttery breadcrumbs enhanced with meaty Portuguese linguiça sausage, lemon, and house hot sauce.
They’re even better after a fluffy Parker House roll spread with housemade butter—there are four in an order, so bring home half from your date and warm them up the next day.
Traditionalists would be well advised to order the Waterman’s Platter, a mound of crispy skin-on fries crowned with fried shrimp, oysters, scallops, and a sizable, salt-showered fillet of fish. It’s a dreamy New England clam shack on a plate. Diners who prefer turf to surf have options, too, including a sexy two-story smashburger that melts with American cheese and comes with a side of those craveworthy fries.
There are plenty of reasons to stray from the more creative set of Singer’s original entrées, but it would be a mistake to miss it. He recently introduced a monkfish saltimbocca, with the toothsome fish enrobed in prosciutto and sage and served over cheesy garlic polenta with trumpet mushrooms and Marsala jus. “It’s unique, it’s different, and I think it’s good,” Singer says modestly.
The rockfish gathers a cabinet of culinary curiosities beneath and surrounding the crispy-skinned fish. It’s sunken into a magenta vinegared beet purée, but its biggest flavors come from a combination of brown butter–walnut vinaigrette and its unlikely foil of tannic, tangy kumquats. Brussels sprouts and artichokes contribute a vegetal undercurrent to the dish.
Brussels sprouts enthusiasts should also order the shareable side dish of them. In a charred-tomato-and-sherry vinaigrette, the crispy little cabbages are dusted with Old Bay in what Singer calls a “Hey, how are you doing?” to the mid-Atlantic. But due to the inclusion of basil and peanuts, the concoction ends up tasting vaguely Thai. Another side, the smoked fingerling sweet potatoes, is a nod to Mexico with housemade chile paste folded into goat cheese that’s spread onto the roots along with pepitas, pecans, and a bit of honey.
It’s almost sweet enough to provide a satisfying end to the meal, but saving room for dessert is a wise move. The highlight of the concise menu of treats is the butterscotch parfait, a glass filled with impressively moist chocolate cake layered with viscous butterscotch pudding. It’s buried in a layer of housemade caramel corn and crunchy chocolate pearls.
The Salt Line may be a sequel to an existing restaurant, but with a team of highly original chefs behind it, at its best, the fare is as novel as eating an oyster for the first time.
4040 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
See This: Diners are greeted by the chic, modern raw bar. Once inside, big windows illuminate plates in the front, while guests seated in the back can peer into the semi-open kitchen. There’s an outdoor bar, too.
Eat This: Kanpachi crudo, crispy-skin rockfish, butterscotch parfait
Appetizers: $5–$18 Raw bar: $6–$195 Entrées: $16–$58 Dessert: $6–$16
Rating: ★★★★
★ Fair ★★ Good ★★★ Great ★★★★ Excellent ★★★★★ Superior
Feature image by Rey Lopez
This story originally appeared in our March issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
