Chef Matt Baker's Last Night at City Perch

I finally got to chance to take my family as well as out-of-town guests to City Perch Kitchen + Bar, located at 11830 Grand Park Avenue, North Bethesda, MD 20852, within the Pike & Rose shopping center. Our server Dan had a good sense of humor, full of energy, and thus, the life of the party.

For drinks, we ordered The Norma Jean, Peach Mimosa, and few beers. It seems as though every time I order the The Norma Jean it's stronger even though it's supposedly the sweetest drink on the menu. The Norma Jean was sweet and fruity in nature and tasted like a strawberry lemonade with a twist. I liked how it was garnished with muddled strawberries. The Peach Mimosa was sweet and bubbly and tasted like white peach and prosecco. The elderflower must have been so subtle, I couldn't taste it.

The Norma Jean

Peach Mimosa

Our meal started with the Amuse, which was a shot of warm chicken, corn, and scallion soup. For appetizers, we decided to get a bread board for $10, which consisted of four types of bread and each served with their own butters /spreads. The breads (in the order of my favorites) were Chinese Butter Buns, Orange Sage Biscuit, Cayenne + Parmesan Popovers, and Honey Dipped Corn Bread. The Chinese Butter Buns came like buttered dinner rolls topped with scallions and sea salt and served with whipped "trickling springs" butter. The Orange Sage Biscuit had the texture of warm scone that was coated with orange marmalade and served with a maple bourbon (usually pecan) butter. The Cayenne + Parmesan Popovers tasted like a Cheez-It with a hint of spice and went well with smoked sundried tomato butter. The Honey Dipped Corn Bread consisted of corn bread topped with creamy goat cheese, wildflower honey, and roasted corn.

Bread Board:

Chinese Butter Buns, Orange Sage Biscuit, Cayenne + Parmesan Popovers, and Honey Dipped Corn Bread

In addition to the bread board, I ordered the French Onion Soup, which consisted of a very salty, braised beef short rib broth with dry short rib bits and topped with melted gruyere-white cheddar.

French Onion Soup

For entrees, we ordered "Everything" Waffle, Cedar Smoked Salmon, Whole Roasted Porgy, and Pan Seared Rockfish. The "Everything" Waffle consisted of belgian waffles topped with dill crème fraiche, norwegian smoked salmon,and trout roe. It was quite filling as an appetizer.

"Everything" Waffle

The Cedar Smoked Salmon was cooked to perfection and served with a sweet and tangy honey-coriander glaze. Don't worry the coriander was locally grown so you won't catch the cyclosporiasis that's been going around!

Cedar Smoked Salmon

The Whole Roasted Porgy was light fleshed fish prepared rotisserie style with tarragon-fennel stuffed caper-oyster butter. I felt like it could have been more flavorful.

The Whole Roasted Porgy

The Pan Seared Rockfish was tender and crispy on the top. It was served on cauliflower purée, morel nettle stuffing in a lemon verbena ravigote.

For sides, we shared Crispy White Sweet Potato Nuggets, Crispy Cauliflower, and Warm Roasted Baby Beets. The Crispy White Sweet Potato Nuggets was deep-fried white sweet potato topped with crispy sage, brown butter, and honey gastrique. It made me have Fall / Thanksgiving cravings.

Crispy White Sweet Potato Nuggets

The Crispy Cauliflower consisted of white, orange, and purple cauliflowers, golden raisin marmalade, toasted pine nuts, and pickled shallots in a mustard seed gastrique. I loved the sweet, honey mustard flavor.

Crispy Cauliflower

The Warm Roasted Baby Beets consisted of yellow and red baby beets tossed with burrata,

and candied hazelnuts and topped with micro basil in a roasted shallot emulsion. It was surprisingly tart but I liked it.

Warm Roasted Baby Beets

We concluded our meal with a Baked Alaska Pie which consisted of a crust made of triple gingerbread crumble, filled with a chilled creamy lemon gelato, and topped with toasted brown sugar meringue. It was served cold but the torched meringue made the cream warm and fluffy like a melted marshmallow.

Baked Alaskan Pie

At the end of our meal, we found out that it was Matt Baker's last night as Executive Chef at City Perch. For the next year, he plans to host small pop-up dinners (such as Gravitas) as well as private dinners. Late next year, he plans to open up a new fine dining restaurant in Washington, DC.

Chef Matt Baker (right) and I