What's In Store at Indigo Landing

At a press dinner last night at the new Indigo Landing, I got to sample some of the low-country cooking that chef Bryan Moscatello (pictured) has created for the revamped restaurant.

But to start, let me say that if you've never been to the marina where Indigo Landing is located, you should go. The view, especially as the setting sun turns the skyline pink, may be one of the most tranquil in the area (between the rumble of jets departing National Airport that is). The fact that there's now a worthwhile restaurant on the premises as well makes it even easier to justify a trip.

Whether you're parking your sailboat in the free slips or coming out for a special occasion, here are just a few of the things you have to look forward to: a rich and creamy she crab soup topped with sherry crema, fluffy hush puppies studded with foie gras and perfectly grilled black grouper with vidalia onion rings and a mussel barbecue sauce. A few preview-sized portions of other dishes also indicated good things--a sample of the oyster cobb salad offered a nicely fried oyster, still plump and briny on the inside, and a spoonful of shrimp and grits was enhanced by bacon, leeks, mushrooms and sage jus.

For dessert, we had banana pudding, a down-home Southern staple often served out of Styrofoam cups, that Indigo Landing takes uptown with a lightly browned meringue topping and a smooth texture with nary a Nilla wafer in sight.

The outdoor bar seats caught my eye, and I made a mental note to come back this summer for a leisurely afternoon snack of pimento cheese sliders and fried green tomatoes.

You can check out Tom Sietsema's take on the new restaurant here.