5.07.2007
Trapeze - Maple Lawn
Although this restaurant has been open for about a year and a half, it’s not in an area John and I pass by very often. Maple Lawn is quickly developing and the business center (shops, restaurants and offices) reminds me of King Farm in Gaithersburg. My dad read about Trapeze in the Washington Post and decided it would be a good place for the family to celebrate John’s birthday and my parents’ 42nd anniversary. And man, it was!
I made reservations for 11 and we were given a private little dining room. That was a nice touch. Being Sunday night, the place wasn’t very crowded. The restaurant is a nice size, with a fairly large bar area. It’s upscale without feeling too high falootin’. The menu was not overwhelming and had a number of fish dishes but also had selections for non-seafood eaters.
For appetizers, we ordered Calamari, Seared Tuna and Fried Green Tomatoes. The calamari was more than enough for the table to share. Although I thought the breading was a little oily, the actual calamari was cooked very nicely (not rubbery!). The accompanying sauce was sweet, a little spicy and tart, but kind of runny. It could have used a dash or so of fish sauce and something to make it slightly thicker in consistency. Delicious, none the less.
I didn’t try the tuna (a wasabi sauce was drizzled over it) but the Fried Green Tomato dish ($11) was awesome. It was topped with chunks of crabmeat and I was a little disappointed there were only two tomato rounds on the plate (making it difficult to share with 11 people). The sauce was garlicky with a hint of sesame oil and really complimented the tart tomatoes.
Sadly, I didn't think to take pictures of the apps. We just dug in!
For dinner, I had a Chilean Sea Bass ($29) served with asparagus and Yukon mashed potatoes and topped with fried scallion strings. The fish was seared crispy on the outside but remained perfectly tender on the inside. I hadn’t seen Sea Bass on a menu in quite a while and was very happy not to be disappointed. The way this fish was prepared reminded me of a meal I had at Lamberti’s in Wilmington a few years ago, where I had the best (and very memorable) Chilean Sea Bass.
John had the Crab Cakes, despite the newspaper article claiming the cakes here are overcooked and dry. They were tasty, but not as good as Red Sky (according to John). Other dishes around the table included Hamachi (a fish similar to tuna), bacon-wrapped scallops, a grilled pork chop and a fish that looked like salmon (pink in color) but tasted like trout.
The dessert menu didn’t include Tiramisu (to Julianna’s chagrin) but did offer cheesecake, key lime pie and ice cream. Julianna, John and I ordered a chocolate mousse in a chocolate shell with berries and Jim had a “Snowball” (ice cream coated in crumbled Heath Bar). Geneva had fun sampling all the desserts.
We left full and happy to enjoy a wonderful meal with family.
TRAPEZE
8180 Maple Lawn Blvd
Maple Lawn, MD 20759
(301) 498-4411
I made reservations for 11 and we were given a private little dining room. That was a nice touch. Being Sunday night, the place wasn’t very crowded. The restaurant is a nice size, with a fairly large bar area. It’s upscale without feeling too high falootin’. The menu was not overwhelming and had a number of fish dishes but also had selections for non-seafood eaters.
For appetizers, we ordered Calamari, Seared Tuna and Fried Green Tomatoes. The calamari was more than enough for the table to share. Although I thought the breading was a little oily, the actual calamari was cooked very nicely (not rubbery!). The accompanying sauce was sweet, a little spicy and tart, but kind of runny. It could have used a dash or so of fish sauce and something to make it slightly thicker in consistency. Delicious, none the less.
I didn’t try the tuna (a wasabi sauce was drizzled over it) but the Fried Green Tomato dish ($11) was awesome. It was topped with chunks of crabmeat and I was a little disappointed there were only two tomato rounds on the plate (making it difficult to share with 11 people). The sauce was garlicky with a hint of sesame oil and really complimented the tart tomatoes.
Sadly, I didn't think to take pictures of the apps. We just dug in!
For dinner, I had a Chilean Sea Bass ($29) served with asparagus and Yukon mashed potatoes and topped with fried scallion strings. The fish was seared crispy on the outside but remained perfectly tender on the inside. I hadn’t seen Sea Bass on a menu in quite a while and was very happy not to be disappointed. The way this fish was prepared reminded me of a meal I had at Lamberti’s in Wilmington a few years ago, where I had the best (and very memorable) Chilean Sea Bass.
John had the Crab Cakes, despite the newspaper article claiming the cakes here are overcooked and dry. They were tasty, but not as good as Red Sky (according to John). Other dishes around the table included Hamachi (a fish similar to tuna), bacon-wrapped scallops, a grilled pork chop and a fish that looked like salmon (pink in color) but tasted like trout.
The dessert menu didn’t include Tiramisu (to Julianna’s chagrin) but did offer cheesecake, key lime pie and ice cream. Julianna, John and I ordered a chocolate mousse in a chocolate shell with berries and Jim had a “Snowball” (ice cream coated in crumbled Heath Bar). Geneva had fun sampling all the desserts.
We left full and happy to enjoy a wonderful meal with family.
TRAPEZE
8180 Maple Lawn Blvd
Maple Lawn, MD 20759
(301) 498-4411
Labels: restaurants, trapeze
