We recently dined at City Perch (in North Bethesda) for the first time. The restaurant shares a floor with a movie theater (which is part of the same company).

We tried several of City Perch’s new menu items: Grilled Pork Chop, French Onion Soup, Tuscan Kale Salad, Apple Crisp, and Chocolate Donut. We also tried one of their classic options, the Roasted Long Island Duck, and two of their cocktails, the Norma Jean and the Illegalito.

So, how were the food and drinks?

The shredded duck was delicious. The dried out duck leg was more of a garnish, but the BBQ sauce and rest of the duck were spot on. The duck was served with Chinese Butter Buns (whipped trickling springs butter + sea salt), something I haven’t heard of, but they had a nice texture and worked well with the dish.

The pork chop was tender and well executed, and was served with tasty Brussels sprouts. It was odd that they served me an item on the bone with a butter knife, since a steak knife would have been more appropriate (easier to use).

The French Onion Soup and Tuscan Kale salad were good as well. I haven’t had French Onion Soup that included beef previously, but it was a good combination.

The Norma Jean (Strawberry Vodka lemonade) and Illegalito (lovechild of a passion fruit mojito and a fresh piña colada) were both cocktails we would order again. We actually attempted to order a piña colada, since they already were making a similar cocktail, but were told it was not possible.

The last three images above are dishes I took pictures of, even though we did not try them.

This is a great restaurant that is serving some wonderful dishes, but some work needs to be done on the dessert menu. It is interesting that the waiter tried to steer both of us towards the Chocolate Donut, but we insisted on trying two different desserts.

The Chocolate Donut could have had better texture, and in the menu, it was not clear that it is filled with warm chocolate. The accompanying macadamie tuile was excellent and the ice cream pairing (chocolate mint) worked.

The apples in the Apple Crisp were under cooked and under seasoned (cinnamon, brown sugar, or ginger would help) and the crisp topping wasn’t crisp or substantial (it is usually like a crust when I order it in other restaurants) or flavored. The bland apple crisp was paired with crème fraîche ice cream when a flavored ice cream could have helped substantially by bringing contracting flavors. That particular ice cream flavor may pair well with a more flavored dessert.

We are definitely looking forward to trying more dishes at City Perch, since the entrees were delicious and well-executed.

-JAY