This year I really struggled with what I wanted to do to bring in the new year. It was a toss between celebrating and sleeping and up until 9:00 that morning, sleeping was in the lead. Then I remembered we had friends and I had this incredible Halston dress so we got a reservation at Fish by Jose Andrés in the MGM National Harbor.
Fish was having a New Year’s Eve Gala with five courses, live music, fireworks and a champagne toast at midnight. Each course was expertly paired with wine and the detail in the presentation was not missed. Ironically, seafood is actually my least favorite type of food. Maybe it’s the smell or the tiny bones and eye sockets, but either way, not my fave. So for me to choose a seafood-focused restaurant should speak for itself as to how incredible the food there is.
The first seafood-focused concept from Jose and his team, Fish by Jose Andrés celebrates the best of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, while incorporating time-honored cooking techniques from around the world.
Course One:
Caviar Cones
Course Two:
Seafood Plateau
Puppies and Roe
Course Three:
Tuna Tartar
Grilled Caesar
Grilled Octopus
Course Four:
Steamed Clams
Whole Branzino
Roasted Striploin
Delmonico Potatoes
Sauteed Caulilini
Course Five:
Cheesecake
One of the things even more incredible than the delicious food, the 23 kitchens, live seafood tanks, interactive cooking stations and the view overlooking the Potomac, is the chef who started it all. Chef Jose Andrés not only is the only chef globally with both a two-star Michelin restaurant and four Bib Gourmands, he’s also a humanitarian. He served over 3.5 million meals across all 78 municipalities in Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017. He has offered free sandwiches to government workers affected by the recent shutdown. He’s gone beyond being a chef and owner and really makes an impact on communities. Because of that, he’s been named Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and has been awarded “Outstanding Chef” and “Humanitarian of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation.
If you’re looking to make a reservation at Fish, I’ve linked the reservations page for you here.
Looking for a menu now? I don’t blame you. You can find the menu and prices here.
After we ate our weight at Fish and toasted to the new year (it was really foggy so we couldn’t see the fireworks over the harbor but we heard them! Counts?) we kept the celebration going without having to leave the resort.
The MGM in the National Harbor has shops like SJP and MCM, fine dining restaurants, a food court (yesss Shake Shack!), a multi-floor casino, lounges, entertainment venues, and the Conservatory where the theme changes based on the season.
We ended our evening dancing to the live DJ at Felt Lounge. Felt’s entrance is inside the casino and it has a very “chic lounge” feel to it.
Felt is open until 2:00 am and Blossom Cocktail Lounge is open until 4:00 am. Here are some weekly happenings to help you make your choice:
- Mondays – live music starting at 9
- Tuesdays – live performances and drink specials on martinis and manhattans 9 til midnight
- Thursdays – ladies night with drink specials from 9-10
- Fridays and Saturdays – live DJs starting at 10
Which spot will you be in when your night turns to morning?
*besitos*
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