I’m not often intrigued by every food item on a menu. But I was on my first visit to Neutral Ground Bar + Kitchen, the full-service restaurant chef David Guas opened in McLean in June.
One starter in particular grabbed my attention because it transported me back to trips to New Orleans with my father, who loved the chargrilled oysters at Acme Oyster House and Drago’s. For his version, Guas roasts six wild-caught Chesapeake bivalves with lemony garlic butter in the 700-degree wood-fired oven that was left behind by the building’s previous tenant, a pizzeria. Lightly poached during their pass through the fire, the oysters arrived crusted with golden brown Parmesan cheese. I added a few dashes of Crystal hot sauce, slurped them down and sopped up the garlicky liquid with French bread from the Crescent City’s Leidenheimer Baking Co.