Fishnet Restaurant | College Park, MD

Fishnet reels in fish sandwiches

Ah, the thrills of doing one thing very well.

With that goal in mind, Ferhat Yalcin has opened a café inspired by the fishermen working along the Bosphorous River of his native Turkey. At Yalcin's Fishnet, the menu is dedicated almost solely to excellent fish.

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The former Corduroy manager offers four fish options–grilled or fried–that he layers into simple but satisfying sandwiches on ciabatta bread.

Mild, flaky hake ($10) is best fried and topped with the requisite baby greens. Delicate porgy ($10) and calamari ($9) are ideal simply grilled.

Yalcin offers a choice of four sauces to augment the sandwiches. The best are Turkish-inspired. Smoky imported Turkish peppers spike a daringly spicy aioli. Subtle Turkish tarator sauce is like an herbless pesto, mashing together walnuts, a heady dose of garlic and breadcrumbs with sumac and olive oil. A side of hand-cut fries ($2.50) is helpful for scooping up any leftover sauce.

Fish tacos ($10) wrap large fried fillets of wild salmon with a touch of sour cream and tart, crunchy coleslaw in griddled flour tortillas. Though a mess to eat, they are a happily fish-focused alternative to overbattered versions.

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The fishmonger also ventures out of the water. Perhaps as a tribute to the healthy café that previously occupied his College Park building, Ferhat serves a robust, herb-laced falafel ($9).

Fishnet, 5010 Berwyn Rd., College Park; 301-220-1070 or eatfishnet.com

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