Does anyone have a recommendation for seafood restaurants in Fairfax, VA?

There aren't too many choices in Fairfax. There's a McCormick & Schmick up in Tyson's. There are more choices on the Alexandria water front (about 10 miles away--its a longish but doable metro ride). There are lots of different nationalities in the DC area, but not so much seafood. The DC waterfront has a few crab houses, but that's a dish much more well known in Baltimore. There's a decent crab house, Fairfax Crab House, at 10195 Lee Hwy in Fairfax.

Other choices in Fairfax are Minerva (an Indian place). My favorite is Temel a lower key but very good Turkish/Greek place. If you're visiting your best bet for almost all food related things is Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining guide. He's a local prof who loves food. You can search by area, cuisine and a few other things, but he's not into chains so they mostly aren't on the list.

Have a good time, and I hope you enjoy the area.

Let me preface this by saying that I rarely eat seafood outside of my own home these days - comes as a result of growing up in a California commercial fishing family and only eating fresh, quality fish, etc.

That being said, for those who think there's no good seafood in Fairfax, or it's limited to that Godawful Joe's Crab Shack or Coastal Flats, there is an alternative that produced exceptional seafood. It's the Whole Foods in Fair Lakes. They have a number of food "venues" in the store - a seafood place, a barbecue place, a cheese & wine counter, a Japanese place, and a serious deli. Anyway, the seafood at Whole Foods is the only place (other than Fortune in 7 Corners) that I'll eat seafood. The food is pristine, the preparation is stellar, and the vibe is just relaxing. Sitting there in the middle of the grocery store, having a great seafood meal with Emeril filming an episode of his current show, and sipping one of the quality draught beers they serve is a great experience.

The prices are incredibly low and the food is incomparable. If you don't like what's on the menu, you can choose your own fish from the display (and again their fish is pristine), and they'll cook it for you at the restaurant for a minimal charge.

Northern VA and good seafood are not synonomous. Fairfax is the worst for seafood. If anything, try something in the Reston Town Center and by all means avoid Legal Seafoods. yuk!

I don't get out to Fairfax much, but if you're able to, find a copy of last month's Washingtonian Magazine. It had a list of the top 100 restaurants in the area. Or you can go to their website or other restaurant review websites and search by type of restaurant.

Joe's Crab Shack. It's on the Fairfax County Parkway in Fair Lakes and they have many crab dishes.

http://joescrabshack.com/

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