'Real Housewives' Star Ashley Is Showing Arlington What Australian Food Really Is

She's the rising star on Bravo's "Real Housewives of the Potomac" that premiered earlier this year, but if you ask Ashley Darby what's on her mind more than anything else these days, it's her baby: Oz Restaurant in Clarendon.

Ashley, a Maryland native and the winner of the 2011 Miss District of Columbia Pageant, joined the latest version of Andy Cohen's Real Housewives franchise set in ritzy Potomac, Md. -- although she spends most of her time right here in Arlington with her husband Michael Darby, an Australian real estate developer.

With his real estate flair and knowledge of Australian cuisine combined with Ashley's dedication as a hard-working restaurateur -- not to mention her rising celebrity status -- the two are hoping to make a big stamp on the D.C. area with Oz.

There's no mistaking what kind of restaurant Oz is when you first walk in its doors at 2950 Clarendon Boulevard. Whether it be the stuffed koalas at the entrance, the rippling brown walls that call to mind the Outback, the aboriginal artwork or the blue sky-painted ceiling up above -- everything about Oz is designed to make you think of Michael's boyhood home, the Land Down Under.

But in a city packed with just about every cuisine imaginable, from Italian to Korean to Brazilian, where are all the Australian restaurants? One might point to the chain Outback Steakhouse -- a name that makes Michael grimace -- but that's arguably just a regular American steakhouse with an Australian theme.

That's part of the idea behind Oz. You won't find a bloomin' onion on their menu, but you will find Australian dishes that most Americans probably have never heard of: kangaroo sliders with onion tomato jam, an emu carpaccio with apricot dressing, pan-seared barramundi fish with spicy cabbage and even toast covered in a spicy vegemite glaze. There's a kangaroo jerky that is "out of this world," Ashley says, and then there's one of Michael's favorites: the pies, which are stuffed with meats like beef, lamb, and chicken.

"They are more snacky, which is great because that's truly Australian: eating a pie and watching an Aussie rules football game," he said.

"And having a beer," Ashley added.

They've certainly brought in some top-notch talent to put together this menu. The head chef of Oz is Brad Feickart, who has worked in Australia under Chef Ben Shewry at the world-famous Attica, a restaurant that is included on many "best in the world" lists and had an entire episode devoted to it as part of the Netflix series "Chef's Table."

The menu's been Americanized a little bit -- you'll find plenty of burgers and other classics on the menu, which Ashley describes as almost Australian fusion. It allows locals who visit the restaurant to see a lot of foods they're comfortable with, and be intrigued by the exotic dishes they've never seen anywhere else.

"We had to tread a little bit lightly," Ashley said. "When we first started, we went very authentically Australian. We had to find ways to accommodate the American palate while staying true to Australia.

"The beauty of the Australian menu is you can offer things an American can see and not be freaked out by, and also things they haven't tasted before and want to try," she added.

Another way they've tried to keep it authentic is to ship all the food in from Australia. That goes without saying for animals like the kangaroo, but it also applies to lamb as well. Michael believes there's no duplicating an Australian lamb in America.

"We wanted to stay true to that and the authenticity of the food as well," he said.

The emu carpaccio might be the most out-of-left-field thing visitors taste, Ashley said.

"You're essentially eating uncooked emu, and some people don't even know what an emu is," she said, referring to the large, flightless bird. "It's definitely the one we get the most questions about."

Michael has ambitions of bringing crocodile to the restaurant, which is a "bit more flavorful and less chewy" than alligator, a popular dish down in the bayou of Louisiana.

Don't worry, koala lovers, you won't find the cuddly creature on the menu here. Or platypus, for that matter. "They're protected," Michael said.

At the end of the day, the goal of Oz is to bring Australian comfort food to Arlington.

"To me Australian lamb is a bit heartier, a bit more flavorful, and some people say it's a bit saltier but I kind of like that," Michael said. "I eat it and I feel like I'm back at Christmastime in 100-degree weather at the beach."

"It's just about fond memories," Ashley added.