01 February 2007

Jaleo

José Andrés' original tapas restaurant and bar, Jaléo, in Washington, DC is still a standout after many years. (See also my previous entry on Zaytinya, another José Andrés restaurant.) Being within a few short blocks from the Verizon Center arena and the DC theater district, it's bound to be full most evenings. The crowd makes for an atmosphere bustling and exciting with anticipation, not only for the fine food and drink but for the events that the diners will be attending nearby. It helps that the inside feels authentically Spanish, too, with tiles and mosaics and murals of Spanish flamenco dancers (and live ones certain nights of the week). A little piece of old Madrid right in the heart of Washington.

Beverages on the menu include a couple cavas (Spanish sparkling wines), several different types of sherry, and sangria traditional or sparkling. I haven't tried the sparkling sangria yet but the regular leaves nothing to be desired so why switch? I think the brandy in it must be the secret ingredient. Sangria in Spain meets its match at Jaleo.

The tapas menu has some very traditional items and many very inventive and original tapas, which is Andrés' forté. If you are an adventurous eater, all the better because the menu is sure to delight you. One of my favorites is a cold dish of julienned apples with julienned manchego tossed with a little extra virgin olive oil and garlic. The color of the apples and the cheese match so closely that it's hard to tell what you have on your fork until it's in your mouth and bursting with sweet and tart and salty and crispy and chewy, and that's the lovely surprise of it, that something so simple could be all those things at once. But we didn't have that the other night. We tried a few new things, things on the specials menu and a couple of old tried-and-trues (we ate A LOT! but skipped dessert). Unfortunately I don't have the exact names of the items but will try to explain them well enough that you could order them if you go.

From the specials menu we had:
- a cheese which looks like cheddar because it's quite orange in color, but is actually a sharp goat's milk cheese; somewhere between smooth and crumbly in texture, it has a subtle smokiness from the Spanish paprika that lends its color to the cheese. The marriage of the cheese with the fig paste served as accompaniment was good, but the cheese alone spread on a chunk of crusty bread, even better.

- a dish of setas, or wild mushrooms with roasted potatoes in a creamy sauce that incorporated a light blue cheese. The mushrooms and potatoes are meaty enough to stand up to the rich and flavorful sauce, so you get a blend of earthy flavors, each distinguishable from the other.

- black rice with calamari (squid)and aoili -- in this beautiful and perfectly balanced dish, the risotto is made black by squid ink. I suppose it's more for effect or to not waste something that's edible, but the ink doesn't add flavor, only drama and intrigue. Who doesn't like a little drama and intrigue when it comes to rice?! Add a few bite sized pieces of calamari cooked to perfection, top with a little aoili, and there you have it.

From the cold tapas menu
- Pan con tomate y jamón serrano -- Spanish imported cured ham with a paste of sundried tomatoes spread onto nice crusty bread. Yum.

- Endibias con queso de cabra, naranja, y almendras -- Leaves of endive containing orange segments, sliced toasted almonds, and tiny crumbles of goat cheese. Refreshing.

From the hot tapas menu
- Butifarra casera con 'montgetes' or homemade grilled pork sausage with white beans - the casing was snappy and the beans were somewhere between smooth and toothsome. The sausage had a good pork flavor without being "piggy" if you know what I mean.

- Espinacas a la Catalana-- spinach sauteed with pine nuts, raisins and apples-- sounds like it would be sweet but it's not. The spinach is just barely wilted and so it's sharpness is softened by the creamy pine nuts and the natural sweetness in the raisins and apples. This dish glistens with olive oil without seeming drenched in it.

- Mejillones al vapor -- mussels steamed in their own juice with fresh bay leaves and olive oil. A really simple dish, this allows for the briney natural flavor of the mussels to really shine. Dip your crusts of bread in the juice for a treat.

From the seasonal menu
- Rabo de toro estofado al vino tinto -- braised oxtail with garlic mashed potatoes. The potatoes are more pureed than mashed so it doesn't feel so heavy. The meat is succulent and the sauce rich.

Also on the menu, some entrees and paella. Although we've had the paella here before and enjoyed it immensely, it's the tapas and sangria that keep us coming back (and the valet parking which will keep your car until after the show -- BONUS!) The service is also nothing to sneeze at. The wait staff are well versed in the dishes and keep the food coming at a proper pace. If you're seeing a show, let them know when you place your order.

OH! And although we did not order dessert the other night, the flan is an all-time fave. I don't recall I've eaten it anywhere else where it has been as smooth and luscious and luxurious in the mouth as it is at Jaleo time and time again. Get the flan! The regular coffee is also an aromatic rich, dark coffee like they serve in Spain - mmmm.

I was going to make this a joint entry about seeing Richard III at the Shakespeare Theatre right next door after eating at Jaleo but this entry is already long and so I will sign off here and save Richard for another day. If you haven't read or seen Richard III (or even if you have), rent the 1995 version of the film starring Ian McKellan and Kristin Scott Thomas. This version uses WWII as a backdrop which is quite fitting as a parallel but obviously not historically in context.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Your enraptured audience awaits more!