Eating Out Over and Over Again

The night I came home from Vegas we at out. The next two nights I ate salads for dinner at home. They were pretty good salads, if I do say so myself. The first night I had a grilled tuna medallion coated in yellow miso paste and grilled very rare sliced thin over an Asian themed salad. The second night I had a very rare grilled tuna medallion of Southwestern flavors (chili powder and cumin) over a Southwestern themed salad. Then we went out to eat Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, cooked a big lamb fest at home on Sunday night, ate out again on Monday night and Tuesday night. Whew. It was literally eating out over and over again, or at least that's how it felt.

The ones worth talking about:

Friday night we ate out at Euro Bistro in Herndon
Saturday night was The Melting Pot in Arlington
Monday night was Ardeo in Cleveland Park, DC
Tuesday night was Oyamel and then Titus Andronicus at The Shakespeare Theatre

Euro Bistro -- It says Euro, but has a definite Austrian/Tyrolian focus as you can tell by the daily specials menu typed on a sheaf of paper, and an Asian fusion flair on its regular menu. I would highly advise ordering from the specials menu. You won't be disappointed. In fact, without fail, order the Sauerbrauten. This is a very tender piece of beef in a slightly sweet and sour sauce served with spaetzle (potato noodles) and red cabbage. This is not what I ate on Friday night but have had it there before and it is excellent. If you like white wine, get the Anton Bauer Greuner Vetliner, which is full bodied enough to have with a meal, dry enough to pair with just about anything.

The Melting Pot -- we ordered "The Big Night Out" and surprisingly did not feel disgusting when we left about two and half hours after arriving. Cheese fondue, salads, main course variety of meats, chicken, shellfish and vegetables in broth fondue, chocolate fondue (actually pecan, caramel, and chocolate) for dipping strawberries, bananas, pineapple, pound cake, brownies, marshmallows, and cheesecake. Yummy yummy in my mouth and tummy! This is a meal event where you need to take your time and enjoy the food and the companions you're with. If you were a big fondue-er in the '70s, you will feel like reminiscing.

Ardeo -- modern American cuisine, menu heavy on fresh fish. The peaky-toe crab appetizer served with micro cress and geletinized mango (or something like that) was tasty. The halibut served over a pancake of fresh English mallow peas in a buttery foam sauce was very good. Nice decor, very unobtrusive excellent service. There is nothing distracting about this place. Next up would be the one right next door called Bardeo, a wine bar and cafe with a completely independent menu.

Oyamel -- another Jose Andres small plates house, it doesn't disappoint. Recently re-opened from its move from Crystal City to the theatre area in DC proper, Oyamel serves Mexican antojitos, or appetizer sized dishes including individual small soft tacos. Be brave, order the grasshopper taco -- roasted brown and crunchy, they are hardly recognizable by not-so-close visual inspection and have a wonderful lemony citrus finish, like a good glass of French sauvignon blanc. There is almost nothing else "weird" or "creepy" on this menu. Oh, if you're drinking, order the Classic margarita made with Herradura Silver tequila. If you like a less sweet drink, ask for Cointreau in it instead of the Triple Sec that comes in it. To chronicle what else we ate...

• Nopalitos - a salad of the cactus leaves with tomatoes in a lime dressing


• Camarones al epazote - shrimp cooked in tequila, shallots, adobo, and epazote - a kind of petroleum smelling herb that is native to the south of Mexico and gives American Mexican food a more authentic Mexican flavor, especially refried beans.


• Machuco relleno de fríjol con salsa de coco - a fritter of plantains stuffed with refried black beans and topped with coconut sauce - this was terrific


• Pescado Mexicano al Cambray - fish tacos


• Tacos de Chapulines - grasshopper tacos


• a mushroom salad special of the day


• a chili pepper stuffed with a stewed meat served at room temperature - maybe one of my favorites-- it's circled in red on the menu


• another special of the day - grilled baby corn served with crema sauce

We were too crunched for time to order dessert. Have to save something for next time!


Titus Andronicus -- brutal and compelling, it tells a story of death and dismemberment not only in the physical sense but also in the emotional and societal sense. It is a timeless story as all of Shakespeare's works seem to be. In this stage production, Aaron steals the show, and there are some disconcerting even distracting misplaced things like Ninjas and modern suits and ties. I know this is to reflect the agelessness of the story but it's entirely unnecessary for a sophisticated Washington audience. While the story is serious and sorrowful and regretful and revengeful, the director and cast do well at inserting light-hearted moments and you are not afraid to laugh out loud. (Although the script itself is edited in the film version simply called Titus, rent it and watch it. It features excellent performances by Jessica Lange and Anthony Hopkins. ) This one is all about revenge with an absence of consciousness and next up is Hamlet, which is all about revenge with a conscience. We're seeing that in June.

No more eating out for a while if I can help it. Back on the healthy eating bandwagon.

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.

The Lebanese Butcher

The Lebanese Butcher is a real person and a real place and it's the place I'm going to talk about. The place is a restaurant which is attached to a little market, which as you might expect from the name of the place has a butcher in the back. The Lebanese Butcher (the person) also owns The Lebanese Slaughterhouse and butcher shop in Warrenton, VA where one can purchase whole goats, lamb, baby cows (veal), and adult cows (beef). (What's with food euphemisms anyway?) The slaughtering and butchering are all performed to halal standards. See also this Wikipedia entry about the slaughtering process.

But getting back to the restaurant... It's a neighborhood place. Don't get gussied up to eat there because it's a bit diner-like in terms of atmosphere but without the shine and gleam of chrome and waxed pleather booths. It's a small place, probably seats 28 people max, with old beat-up tables and chairs and an open grill kitchen. The food is served on plastic plates but you get real utensils, not plastic. The service is haphazard mostly. But the food is excellent - the food is THE reason to go - and it doesn't hurt that the price is right. We've been there enough to know there are a few "go-to" items:
- Lubieh - on the appetizer menu, these are green beans cooked with tomatoes and garlic and generally served cold. This is one of my personal favorites of Lebanese cuisine and The Lebanese Butcher's version is just perfection in a bowl. I personally don't eat the whole garlic cloves (although I probably should since I have to endure the goodnight kiss from my dinner partner and mate) in the dish but savor the sweetness it lends to the beans.
- Hommus - the smooth version with lots of tahini
- Lamb Ouzi - the tenderest parts of roasted leg of lamb served over a nutty yellow rice with yogurt sauce on the side. For roughly $10 you can be warmed and comforted and sated, and still have enough left to take home. The dish comes with a variety of pickled items on the side, such as magenta-purple radishes which are super crunchy and have a nice bite. (A chicken version of this dish is also on the menu.)
- Lamb Feteh - same lamb as above, moist and tender, and falls apart when you put your fork to it. The difference is that the lamb is served over a layer of chopped and fried pita (and how can that be a bad thing?!), then coated generously with fresh cool yogurt and sprinkled with sumac and pine nuts. Mmmm, heaven (but no pickles). Again, somewhere in the $10-11 range, and plenty to take a bit home.
- Soujouk - a kind of lamb-based, spicy, tangy Lebanese sausage that comes in both a platter and sandwich form.

OK, it's lunchtime as I write this and I am making myself hungry! So last couple things to say are:

1) Where this place is located:
If you look it up online, it's either 109 or 113 E Annandale Rd (between Hillwood Rd and S Maple Ave) in Falls Church, VA

2) I really want to go see the slaughterhouse in Warrenton, VA. If I get around to it, I will write about it here. Watch this space.

Zaytinya

http://www.zaytinya.com/

We ate here last night. Not the first time we've been there but it is rare that we go. A Mediterranean/mid-east version of tapas, the concept is small plates. The more people you have in your party, the more variety you can try. As a rule of thumb, about three meze per person is about the right quantity. Note that some of the plates come with exactly four pieces - something to remember when you are ordering for six people!

This is a list of all the things we had last night, mainly as a record for myself. For descriptions of the items, visit the restaurant's website listed above, or better yet, just go there and eat!

To drink, we tried a Greek sparkling wine: Domaine Tselepos, Villa Amalia, Brut. It pairs terrifically with briney olives and capers. It was the perfect complement to the food we ate. The bread is a light, puffy bread with a very similar toothsome chew of fresh pita, but lighter. Try some dipped in the olive oil/pomegranite syrup concoction on your table - a middle east version of olive oil with balsamic vinegar.


From the veggie meze:
Hommus
Kolokithokeftedes
Asparagus
Ímam Bayildi
Elies Tis Elladas

From the seafood meze:
Kalamari Me Spanaki
Filet of Bronzini
Garides Saganaki

From the meat meze:
Homemade “Mahanek”
Kibbeh
Hünkãr Begendi
Spice Rubbed Sirloin of Beef w/pistachio sauce
Shish Taouk (maybe the weakest dish we had)

From the salads:
Portakal Salatasi (one of the most popular dishes at our table, currently ISO the recipe in English online if anyone cares to share)
Tabouleh

From the Pide selection (this is a boat-shaped, Turkish, oven baked, flat bread with toppings):
Karidesli Pide
Peynirli Pide

From the dessert menu:
Turkish Coffee Chocolate
Turkish Delight
Chocolate Visne