Jaleo, the Spanish word for revelry, fun and bustle, was also our first destination in Washington DC. In case you haven't heard, Jaleo has been a fixture in the DC's culinary scene for 20+ years and after a minor facelift in 2012, the place is looking better than ever.
José Andrés, world-renowned Spanish chef and owner of Jaleo, has been one of Washington DC's best known chefs for years. He's the brains behind some of the most popular dining destinations in the city, including Zaytinya, Oyamel and minibar but his flagship has always been Jaleo.
After the flashy renovation, the place looks much warmer and a lot more inviting.
A few glass-topped foosball tables could be found at the entrance of the restaurant. Never imagine tapas restaurant could be so much fun!
This has to be one of the most comprehensive menu I have seen from any Spanish restaurant in recent memory. At least 70-80 items were named here, not counting the daily specials. That's impressive.
We first started with something from José Andrés' old friend Ferrán Adrià, an amuse-bouche-like dish with molecular gastronomic inspiration called the ferrán adrià‘ liquid olives.
In a nutshell, these were liquid balloons of rich and flavorful olive juice that popped in our mouth releasing an intense burst of black olive flavor. This concept by Ferrán Adrià was really nothing new but yet we still got excited whenever we tried one of these (8/10).
Before the meat and seafood arrived, a little bit of veggies to stay healthy - sautéed spinach, pine nuts, raisins and apples (5/10).
My two-cents of advice is to stay away from the Japanese fusion dishes such as the sea urchin with diced peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and trout roe (2/10) as well as the salmon tartare and trout roe cone (4/10) and simply go with the Spanish influenced dishes.
Trust me, you won't miss a thing!
The signature Spanish mini burgers made from the legendary, acorn-fed, black-footed Ibérico pigs of Spain were next and they were absolutely unreal (10/10).
This was my second favorite dish of the night, behind the mini-burgers - a seared scallops with pine nuts and Pedro Ximénez. The sweetness from the Pedro Ximénez was quite an interesting match for the scallops (8/10).
Grilled quail with rosemary sauce and honey alioli was another well executed dish that was very flavorful and intense (7/10).
Patatas Bravas is a dish I always order whenever I visit a Spanish restaurant, mainly because I am a potato freak. And it's very comforting to know that it's also a Jaleo favorite that is served with a spicy tomato sauce and alioli (5/10).
A few of the paellas were sold out so only three to choose from. We ended up picking the traditional paella of chicken and chef selected mushrooms and the taste was rich, complex and mouthwatering (8/10).
This was a great start to our short visit to Washington DC. Thank you, Jaleo.
Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$
Address: 480 7th St NW Washington, DC 20004, USAClosest Subway Station: Gallery Place Chinatown / Archives
Tel: +1 (202) 628-7949
Website: www.jaleo.com/dcView Larger Map
Post a Comment
Please tell us what you think