Jaleo's, Washington D.C.

The best flan I've had...and I'm a picky flan connoisseur! This version is super-creamy, with just a touch of fresh orange flavor, and served with lovely whipped cream. The other dish is my dad's hazlenut chocolate torte (Espuma de avellanas y chocolate).

I had been to the Arlington location of this 3-restaurant chain 3 months earlier to my first VT meeting. It was on that experience that I was able to recommend this as the site of the inaugural VT meeting. There are plenty of good restaurants in Washington, DC, but this is the only one big enough to hold the lot of us for which I could vouch. On top of that, Jaleo got a mention on The Food Network (Rachel Ray [Washington] on $40 a day). The atmosphere is authentic Spanish, just like the Arlington location. The waiters were very attentive and one even told me how to make their date and bacon fritters.

Favorite Dish: Before they serve you, they give you some bread and extra virgin olive oil as well as a bowl of little-bitty pickles (called gherkins), pickled onions, and olives. Because I got there more tired than hungry, I only had one order of date and bacon fritters. That is the best thing they have, in my opinion. Others tried stuffed peppers, kalamari with aioli (sampled on the programme by Rachel Ray), and numerous other good things. For a better accounting on what they have to offer, see their hot tapas, cold tapas, seasonal, soups & salads, entrees, and desserts. Whether it's for a VT meeting or yourself alone, I highly recommend Jaleo.

Cool meditteranean atmosphere. Good place for group gatherings or a party of two.

Favorite Dish: So long ago that I don't remember what I had. I just remember that it was a fun experience with decent food. I would definitely return with friends.

The best Spanish tapas I've ever had were found here at Jaleo. This is a relatively casual restaurant, and I experienced great service and fantastic food here in April of 2005.

Favorite Dish: This is the tapa de espinacas (spinach), with raisins and pine nuts...just the right amount of sweetness to compliment the tender, fresh spinach leaves.

Jaleo's is AMAZING...they have an incredible assortment of delicious tapas, something for everyone. If you have never had tapas, tapas are small dishes of prepared food that each have distinct tastes. It is often referred to being a lot like Chinese dim sum. At Jaleo's, there are about 70 of these delicious little dishes ready for your palate. It is possible to go there many times without ever trying everything. They also are constantly adding/changing/tweeking their menu for even the most demanding palates!!! (Incidentally, the chef, Jose Andres, was named chef of the year for 2004 in the September issue of Bon Appetit).

Make sure you make reservations for dinner because the place is incredibly popular for the locals. It's trendy and fun!! I highly recommend it if you are in the mood for tapas. It is definately THE place for tapas in DC!!

Also, if you are staying in the suburbs beyond the borders of Washington DC, you may want to try their Crystal City, Virginia or Bethesda locations.

Favorite Dish: Try their Gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) or their Mejillones al vapor (steamed mussels fresh bay leaves and olive oil). YUMMY!!!

Jaleo's is where we decided on for our 1st VT meeting to welcome Matcrazy1 and Matcrazy0 to the nation's capitol. Since we were all staying in Arlington, we chose the newer Crystal City location, a huge loud colorful restaurant. We went on a Friday night around 8:30 and although it was busy, they were able to seat us right away.

Favorite Dish: We tried a bunch of different tapas, I enjoyed the calamares a la romana (fried squid with alioli), croquetas de jamon y pollo (ham and chicken fritters) and Solomillo de cerdo con salsa de anranja (pork tenderloin in an orange sauce). Other dishes tried included quail, rabbit, dates wrapped in bacon and soft shell crab.

In the picture left to right:

Nat (b1bob), me, Matt (Matcrazy1) looking at his ever present camera, Matt's lovely wife Urzsula (Matcrazy0), Kathy (kodi01), Chris (Balfor)

We've been to Jaleo several times and always come away quite happily fed and entertained. Tapas are sort of the Spanish version of dim sum -- you can build an entire meal by chosing a number of small plates that include some intricate and some simple and straight forward combinations of fresh, seasonal goodies. Paired with wine, beer or other drinks...a meal at a tapas place is a great opportunity to socialize with friends as you swap tastes and determine favorites. There are a couple of branches of Jaleo -- the main restaurant in DC, another in Bethesda (Maryland), and a third opening up in Crystal City (Virginia).

Favorite Dish: Our faves at our most recent visit were 1) an eggplant flan with red pepper sauce, 2) mussels in garlic butter (hey, if you've read any of my tips, you'll not I ALWAYS seem to get mussels in a meal!) 3) quail, stuffed with raisins, truffles, pinenuts and 4) Manchego cheese and green apple salad (which actually, we had at the end of our meal as we were finishing off a GREAT bottle of wine).

This excellent Spanish restaurant is located in downtown Washington next door to the Shakespeare Theater on 7th St NW. The style is casual and the service is quick and efficient. Most people dining here order 3 or 4 tapas and share them with their companions making a meal of the light and tasty tapas dishes.

Favorite Dish: Spanish sausages and cheese tapa