A Taste of DC

My last post covered our overnight sightseeing visit to our big city neighbor, Washington, DC. In addition to great museums, galleries, monuments and performing arts, DC is also loaded with a wide variety of terrific restaurants.

We arrived Sunday and headed over to Jaleo Tapas Bar to assemble lunch from a selection of small plates. I mentioned Jaleo in a previous post regarding tapas, and how much we enjoy this Spanish way of eating. I particularly like going to Jaleo on weekends because they offer brunch tapas in addition to the regular menu.

Jaleo's Tasty Sangria
(from Jaleo's web site)

It is difficult to select only a few items from this large and diverse menu, but we settled on three we had not tried before: Seared Trout Wrapped in Serrano Ham; Spicy Chorizo Wrapped in a Crispy Potato; and Smoked Salmon on Toast with Hard Boiled Egg, Goat Cheese and Capers. We washed it all down with a pitcher of their tasty sangria. Although it was all good, I particularly liked the salmon and egg dish and made a larger version on a baguette for our lunch a couple of days later.

After museum touring, we returned to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. We were going to try a downtown restaurant we had never been to called Siroc. We headed out at around dusk for a leisurely stroll to the restaurant.

Not far into our stroll we encountered a rat the size of a small Volkswagen scurrying into the bushes, shortly followed by another. I guess they were on their way to a dinner date as well. I know rodents are a problem in every city, but I didn’t expect to be so up close and personal with one, or two. Totally grossed out, we continued on, trying to put the memory out of our heads.

Siroc
(from Siroc's web site)

We reached our destination, a little stark but welcoming restaurant with white tablecloths and black napkins. I personally like black and white … it is clean and fresh with a touch of elegance … and, since I was wearing black slacks, I appreciated the black napkin as white lint can be a nuisance.

Siroc refers to their dining style as ‘Italian influenced contemporary cuisine.’ I would say that is a fair description and would have ordered just about anything from the nice menu selection. Those expecting red sauce Italian dishes should go elsewhere; this is more contemporary than traditional Italian, more Northern than Southern Italy.

A very efficient waitress arrived to take our drink order and to explain the day’s specials. Over a bottle of wine and some crusty bread, we decided on our meal. I started with the Tower of Avocado, Mango and Roasted Shrimp and Rich chose the Arugula Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese, Roasted Golden Beets and Pine Nuts. We enjoyed both; my only complaint was that the shrimp had a little ‘fishy’ taste to it as though it had been sitting around awhile. At home I thaw the shrimp as I use it and it always tastes mild and fresh.

On to the entrées … usually I order seafood out, but felt like something different, so I ordered the Beef Tenderloin served on Garlic Potato Puree with Salsify and Bacon, Sautéed Haricot Verts and a Red Onion Caramel Sauce. This dish would have felt at home in a fine steak house. The meat was tender, flavorful and cooked to perfection. The accompanying sauce was an interesting change from a standard red onion confit, and paired nicely with the beef. The potatoes were creamy and the beans were cooked to a tender crisp. This dish tasted like ‘home’ and I enjoyed every mouthful. The portion was very generous and, hard as I tried, just couldn’t finish it.

Rich decided on the Mediterranean Fish Special served over Bok Choy with Crispy Artichokes and Bacon. Before serving the entrées, the waitress asked if he would mind if the bok choy was substituted with broccoli. She explained that the chef wasn’t happy with the way the dish turned out with the bok choy. One might think that the dish should have been tested prior to adding it to the night’s menu, but he didn’t care if it was bok choy or broccoli.

The fish looked uncomfortable resting on a pile of blanched broccoli. It was too high and was difficult to eat. The vegetable swap certainly didn’t ruin the dish, but it changed it visually and texturally. The fish was delicate and flaky, and the blend of flavors was good, but the last minute substitution didn’t quite work.

Overall we liked this restaurant very much and would be happy to return to sample other dishes.

Poste Outdoor Dining
(from Poste's web site)

Monday morning, before heading out to visit more sites, we dropped by Poste Moderne Brasserie in the Hotel Monaco for some breakfast. There is something for everyone on the breakfast menu and all of it is good. We’ve had dinner, brunch and breakfast here at various times and it never disappoints.

After a full day of museums and monuments, we decided to grab a little lunch before heading home. We used to enjoy cocktails and a bite at Hotel Washington’s Rooftop Bar, and have even watched the fireworks from there on the fourth of July. It was a beautiful day and we thought it would be pleasant to sit outside and enjoy the view.

The Hotel Washington was definitely overdue for a face lift, and the Rooftop Bar food was always underwhelming, but it was a fun place with a killer view. It was obvious we hadn’t been there the last few years, as the hotel had been renovated and reopened as a W. We’re probably the only people who aren’t crazy about the change.

We arrived on time for our lunch reservation. Three young employees were hanging around the bank of elevators talking and laughing. We entered an elevator, pressed the top button and nothing happened. We went over to the not so friendly concierge and she directed us back to the three still engaged in conversation. We interrupted their gathering and one checked us in and escorted us up to what they now call the Point of View (POV). Why we needed an escort, I’m not sure, seemed a bit pretentious.

Instead of being seated at a table, we were taken to a couch with a cocktail table … a little awkward for dining. Both POV’s and Open Table’s web site stated the menu was a tapas theme, but there were no small plates, only uninteresting, overpriced salads and sandwiches. Despite the fact that they were not overly busy, no one approached us. After 15 minutes we left, never to return. The view was as beautiful as ever, and it is probably fine for evening cocktails, but forget this place for lunch.

Zaytinya
(from Zaytinya's web site)

Heading back toward the hotel, we came upon Zaytinya. Like Jaleo, this restaurant is owned by chef José Andrés. The menu is defined as cuisines of Greece, Turkey and Lebanon, served small-plate style. We decided to give lunch another try and were seated outside.

After a bit, a lovely waitress came out to take our drink order. We were given a dish of olive oil for dipping, but no pita bread. We ordered small plates of Hommus, Spanakopita, Mussels and Piyaz (a dish of warm beans, kale, oven roasted tomato and garlic). The hommus arrived first, again, no pita bread.

So there we sat … we had oil and hommus, but nothing to eat it with. The waitress returned to say they were out of the Piyaz, did we want something else? We asked about the pita and were told it was made fresh and that we would have some soon. A busboy came out with three baskets full, we were excited for a moment, then he gave them all to a party of six behind us who had already consumed a number of baskets.

It was well after 2:00pm by now and we were hungry and getting anxious to head home before the rush. We still sat staring at our oil and hommus … it did not appear to be our day for lunch.

The Spanakopita arrived. It was one small piece and looked more like a spring roll than traditional Spanakopita. The mussels arrived too, boy it would have been nice to have some pita to go along with it, but alas, no.

Finally the pita arrived, late to the party, but we welcomed it with open arms. It was piping hot and we were at last able to enjoy the oil and hommus. I have no idea why they were so slow with the bread, and why the busboy would give three baskets of seconds to one table and none to a new table, but whatever. I just chalked it up to an off day. We enjoyed it all and have returned many times, on our own and with friends.

It’s funny how those things go. Usually we dine out without problems, but once in awhile there is a day when nothing seems to go quite right. But all’s well that ends well, and we enjoyed our time visiting and eating with our big neighbor to the west.