Tapas

[CrescentFresh]

jaytini said:

Where else is good for tapas in DC? 

For tapas? Jaleo. Hands down. Don't waste your time elsewhere. There are many restaurants that serve "small plates" as they say these days, but tapas is Spanish and for the best tapas in DC you go to Jaleo.

[JPW]

Barring that, where else is good for tapas in DC?  there used to be a place in Shirlington, but that has been closed and replaced by a (from what i hear, unless i am getting the reviews confused with another restaurant) subpar italian restaurant.

Drat, we loved Toro Tapas in Shirlington when we lived there.

For MEZZE go to Cafe Ole in Tenleytown on Wisconsin, or Zatinyah in Penn Quarter accross from the DC library. Let the homeless guys watch your car, they're cheaper than the Zatinyah valet.

Avoid Lebanese Taverna -- they have jumped the shark

[DonRocks]

The following posts have been split off into separate threads:

Taberna del Alabardero (Meaghan)

Jaleo (jaytini)

Las Tapas (CrescentFresh)

Panache (Jacques Gastreaux)

Corner Bistro (lizzie)

La Tasca (CrescentFresh)

Toro Tapas (jaytini)

[Giancarlo Buonarotti]

taberna for tapas excels in every single respect, add to that a gorgeously ornate soaring-ceilinged room and the existence of a semi-permanent edible bar decoration (ie: a leg of jamon serrano bolted into its carving pegs, awaiting apotheosis with manchego) and you have, in my opinion, every single reason to avoid jaleo and come here. true, the prices are several dollars more than mc-jaleo but consider that: a: i believe them to be quite delicious and far more consistent and b: whilst you may pay 10 dollars for gambas con ajo, you probably receive about one and half times more than jaleo's version, which is... say six or seven; thus the bottom line, as i see it, being that you pay slightly more for more food and a heightened level of deliciousness

a heightened level of deliciousness; is this not what we seek? is this not why we are all denizens of this electronic milieu?

Ditto on the Taberna tapas vs Jaleo. Same holds for the Mezze at 100 King, they are nicely portioned and most are beautifully prepared, obviously not the mass production of Zaytinia and Jaleo.

[DonRocks]

Spanish tapas are good, often as good as the Asian/French tapas that you're seeing around. I like Greek, tapas, too. It's nice that so many tapas bars opening up, and with som much variety. They go well with vodka martinis.

[Meaghan]

Spanish tapas are good, often as good as the Asian/French tapas that you're seeing around. I like Greek, tapas, too. It's nice that so many tapas bars opening up, and with som much variety. They go well with vodka martinis.

Can I have some of whatever you're smoking?

[bilrus]

Can I have some of whatever you're smoking?

I was thinking the same thing. Or maybe a stroke.

[hillvalley]

You all beat me to it. Whatever it is Rocks, I hope it's good

[Heather]

Can I have some of whatever you're smoking?

or drinking. He did mention vodka martinis. (Two words that should not be next to each other, IMO)

[DonRocks]

Spanish tapas are good, often as good as the Asian/French tapas that you're seeing around. I like Greek, tapas, too. It's nice that so many tapas bars opening up, and with som much variety. They go well with vodka martinis.

Can I have some of whatever you're smoking?

I was thinking the same thing. Or maybe a stroke.

You all beat me to it. Whatever it is Rocks, I hope it's good

or drinking. He did mention vodka martinis. (Two words that should not be next to each other, IMO)

And too, Slushitos.

[DonRocks]

On 10/13/2016 at 9:49 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

That begs the question, where else in the U.S. has he tried tapas and Indian?  And even if true, that's more telling of the quality of restaurant in the u.s. as opposed to proving we have world class cuisine in our city.  

Mateo in Durham, NC is *much* better than Jaleo, and I've been to Jaleo probably 10-20 times. 

The first time I went to Amada in Philly, it was disappointing, and honestly not much better than Jaleo; the second time I went, it was notably better than Jaleo.

I've been tapas-hopping at the best-of-the-best in Madrid, Barcelona, and San Sebastian, and Coqueta in San Francisco is the best tapas restaurant I've been to in my life.

---

Jaleo (DanielK)