Last Jaleo and Hiatus

Photo from Jaleo website

K- “Jaleo” can translate to a mess in English and that’s pretty much what the food was at Jaleo in Crystal City.  Maybe it’s because I’ve experienced real Spanish food in Spain but either way, I was muy disappointed.

I decided to go with a colleague to the restaurant and I was starving as I hadn’t eaten all day. We were seated outside, it was a gorgeous day and the server showed up quickly – good so far. As I was starving (okay, not literally but again I hadn’t eaten all day and it was already 1:30 p.m.) I ordered quite a bit. The special was Spanish tortilla del dia- a Spanish omelette of the day – with mushrooms, sounded good, I ordered that. I also asked for gazpacho estilo Algeciras – classic chilled Spanish soup made with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and bread; Jose Andres chips and the grilled cheese sandwich with grilled Manchego, Murcia, Valdeón and goat cheese with truffle oil on rustic bread, served with honey alioli. My mouth was watering.

The tortilla showed up first. It wasn’t very fluffy and was definitely on the tapas side, which was fine but it still looked a little sad. It tasted okay, I’ve had better tortilla. The Jose Andres chips were just good potato chips, no special seasoning and nothing extraordinary. I don’t know if I would be able to tell the difference between the Jaleo chips and Kettle chips. As for the grilled cheese sandwich it was a lot of bread and “meh.” A friend of mine had made me a grilled cheese sandwich the previous day with a sweet onion jam, which was amazing and pretty much put the Jaleo grilled cheese to shame. I never received the gazpacho.

Overall it was a very disappointing lunch especially what I paid for it. I feel like I might had got a better lunch if I had gone to the food trucks. Maybe the restaurant was having a bad day. I may not know as I probably won’t go back.

**The blog is going on hiatus however you can join us on Twitter. Enjoy the rest of the summer and see you in September!

Consider District Commons for your Pre-Theater Dinner

Photo from http://www.districtcommonsdc.com/district-menu.html

C — I was too late. The Kennedy Center had a lot going on and my typical pre-theater spots — Farmers, Fishers, Bakers and the Kennedy Center Restaurant — were both booked weeks ahead. What to do? I gave District Commons a shot, and it worked out really well.

We had a 7:30 show so we booked for 5:30.  I was able to get a reservation two days prior and the restaurant didn’t really fill up until 6:30. Owned by the same company that brought us Passion Fish, Acadiana and DC Coast, District Commons is cool, comfortable and somewhere in between casual and fine dining. I had the Brick Pressed Chicken which was good, but a little bigger than I would have liked. I know, I could have stopped eating. But I didn’t. I foolishly rely on restaurants for portion control. One of my dining partners had the Pan Seared Sea Scallops and I have to admit, I had major entree envy. Next time. and there will be a next time, I’ll get that.

I was driving so drinking was a no-no, but all three of my friends went for the Pony Express. It’s described as American Harvest organic vodka, Stirrings all natural Ginger liqueur, ginger ale, fresh lime juice and a lime wedge. I had a sip and it was quite refreshing. All of my friends had a second round… while I watched.

For desert I got the Salty Crunchy Sundae (peanut and chocolate ice creams, hot fudge and potato chips on top). I had a taste of the Boston Cream Pie with Salted Caramel Sauce. I also snagged a bite of the Oatmeal Cookie Pie with blueberries, pistachio ice cream and lemon streussel. None of them were particularly spectacular. The best of the three was the Sundae.

The best part about District Commons is the location. About a half a mile from the Kennedy Center and right across from the complimentary shuttle, it’s a great choice for a low stress, pre-theater dinner.

District Commons
2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC  20037

Dumbarton Oaks Park

K- Near Georgetown there is a gorgeous, little park called Dumbarton Oaks Park.  Last weekend took Heidi, the dog, for a humid, adventurous walk to see what this park was like. We walked for two hours and didn’t see the whole thing. Part of the reason is we ended up on “Lover’s Lane,” which is kind of part of Rock Creek Park and goes to Dumbarton Oaks Park. However it was a nice path in itself. Despite the recent rains and a bit of mud, quite a few people were walking about and enjoying the scenery.  Everything was pretty and green and the creek made a nice burbling sound as the water rushed through. If you are looking for a place to have a Zen moment, I recommend coming here and having a leisurely walk or picnic.

There are several ways to access Dumbarton Oaks Park. Many or most people take a short stroll downhill along an asphalted pedestrian-only lane, Lovers’ Lane, which descends from R Street NW in Georgetown. Lovers’ Lane is located approximately 200 feet east of R Street and 31st Street NW.  Lovers’ Lane separates Dumbarton Oaks estate from Montrose Park and is signposted by a green-on-white wooden plaque reading,  “Dumbarton Oaks Park, Open Dawn to Dusk.”  The lane descends one-fourth of a mile to the Park entrance at the bottom of the hill. Free, street parking is available on R Street NW.

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Kathy Griffin at the Kennedy Center: Like a Boss

C — Can you see her? Can you just barely make out the small figure in the middle of the stage? This was my view for Kathy Griffin at the Kennedy Center on June 20th. As a contributor-level member, I am privy to pre-sale tickets, which is great because it gives me the opportunity to experiment with seats. I can now definitively say that I would not recommend the second row of the Parterre Box seats in the Concert Hall.

The show was great, though. As expected. Griffin is always funny. I first saw her live in London at the Palace Theatre where “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” was housed for a 2-year run. Fitting, considering her core demographic. And she took in every moment.

At the Kennedy Center, the tone was slightly different. It’s clear she tailors her act to the audience. Our crowd got a lot of political jokes along with the usual selection of Kardashian/Jenner/Hilton/Swift staples. But what I love about Griffin is that she’s always on top of current events — Rachel Dolezal, Caitlin Jenner, New York Manhunt, etc. All items in that day’s paper.

Here’s something I learned about the Kennedy Center that might make you feel pretty safe: those emergency alerts pushed through to your cell phone can actually get through in the Concert Hall where there is absolutely no cell reception. This was the day of some pretty significant storms which included hail, tornadoes and flooding. Three times you could see the collective glow of cell phones and hear, in concert, the muted tones of alerts. At one point, Griffin stopped and said, “Um, is this like an emergency or something? Is someone of authority going to come out and tell me to stop?” Storms aside, when you’re in a Washington, DC landmark and alarms start going off, the mind starts to wander to more serious things. But she kept going, unfazed, and we laughed for almost two hours straight.