Saturday, August 23, 2008

Taberna del Alabadero

Julian and I went here for an early anniversary without the kids. It is billed as one of the most romantic restaurants in DC. It is very plush looking; with banquettes and deep red walls. We went at happy hour time because Tapas are half price and that ended up being a good deal. At first we were the only ones there practically but by 5:30 the place had filled up. You could tell that at this time of day it is definately an after work stop for the movers and shakers and for casual meetings.

The sangria is delicious; fruity without being to sweet. Some places it is like fruit punch laced with red wine but here it is a perfect light accompianment to the tapas dishes. After a few we decided to change to a house red by the glass which was so enjoyable that when we looked at the check we realized we should have paid for a bottle. Lucky we had an hour on the metro to recoup. However we stayed quite awhile.

The list is long when you go for tapas. Our favorites were the Bacalo Frito con Ali- Oli y Miel. This is like glamourous fish fingers. A Spanish friend had told us that Ali-Oli is her fathers favorite thing and we can see why. Garlic mayonnaise never fails to disappoint. Just like Aioli in France. YUM


We also enjoyed the Pulpito a la Plancha con Arroz Negro. The octopus is grilled to perfection. It is not at all chewy like it can be sometimes and the wood charred flavor was perfect. The delicous rice as too small a portion for both of us because we liked it so much.




The Patatas Bravas weren't as good as some we have had. The dipping sauce was good put the potatoes needed to be crispier.






We were surprised by the Acietunas Alinadas y Boquenons en Vinagre. Little fishes were pretty good. I thought they would be too salty but that was not the case.





The Spanish cheeses were artistically presented but I think we had tried them all before at Whole Foods. I would have liked to have a list of the chesses but we just guessed what they were from out previous knowledge and by that time we were full and our waither was too preoccupied to be able to give us any information. I think he was just glad to see us go. It had gotten that busy.
We thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant and I would definately recommend it as a happy hour stop.

Carmello's and Little Portugal

We were happy to find a Portugese restaurant close by in Manassas. The atmosphere pleasantly surprised us. We had a little nook all to ourselves which is nice because we discuss everything we are tasting. We tried to only get Portugese sounding dishes; there was a lot of Italian on the menu.



As an appetizer we got Ameijoas a Portugesa. Clams with chorico. The sausage added a mild spiciness to the garlicy sauce. There were a good number of clams and the dish was freshened by the addition of parsley. The clams were fresh and not too gritty, but I could have done wihout the clams and just eaten the sauce with bread.


Carne de Porco a Alentejana. Was an interesting combination for American tastes. We don't usually think of Pork and clams going together but Julia thought it was quite tasty. The sauce was quite garlicy and finished with cilantro. This was a clear winner.





Frango Grelhado a Porto was just OK. It didn't seem particularly interesting. Chicken with port wine, mushrooms and pine nuts. Really more of just a classic continental dish.








Paelha Valenciana was full of seafood and the rice was delicious. We thought it was too big when it came out and then ended up eating almost all of it.






Vieras Fish and veggies this one seemed to be just a continental cuisine type of dish from the eighties in the same vein as the Chicken with Port wine. I am not sure what I was expecting. It was good but nothing remarkable that I would want to try again.






We ended up with dessert and coffee. The kids wanted this ice cream ball thing and we were snookered in because we wanted coffee. It was mass produced but tasty. John got lemon sorbet that was served in a lemon rind cup. That was perfect and refreshing after the meal. But I am still not sure if it was homemade.