We had a trio of visiting business guys from three other offices in my company, two in the U.S. plus Tokyo. After their first afternoon of business meetings, we headed out for dinner together in DC. Wanting to show them something different than the normal Sichuan or American restaurants, I chose a Spanish tapas place that I like. There was also a lot of tables outside so we could enjoy dining outside. Coincidentally there was the Ghana-U.S. World Cup game playing at the same time and the visitors could really get a feeling of World Cup fever.
We selected a trio of cheeses that came with some bread, olives, pan con tomate, grapes and dried fruit.
The manchego was a wee bit oily, but the goat cheese was lovely.
Sardines
Two orders of Spanish tortilla. Delightful.
Jamon Serrano with more pan con tomate, olives and slices of bread.
Gambas al ajillo
Super flavor, although a bit pricey for a tapa.
Bunuelos de Baccalo
My absolute favorite dish in tapas restaurants. The salted cod fish is super fluffy and the exterior was nice and crunchy.
Albondigas
To provide a bit of different flavor, we had some meatballs in a tomato sauce. Great flavor.
Grilled octopus with shaved fennel on a potato mixture.
Super dish with the octopus still nice and tender.
Grilled squid with frisee.
The calamari had a great smoky flavor and were nicely cooked.
Seafood Paella for two.
When Japanese businessmen have dinner and drinks, they tend to like to end the experience with either noodles, or rice. Lots of seafood topping crunch rice. A different rendition than the ones served at Jaleo or Taberna del Alabardero, but I enjoyed it. With the first round of beers and then three bottles of wine, our excursion was definitely on the pricey side, but it was a very different flavor, cuisine and atmosphere than they often end up experiencing in the U.S. We finished dinner right after the World Cup game was over and the exuberant fans spilled out into the streets, creating a very lively atmosphere.
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