Squash, fresh cheese, tomato ginger aioli. Happy hour $6
Vinoteca, Washington DC
Mmm, these were SO delicious! I loved the texture of the croquettes and they tasted great with the tomato ginger aioli.
Breadline sculpture, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
Golden raisin, caperberry, smoked chili, sunflower seed. Happy hour $9
Vinoteca, Washington DC
I really liked this dish too! The beef was delicious and the garnishes complimented it perfectly. I also thought the presentation was simple and pretty.
National World War II Memorial – “Philippines”.
Chorizo de revilla, manchego. Happy hour $7
Vinoteca, Washington DC
Mmm, I love this basic tapa but I love it even more with cheese and chorizo on top! This place was great and the bartender was friendly and on top of service.
Venta Morales tempranillo. Happy hour $5
Ew, this wasn’t very good.
Luther Place Memorial Church, Thomas Circle.
Fried potato with spicy tomato sauce and aioli. $7.50
Jaleo, Crystal City VA
Mmm, this was SO good! I’m not even a fan of THAT much aioli, but the dark flavorful tomato sauce help to drown out the excessive amount of aioli. Patatas bravas are one of my favorites tapas and Jaleo did right by it. I’m in heaven!
Sunset over Arlington.
Housemade grilled pork sausage with sautéed white beans and aioli. Almuerzo rapido (3 items) $20
Jaleo, Crystal City VA
This pork sausage was yummy especially with the fried white beans. My favorite part was the texture of the beans with the crispy bits. This was definitely a hearty little plate.
Potomac River with Crystal City in the distance.
Shrimp sautéed with garlic. Almuerzo rapido (3 items) $20
Jaleo, Crystal City VA
Wow! Garlic shrimp is probably one of my favorite tapas items and this version rocked! I absolutely loved the garlicky sauce and the shrimp were cooked perfectly. I wanted a huge bowl of that sauce to dunk pieces of bread into. Noms!
Old Dominion Boat Club, Alexandria.
Traditional chicken fritters. Almuerzo rapido (3 items) $20
Jaleo, Crystal City VA
Mmm, these were really good! The interior was softer and more moist than most croquetas and I kind of liked it! It was a nice contrast to the hot, crispy exterior. They also tasted great!
Arnold Palmer. $3
Arlington sunset.
Chorizo rioja and mahon cheese. Sweetheart ham and zucchini pickles. Each $5
Pepe Le Moko, Portland OR
OK, this bocadillos were pretty good. Thank goodness after those chip-your-teeth oysters. I liked the simple, quality ingredients and they were nice and gooey from the hot press!
Manhattan.
Lay off the vermouth, sister! Apparently they don’t understand what “I don’t like sweet drinks” means at this bar. Between the snow cone Bakersfield and this candy Manhattan, I’d think I was at a malt shop instead of a bar.
Pork shoulder loin with honey-chili glaze. $38
Coqueta, San Francisco CA
This pork was pretty damn tasty! But I would hope that it would be for costing almost forty bucks! I thought that it was maybe a bit undercooked for pork, so I was a little afraid to eat it, but I knew that it was really good quality pork and it tasted delicious so I ate the entire thing. The exterior was nicely seared and charred in places and the slices just melted in your mouth. The honey-chili sauce was also frickin’ amazing with the pork. I really liked this dish, but it was a bit much for a lunchtime entrée.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2014
Sweet onion, organic potato, parsley, piquillo pepper aioli. $7
Coqueta, San Francisco CA
Ok, the service here was better this time around, but there’s still something about it that irks me. It’s awkward and mostly aloof. Puh-lease! Anyway, this tortilla was delicate and delicious (I’ll give them that).
Limonada: roasted sparkling lemonade, rosemary, seasonal fruit. $3
Freshly dug, crispy new potatoes, lightly smoked, braves salsa and garlic aioli. $8
Coqueta, San Francisco CA
I must admit that despite my horrible dining experience here, these patatas bravas were frickin’ amazing! These were probably some of the best patatas bravas I’ve ever had, and that’s saying a lot. I’m still skeptical of this restaurant, but at least I know that they have a dish that I’ll enjoy.
Duck and pork meatballs with tart cherry and tempranillo puree and crisp shallots. $12
Coqueta, San Francisco CA
These meatballs were yummy and very moist. Can you really go wrong with duck and pork ground together?! Certainly the service went wrong…
Vittle Monster 