Ambar

Date
1/28/2018

Location
Clarendon, just up from the Metro stop
2901 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA

What I ate
Uhh, everything? Here's the full menu

Who came
Brittany
Mark
Xander
Laura
Tiffany

Website
Ambar Clarendon

Thoughts
By my count, we had at least 35 different dishes and, counting re-orders, well over 50 separate plates. Our waiter took excellent care of us, seizing on our initial hesitation to offer to take us on a tour of the menu. Delicious dish after delicious dish just kept appearing. The portions were just enough to have a taste and leave plenty of room for the next one. I'll do a bit of a general rundown and pick out the highlights.

We had samplers for each of the first three - mezze, kajmak, and spreads. Each cured meat was a little different. One of the prosciuttos had a slight sweetness to it that made it stand out. We were a little worried about kajmak after the waiter's description, but those fears were unfounded. It was light and easily spreadable; the herb one was my favorite. Of the spreads, the slightly sweet bread may have been the real star, though each were tasty. I could probably eat the urnebes (aged cow cheese and red pepper flakes) by the spoonful.

The meat pie was the first time I almost strayed from the sampling menu. It was light and delicious, the kind of thing I could have eaten a half dozen of and not realized anything was happening. I know it wasn't the intent, but they looked like rugelach, which wasn't a bad thing. The flatbread (read: pizza) was good, though a bit of a deviation from the rest of the menu. The stuff:crust ratio was too low. The salads were mostly unremarkable. The best one was the slaw, but more as an accompaniment to the sausages that were to follow. The marinated peppers also would be an OK topping, but weren't much on their own.

The pepper and cheese croquette gave me yet another use for panko. It made for a light, flaky shell around the tasty filling. We kept the vegetables coming, with the sprouts, asparagus, and zucchini latkes being popular up and down the table.

In my quick notes about the slow cooked food section I wrote "star of the meal!" Remembering it, that's totally correct. The cinnamon in the moussaka hinted at sweetness without actually being sweet and made each bite a little journey. Not only did the stuffed cabbage remind me of that time Brittany and I cooked halupki for ScavHunt, but it was tasty, too. The pepper they stuffed was as sweet as the snacking peppers and a great complement for the filling.

Oh yeah, the meats! They kinda ran together. A week or so out, I remember the jokes more than the taste. The salmon was pretty good. We were probably all a bit too stuffed to appreciate the seafood, which seemed to disappoint our waiter. That didn't stop him from bringing us what I can only describe as Balkan churros, even though we didn't order dessert. Despite being full, there was juuust enough room for them and the chocolate sauce and strawberries that accompanied them.

There was a ton (almost literally) of food to write about, but I don't want to forget the other aspects of the meal. Our service was great, with full plates arriving and empty ones leaving quickly. Our waiter was patient with our questions and we were happy to let him guide the whole experience. It's a cozy space and it was sometimes tough to hear all the way across the table. That didn't stop us talking about our favorite dishes and generally having a great time.

Recap
Pros - Delicious food and plenty of it, excellent service
Cons - None. Maybe it's a little loud?
Overall - Well worth it. I'm eager to go back and test repeatability, even if menu doesn't change

Jaleo Crystal City

Date
1/26/2018

Location
Crystal City Shops
2250-A Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA

What I ate (copied from the RW menu)
Endives, goat cheese, oranges and almonds
Salad of red beets, citrus, Valdeón cheese and pistachios with sherry dressing

Traditional Catalán salad of white beans, with sherry dressing

Mushrooms sautéed with garlic, herbs and white wine

Sautéed cauliflower with dates and olives

The very, very famous tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic

Grilled marinated chicken served with parsley purée and garlic sauce

Seared salmon with potato leek purée

A classic Spanish custard with ‘espuma’ of Catalan cream and oranges

Chocolate ice cream with a traditional Catalan crisp

What I drank
Estrella Dam Lager

Who came
Jess

Website
Jaleo

Thoughts
Catching up with a good friend over delicious food will always make for a fun evening. I even enjoyed the olives (mostly)! I think there's a tendency for some places, especially those that normally work with smaller dishes, to use Restaurant Week as an excuse to give small portions. Bucking that trend, Jaleo offered a nice balance of special dishes and portions big enough that I left full.

It's a big room with half walls and elevation changes to give it a roomier feel. Despite plenty of ambient noise, conversation was easy. The waiter was attentive and didn't stick around too long. I kinda sorta maybe felt rushed at the beginning of the meal - Friday night of Restaurant Week means plenty of turnover - but they let us hang out, unbothered, after we were finished until we were ready to leave.

On to the food! The appetizers were good, if unremarkable. They're a nice way to start the meal. The endive is reminiscent of something my friend Kelly used to make; they'd be great to open a dinner party. The salad was a good complement, too. The mushrooms are the first dish to stand out. They were delicious, with the mushroom flavor standing up with the garlic. They were the texture mushrooms should be - juicy and meaty. The cauliflower was at the same time confusing and intriguing. In my head, the flavors don't work well together. In my mouth, they're best of friends. The earthy cauliflower set a solid base of flavor and the caramel-y dates gave each bite a little layer of sweetness. I'm not the biggest fan of olives (see above), but the saltiness cut through everything and kept it light.

The "very, very famous" shrimp dish was indeed tasty. I keep kosher(ish) and haven't had shrimp in a while. These were ever so slightly more well done than I remember liking shrimp to be. I liked the sauce more than the shrimp - light, plenty of tomato without much acid, and a quick heat that fades. The chicken was juicy and the sauce bright enough to make me think spring is just around the corner. The salmon was good, the crispy skin being my favorite part. I remember the sauce being tasty, but I can't honestly recall what it tasted like two days later. The desserts brought a strong close to the meal. The ice cream was both rich and airy. The flan had just the right texture and a pretty good taste. The topping was almost candy and the oranges kept the whole thing from being too heavy.

Restaurant Week often takes me places I wouldn't normally go, though as I'm becoming more of an adult - first post over 9 years ago! - I should get to places like this more often. Perhaps I can wrangle a few friends and go back soon. Tapas is always better with a crowd.

Recap
Pros - Delicious food
Cons - Nothing major
Overall - I'm eager to go back with friends. Not a steal, but definitely worth it.