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.
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