Jose Andres is chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup, and with his partner, Rob Wilder, they have established some of the best dining establishments in the DC area, such as Zaytinia and Oyamel, along with places in Las Vegas and Beverly Hills as well.One of my favorites is Jaleo in DC's Penn Quarter. According to their menu, jaleo means commotion, uproar or revelry ~ the revelry is easy to understand!
This Spanish tapas menu is abundant and has so many incredible options that it is sure to please any guest. My aunt and son were thrilled with their non-vegan selections, but mine were fabulous! If only the colors in the photo could do the food justice...
Do you see that olive oil with cloves of fresh garlic and crusty bread? Or how about the cauliflower with slivered dates and Spanish olives, dusted with paprika? I kid you not that I purchased every ingredient to try to make it for dinner tonight. (My absolute favorite cauliflower dish in the world is from Zaytinia.) I also loved the baby spinach sauteed with pine nuts, raisins and apples, and they made a vegan risotto! Wild rice, perfectly al dente, cooked in a mushroom stock with lightly sauteed mushrooms. So hearty and well-suited for a chilly, seasonal meal. They also make these green beans with apple, dried apricots and green grapes (hold the ham)...there were so many choices to be made it's a good thing everything is small!
Just in case you were wondering, the cocktail list isn't bad either...but you might not want to drive home after drinking one ~ wow!
