Jaleo

The first time I went to Jaleo was with M- on a super sunny Sunday afternoon that begged for sangria. There were tons of tables available on Woodmont, and Jaleo stays open through those bleak in-between-lunch-and-dinner hours, so we went in and asked to be seated. Thing is, if you want a table, you have to eat. They didn't even ask if we were going to drink a lot, which we were. They only needed to know that we weren't going to eat. So they referred us to the bar, which wasn't on the street with people walking by and certainly wasn't in the sun, and we took our business to a public bench down the street (sans sangria). Don't get me wrong, I know why they do it, and most of the time I wouldn't object. But when it's glorious out, and 75% of your tables are empty, and you're named for "revelry" and "merry-making", it seems to me you should let a couple sit down outside and share a pitcher of sangria (and probably get hungry, and probably order something after all).

But that didn't stop us from going back. Today we had about 25 minutes to kill before the 4:30 showing of "The Squid and the Whale" (see it!, or read about it), and when we tried to go Mon Ami Gabi, they told us that they were closed until 5:00 and that Jaleo would be open. Not only were they open, but they have Happy Hour from 4:00 to 7:00. We went with B-, and he and I ordered the the $3.15 happy hour white wine, which was totally adequate, not too tart, not too sweet. M- asked for the $3.15 happy hour red, which they were out of, but they let him order another wine off the list at the same price, so no harm done. Then the bartender helped us choose a couple of tapas, and brought us some bread and place settings.

B- said that if there was anything wrapped in bacon, we had to get it, so our first selection was the Dátiles con tocino como hace todo el mundo, or fritters of dates and bacon. We got six egg-shapped 'fritters' packed with more flavor than they ought to have for their size, all sweet and salty and greasy. They weren’t really my bag, but they were interesting and well-made, and I bet their relatively subdued cousin, the croqueta, is awesome at Jaleo. Our second dish was Espinacas a la Catalana, spinach sautéed with pine nuts, raisins and apples, that was more my speed; a great mix of textures and flavors, with the same savory-sweet mix of the dates, but a little more subtlety.

The bill came out to less than $21. Granted, it was just a snack, but one could fill up with just a couple more tapas and a couple more glasses of wine. The restaurant itself feels a bit vast, but the bar was comfortable, the service friendly and competent, and the food warm and flavorful. It might be a little overwhelming on the weekends, but it's great for an early weeknight dinner.

Jaleo, 7271 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, 301.913.0003

food-plan on Jaleo; Gayot on Jaleo; washingtonpost.com on Jaleo

Comments

[Little Mouse (aka: Monica)]

You're awesome! I might even come to Bethesda one of these days for a look-see. BTW, how does one get under your inspiration pages? I've got a few poems you might like and a childrens book or two under my belt.

[kildorads]

Хорошая задумка у сайта!