Excuse Me, Is That Your Blog?

This being my first full summer in DC, I was quite excited to hear about Restaurant Week. For those who don't know, Restaurant Week is a week in August where hundreds of DC restaurants offer a special menu at a set price of ~$20 for lunch and ~$35 for dinner. It's a fantastic opportunity to try out new, exotic or fancy places you wouldn't normally be willing to lighten your wallet for. Being the classic Rustbelt kid I am, I'm not generally one for upscale dining. You've seen that I can get snobby about beer, but when it comes to food, I tend to lean towards known quantities, places where I know I can get a nice juicy burger or pasta dish without taking too big a chunk out of my bank account. But that's what makes Restaurant Week so great, because it gives you an excuse to go outside of your food comfort zone and explore some of the great culinary options DC has to offer.

The first of two stops on our Restaurant Week expedition was Taberna Del Alabardero. How did it measure up?

Atmosphere

TDA, as I'll call it from here on, is a lovely, classical Spanish-themed restaurant Downtown just off of Farragut Square. The main dining room, as well as the side dining room where we were seated, is a striking, deep red color and the walls are lined with paintings and murals of historical figures and Spanish countryside. The seating is elegant, yet surprisingly comfortable thanks to the heavy, padded chairs. There is also a decent-sized outdoor seating area. Though I've never been to Spain, I was told this place could fit right in. From a neophyte's foodie's perspective, the place felt classy and upscale yet welcoming, and not overly stuffy.

Service

There were a several pros and cons about the service. Chairs were pulled out for the ladies, waiters were efficient and courteous, and our wine glasses were never empty! Perhaps, though, the waiters were a bit too efficient. We barely had a chance to finish a course of the meal before waiters swarmed the table to clear the plates. Perhaps that's the standard MO, but we certainly felt a bit rushed. Our reservations were for 8:30, and we spent a good hour talking after the entire meal was done, yet we still left the restaurant before 10:30. This I'm willing to chalk up to Restaurant Week, however, as I'm sure the waiters are trained to scramble so as to fit in as many reservations as possible.

Food/Drinks

Finally, the most important part. Per standard Restaurant Week etiquette, we were given about four or five choices for each course, printed on a special Restaurant Week menu. For starters, three us us ordered the gazpacho. Now, I've never had gazpacho. In Cleveland, someone presented with a bowl of gazpacho would probably wonder why the Spaghetti O's were strained out and someone forgot to microwave it. So, despite having no frame of reference, I really enjoyed it. It was zesty but not overpowering, and silky smooth as it went down. For the record, the Spanish-savvy folk I dined with agreed that the chilled soup was exceptional. The other person in our party ordered the house salad which I did not try, but looked delightful and was well-received.

For the main course, a selection of three fish dishes and three meat/poultry dishes was offered. Two members of our party ordered the roasted baby goat, which was fantastic. Again, never having had goat before, the only observations I can make are that it had a wonderful slow-roasted taste and a perfect, tender texture, almost like pulled pork. One person order the garlic chicken, which was also excellent. In terms of what you can do with chicken, it was top notch. Myself, I went with the Rockfish with Artichoke, Tomato and Spanish Sausage Sauté. I don't usually order fish, but, again, I wanted to go with something outside the norm. I was a little disappointed. The fish was presented with the scales intact, which I realize is probably standard for upscale places or whatever, but I found it a little off-putting. In terms of flavor, the fish was a little bland; without reading the description on the menu, I wouldn't have been able to tell if it was roasted, sauteed, baked, broiled, etc. The most flavorful things on my plate were the artichokes. I have to say I was still a bit hungry when I finished, and not just because I've got a large appetite -- others commented that the meal looked to be a bit lacking.

The dessert course was another foray into the unknown for me, as I had never had flan before. Sheltered, I know. It was good... I think. It was pretty standard gelatinous creme; subtle, yet sweet, and presented with a very tasty lemon icing (not sure if "icing" is the proper word, but close enough). I did not try the desserts the others ordered, but both the almond cake and strawberries seemed to go over well.

As for the wine, this is where I really show my lack of sophistication. I don't know a damn thing about wine. I know there's red and white. I know I've never drank any wine that cost more than $10 a bottle. I do know that I like the wine we had. Since I ordered fish, I went with the Jose Pariente Verdejo, one of the suggested white wines. To my surprise, it was delightful. It had a very distinct fruity taste, but with a kick that distinguished it from most of the wimpy, sweet whites I've ever had. The rest of the table drank the El Molinet Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon, which I found to be a bit too warm and harsh for my tastes, but was enjoyed by those who drank it.

Overall

As a total package, TDA is a fine dining experience. Though I ended up spending a bit more than I expected and was a little disappointed with my main course, the meal was, generally, a triumph. On a crude scale of 1-10, I'll call it an 7.5. It's certainly a worthwhile place to check out during Restaurant Week, though I don't know that I'd be inclined to visit again of my own accord. So I hope the review was helpful to some of you Restaurant Weekers. Stay tuned for the review of our next stop, The Prime Rib.