My family decided to take a late New Year’s Eve dinner at Jaleo. For a set price, their Noche Vieja included unlimited tapas, a dessert tapa for each person, various party favors, and a cava (Spain’s version of champagne) toast at midnight, with DJ and dancing to follow.
Because there were five of us (including Adrian’s girlfriend Monica), we tried almost all the tapas available, some of which were special for the occasion and more upscale than Jaleo’s already awesome regular selection. I’ll briefly discuss just my personal favorites:
Higado de pato con manzanas: Cubes of foie gras with apple and frisee salad. The richness of the foie gras was awesome with the tartness and lightness of the other two ingredients.
Ensalada de bogavante con clementinas, pomelos, y naranjas: Huge chunks of lobster claws and tails with clementines, grapefruit, and oranges on top of mixed greens. The lobster was perfectly boiled and the acid from the citrus fruit slices matched well.
Surtido de quesos regionales con albaricoques y picos: A cheese platter with an amazing apricot marmalade that Adrian described as “steroids for cheese.” It made everything taste better. The simple pairing of it and the ever-popular manchego was maybe the best thing I ate all night. It was that good.
Sopa de pescado: Traditional “fishermen’s soup.” Hearty and full of seafood.
Cigalas al limon: Langostines cut in half and grilled with lemon oil. Very simple but very good.
Patatas bravas: Fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and aioli. The most famous of all tapas and with good reason. Nothing new but I just had to include it.
Navajas con aceite de cepes: Seared razor clams with porcini oil. I didn’t actually get to try these. The restaurant ran out, so I’m sure they were good.
Helado de aceite de oliva con citricos: Olive oil ice cream with citrus fruits. The dessert I was least likely to order but ended up liking the most. A unique ice cream flavor but sweet and surprisingly good.
And of course one can’t forget the mandatory pitcher of sangria.
Feliz Nuevo Ano!
Because there were five of us (including Adrian’s girlfriend Monica), we tried almost all the tapas available, some of which were special for the occasion and more upscale than Jaleo’s already awesome regular selection. I’ll briefly discuss just my personal favorites:
Higado de pato con manzanas: Cubes of foie gras with apple and frisee salad. The richness of the foie gras was awesome with the tartness and lightness of the other two ingredients.
Ensalada de bogavante con clementinas, pomelos, y naranjas: Huge chunks of lobster claws and tails with clementines, grapefruit, and oranges on top of mixed greens. The lobster was perfectly boiled and the acid from the citrus fruit slices matched well.
Surtido de quesos regionales con albaricoques y picos: A cheese platter with an amazing apricot marmalade that Adrian described as “steroids for cheese.” It made everything taste better. The simple pairing of it and the ever-popular manchego was maybe the best thing I ate all night. It was that good.
Sopa de pescado: Traditional “fishermen’s soup.” Hearty and full of seafood.
Cigalas al limon: Langostines cut in half and grilled with lemon oil. Very simple but very good.
Patatas bravas: Fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and aioli. The most famous of all tapas and with good reason. Nothing new but I just had to include it.
Navajas con aceite de cepes: Seared razor clams with porcini oil. I didn’t actually get to try these. The restaurant ran out, so I’m sure they were good.
Helado de aceite de oliva con citricos: Olive oil ice cream with citrus fruits. The dessert I was least likely to order but ended up liking the most. A unique ice cream flavor but sweet and surprisingly good.
And of course one can’t forget the mandatory pitcher of sangria.
Feliz Nuevo Ano!
2250 A Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22202
703.413.8181
http://www.jaleo.com
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