Sat, 06/09/2007 - 4:14pm

If you are not sure what you feel like eating or if you just like variety when you go out to eat, I suggest trying Jaleo. This Spanish tapas style restaurant located near the Verizon center offers over 30 different small plates in addition to a variety of regular sized entrees and paellas.

Jaleo offers both hot and cold tapas as well as seasonal tapas. Be sure to read the seasonal tapas menu as many of these items often feature some of the area’s best seafood and vegetables as well as some more unusual items like Rabbit or Octopus. You will find that Jaleo’s menu is heavily laden with seafood tapas as well as certain vegetables, like spinach, tomatoes, and olives. I suggest trying the Spinach salad which is currently a seasonal dish that features anchovies, onions, orange segments, almonds, and black olives. Dressed in a light vinaigrette this salad is satisfying and perfect for one person if he is a salad eater or big enough for two people to share along with other tapas selections. For other cold dishes I am always partial to the cheese plate. This selection of four Spanish cheeses features both semi-soft and hard cheeses and goes well with the Sangria, white or red, that is offered at Jaleo. For hot tapas I think that the highlights of the menu are the blood sausages cooked in garlic sauce, the scallops with the romesco sauce, and the garlic shrimp. The sausages have a great bold flavor, but are a little on the fatty side so be aware that you will taste that fat in the texture of the meat. The scallops are seared so they are firm, but not chewy, and the shrimp is a standard Spanish tapas dish that you should try at least once.

All tapas at Jaleo are served with a basket of their bread which is crusty on the outside and soft in the center. You can get refills on the bread and it helps add substance to your meal since the tapas style portions are about a third the size of an appetizer and not too filling. Unfortunately the bread was a little chewier than I remembered and not quite as soft as I would have liked it to be, but it was great for soaking up the leftover sauces from the various tapas dishes.

The atmosphere at this restaurant is lively and can be on the louder side depending on how packed the restaurant is and what day you go. Service is usually good and all the servers I have encountered are very knowledgeable about the menu and don’t try to up sell the most expensive items on the menu. Because Jaleo offers both hot and cold items and because people tend to order 2-4 tapas per person, your food comes out in a steady stream throughout the meal. Not all of the tapas arrive at the same time and this can make you feel like you are just snacking instead of eating a real meal so factor this in to your time frame when dining here.

For those people who do not like tapas because it does not fill them up completely, there are also entrees and paellas dishes on the menu. From there summer menu I recommend the grilled salmon served on a bed of wilted spinach. It is healthy and light, but will fill you up nicely since it is a generous portion.

Overall I would recommend this place if you are going to a show and don’t want to overeat or if you want to grab a late dinner. Jaleo is also good for birthday parties when there are a lot of people who want to try a bunch of different menu items. Be sure to sample the Sangria while you are there as it is the real standout among the drink selections.

About the author
Daphne Butas lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Aras and their bulldog Abby, where Daphne works as a freelance writer and editor. The couple is expecting their first child this April. In her spare time Daphne enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling, snowboarding, and of course, eating out!

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• Restaurant Reviews