Jaleo

We went to DC last weekend to check out the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin, and we spent an inordinate amount of time deciding where we should eat while in DC. We like Richmond food, but there just aren't many ethnic restaurants. So would it be Singaporean, or tapas? We chanced upon Jaleo a few years ago and it was a gem! It brought my husband back to his few days spent in Spain as a high school student. There are few Jaleo branches, and we've been to two of them: the original location near the Mall, and Crystal City. We went to the original location this time and we think that the food is better here compared to the Crystal City branch.
What we ordered:

Catalan flat bread with Spanish anchovies, onions, black olives, red peppers and Manchego cheese. Yum!! Amazing amazing fusion of flavors. My taste buds were going wild! It's been a while since I've been blown over by a complex combination of flavors. This is a keeper.









Duck confit with pear sauce. I love confits. C'mon, braising something in fat can't be wrong. The meat was fork-tender and the skin was crisp. The sauce was ok, and the cinnamon-flavored pears were wrong. Pears need to taste like pears when paired with duck, IMHO.










Monkfish with eggplant purée and black olive oil. I enjoyed the fish with the olive oil, and it's a combination that I only discovered last year at Mario Batali's Babbo. In the US, we are accustomed to fish being cooked in a neutral oil or in butter, but the fruityness of olive oil brings out the fish. I like eggplant, but I didn't care for the puree with the fish. I guess it muted the harmony of fish and olive oil.









Fried squid with allioli. I got hooked on calamari after having consecutive meals with my dad
who ordered fried calamari every chance he got. Well, like father, I guess! The calamari here is pretty good, and the calamari rings were bigger than at most places. They were tender and the batter was decent. Garlic aioli was good.









Mushroom and Spinach saute with tomato confit (on the specials menu). Don't know what kind of mushroom they used, but it was a little chewy. The spinach and tomato confit went well with the mushroom. Never had a tomato confit before, but I guess it is a tomato that is roasted partially so that it isn't a dried tomato but the tomato flavor has been sufficiently concentrated.











There are just so many choices on the tapas menu to choose from! We thought we did well in choosing a good variety of dishes. Need to come back again!

Food: 9/10
Ambience: 7/10 (a little crowded)
Would I return and why: Yes! Plenty of variety, no need to commit to one dish/one taste, and the Catalan flatbread!!

Trellis

My sister-in-law (a chocoholic) gave my husband (another chocoholic) a chocolate cookbook called "Death by Chocolate" by Marcel Desaulniers who inspired the many chocolate desserts at the Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, VA. So when we went to Williamsburg for a weekend away, we had to pay this restaurant a visit. We went during lunch on a rainy Saturday, and we were amazed to see that there was a line of people waiting for the restaurant to open.
What we ordered:


A fried fish sandwich ( forgot the type of fish!) and a souped-up ham and cheese sandwich made with Smithfield ham (a salty country ham) and gruyere. The fish sandwich was especially good, as the fish was fresh and nicely cooked, and the accompanying roasted tomato (yes, roasted, not sun-dried) aioli went well with the focaccia bread. Both entrees were around $9-10, not a bad price for a nice sit-down restaurant
But hey... a visit to Trellis is never complete without dessert!

We ordered the signature Death by Chocolate (around $7), which was described in the online menu as a "...seven layer chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and cocoa meringue extravaganza". They weren't kidding. Check it out!! I loved the meringue and mousse, will husband love the cake and ganache layers. It's hard to tell how big the dessert is but to give you an idea, it was served on a dinner plate.


Food: 8/10
Dessert: 9/10
Ambience: 8/10
Will I return and why?: There aren't too many new American cuisine restaurants in the Richmond area (unlike San Diego), and Trellis is only an hour away, situated in charming Merchant Square.