Oyamel

Area: Penn Quarter (Archives Navy Mem'l Penn Quarters metro stop, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Green line)
Location: 401 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004
Cuisine: Mexican
Cost: $$$
Website: http://www.oyamel.com/

During SnoGasm I had plenty of time to eat. On the first day of snow a girlfriend of mine and a friend of hers decided to grab something to eat for a late lunch. Her friend was from Brazil and highly recommended we meet up at Oyamel. I've always walked past it and noticed it was uniquely decorated with little skull clad looking dolls that are reminiscent of New Orleans Mardi Gras vibe.

Anywho I digress, I walk into Oyamel and noticed how interesting the decor really is! I love it, there are these really cute metal butterfly fixtures on the ceilings, the booths are intimate, and there is a party room in the back. The butterflies are a nice contrast the more dark latin theme, that is actually very festive (think Mardi Gras).

I strongly urge folks to make reservations for the restaurant. As they tend to always be busy unless you are coming in just after they have opened when business tends to drag for the first hour or so. However I strongly suggest making reservations. Well we were quickly seated. The servers are really good, I've had a few that took a little time getting to our table, but overall they all have been good at making suggestions. The first thing I HAVE TO ORDER is the guacamole, you can get it mild, medium or spicy. With my foreign roots I have to get mine spicy and they never fail to deliver.

The menu is fairly basic with tacos, salads, soups, and its meats, poultry and seafood dishes, but they have perfected having a diverse variety of flavors. There is also a very extensive vegetarian selection on the menu, which is a big plus when you are eating out with groups of people. People who have dietary restrictions to only Halal, Kosher, or vegetarian have no problem ordering food from Oyamel.

There are a few distinct items on the menu that make this place stand out: Grilled cactus paddles, beef tongue tacos, and grasshopper tacos. I wasn't brave enough to try he grasshopper but I did try to beef tongue tacos, and despite the fact that the texture is a bit tough, it wasn't so bad. I'm not a fan of the tacos, but the fact that they have unique types of tacos helps. The tortillas are pretty authentic though. I had the goat and that was probably the best out of the selection of the tacos. The chicken taco's were okay but not super savory.

The ceviche is awesome! I've had the tuna and the yellowtail ceviche and they are both so delish, I can't wait to try to the blue marlin ceviche. =) I highly recommend getting the scallops. They are savory and seasoned just right. The black bean soup is really, really good. The mussels are fairly decent, as well as the camarones dish. The tamales are small but are decent bite sized deliciousness. They have the right amount of seasoning and cheese where it's not overwhelming.

I'm sure there are more dishes that I tried but cannot remember. The plates are served antojitos (small plates) style so you definitely have to order more than one plate to fill up. It's pretty good for groups because you get a chance to try a little bit of everything but beware if you order the tacos, you usually only get one so there aren't too many to share, but if you don't like it you won't be stuck with eating more than one. Makes life simple. The plates are reasonably priced, however your tab can start adding up after order all the different plates.

One benefit of this place is the variety of non-alcoholic beverages. Don't get me wrong I like my liquored up beverages but my palate doesn't always require it so it is nice to have other options. Their menu has some very authentic drinks from milky spiced to the sugary sweet flavors.

All in all, if your craving some good Hispanic food and you want a nice atmosphere I would HIGHLY recommend Oyamel. You really can't go wrong. If your having a large group dinner plan it in advance and they can set you up with a prix fixed menu, however it can be slightly costly, but really worth your money (learned this from experience). And like all restaurants if they are busy expect the service to be a bit slow.

Sei

Location: 444 7th St. NW, Washington DC, 20004
Penn Quarters
Nearet Train: China Town (red, yellow, green line)
Website: http://www.seirestaurant.com/

Sei is a new restaurant in Penn Quarters, that just opened in late January, by the same people who have produced Oya. When you walk in, you can have the same expectations of Oya. It's clean, modern, upscale, and has awesome service. The white walls and contemporary decor really take you outside of Penn Quarters and put you somewhere else. It's definitely noticeable that the management puts a lot of emphasis on customer service and it shows, good job. The bartenders were pretty good at making great drinks, and the saki menu is pretty extensive. The waitress was quite personable and so were the runners.

The menu is creative and keeps the basics of sushi with a flare. I enjoyed the appetizers they offered. Sei is a little pricier, but not unreasonable. I would strongly suggest this place for a happy hour or for a romantic date. Definitely need to check it out. I think it's the next IT Sushi spot.

Proof

Proof
Location: China Town
775 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001.
(Corner of G St. & 8th St. NW
Price Range: $25-up
Website: www.proofdc.com
Nearest Metro: China Town Metro Stop


A friend of mine wanted to take me to a "late" birthday dinner. So I had heard from a friend we should check out Proof. Well I figured since they had a great wine menu I would go ahead and check it out. We walked in to a warm, rustic styled restaurant decorated with bottles of wine lining the walls behind glass displays. We were quickly seated by the hostess (it was a Sunday and not very packed). The feel of the place was warm, romantic and cozy.

The waiter came to our table and handed us the wine menu and the food menu. The wine menu was EXTENSIVE. It was immense. The wines are sold by the glass in different sizes 2, 6 and 8 oz that are automatically dispense. I was overwhelmed and wasn't in the mood to really experiment so I started (and ended) with a muscat wine. Sorta dry.

To start with we received complimentary pita chips with a sour cream dill onion dip, it was very light and very tasty. To start with I ordered the baby beet salad which was exactly what I wanted. My date ordered the meatballs and ravioli. He said they were very good had a hint of spiciness to it. I ordered the duck for the entree. And can I say it was AMAZING! The duck was flavored just right it wasn't too sweet, not too salty just perfect. The meat was succulent and I devoured it. The presentation was simple and simply done.

The server was really nice and friendly, however there was really no follow up after we received our meals and after we were done w the entree the blank plates just sat staring us in the face for quite some time. He walked by several times and still no follow up. A little disappointing.

I looooved the bathroom. It was really cool and was decorated with silver and pink wall paper and accessories. I loved it! So bright and vibrant. It was a complete contrast to the restaurant. The wallpaper was silver w a print of sexy pantyhose clad legs and lingerie from our grandmothers heydays.

For dessert I ordered the strawberry shortcake. (I have no idea how I was able to even eat, let alone, order, dessert. But I sucked it up and took one for the team and ordered it anyway. It sort of had the texture of a scone with strawberries on top and whipped cream. It was good, just different.

I strongly suggest this place especially for a date. It's a nice place to grab a glass of wine before a game or the movies with a bunch of friends. Definitely check this place out!

Zaytinya

I've driven past Zaytinya and have worked with people that use to bartend at Zaytinya, and EVERYONE raves about this place. I never like getting caught up in the hype, but even the exterior decor captured my interest. I love Mediterranean food and I decided I wanted to go there for my birthday with a few of my girlfriends. When you walk in it is really modern and elegantly decorated. Even the bathrooms are really nice, but it still has a friendly comfortable feel to it. We had a short wait so we decided to grab a drink at the bar. I ordered the Pom-Fili cocktail and it was perfect. The bartender was a good bartender and knew what he was doing. Once our buzzers went off we were seated by the hostess and met by our waitress. She was quite patient because it took us forever to order since there were so many items on the menu that we wanted to try. We ended up ordering the Falafel, Grape-Leave Dolmades, Cretan Snail Skordalia, Octopus Santorini, Seared Salmon, Lamb Chops with Hommus Bil Toum, and the Rabbit Stifado. Mind you it was only 3 of us eating. =) We were skeptical about the Snails, but they were amazing. I would definitely suggests these to anyone as an appetizer. I realllllly enjoyed the rabbit and the lamb chops. I can't complain about any of the mezze plates we ordered. I mean I loved every single plate. Everything was seasoned perfectly not overly salty, all of the meats were savory and perfectly chosen. The only thing I would be mindful of the next time I go is that I ate so much that I didn't have enough room for dessert =( . It is definitely a place to go on a date or just with a few friends. It was amazing, and lived up to all of my expectations. Definitely a must!

www.zaytinya.com

Location: Penn Quarters
701 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
(Corner of G & 9th)
Nearest Metro Station: Chinatown Metro
Price Range: $15-up