Friday, July 18, 2014

Arman's 19th Birthday at Estadio

We had Arman's 19th Birthday celebrations at the Estadio Spanish restaurant in D.C. on 14th and R 1520 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 202-319-1404

Haidar Karoum, executive chef of Estadio and Proof, is very creative and his creations are amazing. His first experience was at now-closed Gerard’s Place, later he worked with Michele Richard at Citronelle and at Restaurant Nora in Dupont Circle.

Overall experience tonight was 4-1/2 stars!
Light body, smooth and worked with most dishes- ***
Fried Potatoes with Aioli, tasty!- ***
Tortilla Española, Alioli, Sweet Hot Peppers- Delicious!- ***
Rhode Island Calamari a la Plancha & Salsa Verde, to die for!- *****

Sautéed Shrimp, Garlic, Parsley, Red Chili & Lemon; Loved the juice with bread- ****
Great Bread- ***
Grilled Octopus, Potato-Caper Salad & Pimenton - ****
Roasted Corn with cilantro, manchego and lime!- *****
Grilled Scallions, Romesco & Idiazábal- ****
Braised Beef Short Rib, Parsnip-Potato Puree, Horseradish; Very Original!- *****
Hanger Steak, Patatas Riojanas, Chorizo & Valdeon Sauce- **** 


Warm Pear Bread Pudding, Vanilla Ice Cream, Toffee-Rum Sauce- ****
Idiazábal Manchego Cheesecake- *****

Friday, July 11, 2014

28th Wedding Anniversary Dinner at Kapnos

Mike Isabella opened this Greek restaurant about a year ago and already his fans include First Lady Michelle Obama and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor both of whom have dined at Kapnos.


2201 14th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
at the corner of 14th & W Streets, NW
phone: 202-234-5000
email: eat@kapnosdc.com

After considering other venues, we decided to try this restaurant.  Our reservation was 7:30 PM; we arrived at 7:15 PM and found the restaurant be quiet busy and lively.  We were seated in the back room.  Our wait staff was a young Moroccan man whose previous job was at Zaytinia. It turned out that he had waited on us a few years ago when we were dining there!

For tonight, I'll rate each course/wine from 1 (least favorite) to 5 (most favorite) stars!
Overall experience- ****

Rotisserie oven in the kitchen at Kapnos- ****
Pikilia  sampling of three spreads-****

The 2012 Sancerre worked well with the first 4 courses- ****


Grilled asparagus  sun-dried tomato. green olive, cured orange- ****


Tuna tartare  yuzu, harissa, grilled avocado ****

Crispy Fried Root Vegetable- ****

Stone baked flatbread  garlic oil- ****
Sparkling Wine- prosecco “on tap,” montelvini, Italy, nv- ***

The 2011 Chianti was light bodied but very spicy and worked well with the red snapper and the meats- ****


Charred octopus  preserved lemon-chili glaze, fennel, stonefruit, pesto ***** 

Red snapper  smoked potato, charred onion, tomato- *****

Spiced baby goat  savoy cabbage, black-eyed peas, red pepper- ****
Suckling pig  orzo, dill, orange - ****
Marinated spring lamb  ancient grain salad- *****

Desert- Loukoumades  crispy fritters, pistachio, spiced honey- *** 

Desert- Greek yogurt panna cotta  kaitifi, pistachio,
mint, strawberry yuzu ice cream- ****

Double Espresso- **


And the present....



Saturday, July 5, 2014

Fabulous Time at the Estadio Reataurant in DC

Estadio, which means “stadium” in Spanish, is a contemporary Spanish restaurant located in Washington, DC’s fashionable Logan Circle neighborhood. The menu offers a creative take on traditional Spanish cuisine, complemented by an approachable wine list and inventive beverage program.
Main Bar in the back

Nice wine worked with all the dishes.

Crispy Cod, Moritz Beer Batter & Salsa Remoulade

Grilled Octopus, Potato-Caper Salad & Pimenton

Sautéed Corn with Cilantro and manchego cheese.

Grilled Pork Loin, Crispy Kale & Roasted Pears

Braised Beef Short Rib, Parsnip-Potato Puree, Horseradish


Manchego Cheesecake, Quince, Raisin Granola