Washington DC – Get Elod(ie) of This

Nara-Ya, but first… an Update!

I know y’all are sick and tired of having to tune in every 1.26 years to read something mediocre. I could be more consistent, but that would require me leaving the house on a consistent basis — which I do not do. Why? Well, where to start? Outside is too expensive, I’m allergic to outside, and my doctor thought I may have had cancer and I got super depressed and had to be on a special diet and meds and, yeah. I don’t have cancer, though. Had to find out like 6 weeks later… I know my parents were happy to not hear me say “Damn, this may be my last time I ever do….” on the regular.

Funny, because I told myself my 2023 goal was to leave the house more. I did rejoin a pilates studio (won’t say the name because, petty), so I suppose I did start leaving the house more, at least 3x a week starting in April (hahahahha!) but, hey, it is technically leaving the house. Before that, I joined a social group for singles. Between the absolute wackos I was meeting on the internet (in my defense, they came off as stand up men… but then again, they are on a dating app… like ya girl), ’twas time to try something new! Joined in February… Just sent them an email to terminate my contract. More on that later, but honestly, it wasn’t very fun. And all the better events were at night in the city, and I really enjoy being in bed by like 9pm. Now… did I meet a twin flame at one of the events? Yes. But in my defense, he was just there at the bar, not part of the group. Am I still going to terminate? Yes. How am I going to organically meet people? Yes. Wait, no. Wait, I don’t know!

While sulking, something I do every now and then especially when I’m home scrolling through my IG looking at all the amazing food in DC that I can’t eat without feeling extremely sick for a couple of days, my friend decides to call me and asks to catch up. After rescheduling, we finally caught up at Nara-Ya.

I’ve been once for dinner, and ate some candied kumquats (which I thought were phenom, even though my friend literally almost jumped out of the building in disgust), and I thought the food was good enough to go back to for dinner. When they launched their brunch menu, I was about it! Took months to finally go there… I told one of my other friend about it, and she had went before me with one of her other friends and loved it. But, I did eventually get there.

Woke up and started getting ready. I wasn’t planning on doing real makeup, but I did want to be on my blonde girl sh*t, and last weekend, my blonde wig did not want to wig. Needed some extra time to ensure that if the wig wasn’t wigging, could just switch to a style that would style, you know? The wig wigged, the curls curled, and the lace laced. My makeup routine as of late has been simple: primer, concealer, brightening setting powder, blush, bronzer, highlight, setting spray — we out! So that didn’t take long to do. But curling the hair??? Yuh. I thought I was running late, I even forgot my headphones at home. Debated turning back around to grab my headphones for the metro ride in, but didn’t want to be late… My friend said she’d be there at 1:15p (I told her 1p), but at that point, I was already on the metro, also thinking I’d be there by 1:15p (because I thought I was running a little late).

Turns out, managed to get there by like 1:05p, and walked around the waterfront to kill time until 1:15p. Restaurants have been doing a thing where they kick you out after a certain amount of time and they hold your table for that amount of time. Reservation was at 1:15p, so we’d have the table until 3:15p. If I call them saying I’d be late, like 2p, they’d still seat me, but I’d still have to get out by 3:15p. So I sat down, and waited… until 2p… when my friend finally showed up… lol (but I’m not actually laughing, lol). I didn’t want to start eating or drinking without her, so just sat and avoided making eye contact with the waiter, who truly felt sorry for me. Did lots of thinking about life, but mainly how I had just realized my shoes were broken? Me and my broke ass now need to buy a new pair because they’ve become a warm weather staple! Which… let me do now or else I’d forget.

RIP!!! But if you want a pair… PashionFootwear is honestly one of my favorite shoes.

Miss ma’am finally showed up and we got to drinking and eating — yes, in that order! Caught up on life (it’s okay), work (meh), relationships (oh, boy), family (good), and all that fun stuff. But enough about me, let’s get to the food! The concept is bottomless small plates (one fee) and bottomless mimosas (another fee). And of course, if one person opts for bottomless mimosas, the whole table needs to get it, hence why I was waiting for miss ma’am to show up so that I didn’t lock her into getting mimosas. Also, wine (champagne) and citrus fruits (oranges) are high on the list of foods I should not be having, and in an attempt to help my stomach issues, I didn’t want to start too early. My tolerance is pretty low, sensitivity to alcohol pretty high, but when mixing in things I really shouldn’t have? Gastritis!!! I had just recovered from Wine in the Woods about 2 weeks ago, so was not necessarily looking for a repeat, considering I have a team on-site in Boston and a friend’s birthday in Mexico and definitely wanna turn up!! Prepping for my 2-3 weeks of sickness post Mexico (assuming, I don’t end up super sick during the trip, like I did in Ecuador).

Okay, now back to the food.

We started off with 3 plates: omelette, pork belly hash with potatoes, and brussels sprouts! I’m weird about eggs that I don’t see made in front of me, but these weren’t bad. They were fluffy and full of peppers. Very much enjoyed the pork belly hash: too much potato, too little pork belly, but whatever. While I normally enjoy potatoes of the crispy variety, these soft potatoes were pretty good! I think sautéing them in the pork belly fat? Yeah… Nice. And the brussels sprouts? Pretty damn good. We really gotta give a hand to brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Remember the days when them jaunts would only be steamed??? NASTY! Now they’re THOSE girls! Love the come up.

I’m sorry but the tofu sticks??? Looked nasty. Tasted nasty. Non-crispy tofu? Crazy. The flavor didn’t even soak in, and the texture was aggressively wet spongey. And I know y’all are thinking, “but that’s tofu for you!” NO! Have y’all had some GOOD TOFU before? That’s why! It’s a skip for me!

The steak though… was pretty good. My favorite. And if I wasn’t so goshdarn full, I’d only ask for a plate of the steak. Now, I know you notice the chicken and waffles in the back… I didn’t have any, but my friend didn’t say they were bad! She didn’t comment on them at all. So, do with that information as you will.

Love this dessert concept. Somebody needs to make a dessert bar but tapas style. Immediately. Like yesterday. The matcha tiramisu and yuzu cheesecake were pretty good, but I’m glad they came in bite-sized portions, because they were not good enough (to me) to eat a whole serving, but very much enjoyed the tastes. Kinda thinking about that yuzu cheesecake though… but only 5 bites worth of the cheesecake.

Honestly, all in all… would not recommend. Lots of factors involved, but my new baseline is “Is the food and price worth getting sick tomorrow?” And the answer is no. Cute views, but you’re paying for an aesthetic. And for the price tag? Y’all better not ask me to go back again. But if y’all did… I’ll just order the pork belly hash with the steak (no eggs). The fat content alone will have me sick, but I do not want anything else on that menu, except maybe the brussels sprouts. Unfortunately… such a subpar experience, y’all will not find me going back for dinner*!!

*unless I cannot find a Japanese restaurant in DC that serves whiskey, wagyu, and sashimi… at a better price-quality point… There was Shōtō but… that price point still has me sick to my stomach.

We were moseying on about what to do, so we walked around the waterfront for a bit, took some pics. I’d like to take a moment to thank my core strength for helping me get up on an unstable moving platform to take some pics. Not that I was worried about dying if I fell off, but my coccyx JUST healed from snowboarding season, and I did NOT want to fracture it again. After our photoshoot, we checked out Moonraker at the Pendry in DC.

Miss ma’am chatted up a random guy at the bar who we were sitting next to, and we all got to chatting. There was a point in time where I felt as if he was recording everything…

… but I don’t think he was. Or maybe he was. I looked at the camera and smiled anyways. Luckily, nothing bad was said. We (and by we, I mean me and him) ended up talking about sci-fi movies/shows, books, and relationships. I thought it was so cute how he flew into DC to see this girl that he’s hoping for something special with. Meanwhile, my friend and I were complaining about dating in the district. And I may have been moping around about how to act cool and composed like a cucumber, and while he gave generic guy-coded advice (very much appreciated, actually), he took our convo as a “Not interested” in him, because, well, wasn’t (listen, if you’re pushing 50… And you don’t want kids… *scratches head*).

But also… he lead with relationships and talked about his. I was just being a supportive random girl at a bar listening to a random guy that my friend tried to chat up at a nice bar, tryna make money moves, while sipping on some water. And then I decided to talk about myself, because, why not.

But anywhooooo, as I was reflecting on my day, I think I’m going to utilize the blonde more often. The blonde with the dress? I’ve never had so many people randomly walk up to me to compliment me. Unfortunately, I was in a quasi-foul mood all day, so took up so much energy to thank everyone. I used to be such a social bug with a quick-charge social battery. Now? Y’all can find me binge watching Anime (currently watching Naruto for the first time, trying to push past S6-9 filler episodes) or some SciFi or Horror show in the comforts of my bed with my dogs. So, it’s June… here’s to leaving the house more, exploring more, deepening my relationships (mainly platonic because I feel so bad at how absent I’ve been while going through my health issues), and tapping back into the basics that make me happy: writing! We’ll see how the rest of 2023 goes, but hoping to have y’all come along on the ride with me!

8pm, my carriage turns into a pumpkin. Daytime outings > night!

A Li’l Update ft Boqueria

Listen, the fact I’m spending lots of money on this blog domain and can’t even be consistent… Sis. I keep saying I will try, but whew is the depressive state real. And right as I thought I was getting my life together, BOOM, the Rona hits and derails my plans. Like truly. Messing up job integration, extremely ill, bedridden for days, and just all the weight gain…

ok so when I uploaded this, I remembered why I like to take horizontal pics so excuse the squareish crop pls & thnx — also we like the rounded? yeah? myb?

At least my skin is clear, right? And not even really. But I am trying a new skincare routine to get rid of the inflammation coloring from ingrown hairs. Hey, I’ll keep y’all updated about that!

All that is playing through my head is “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” by My Chemical Romance, and that should really sum up how I’ve been these past couple of weeks.

I’ve also changed gears from health law to environmental law (oh! Did I tell y’all that I AM A FULLY LICENSED ATTORNEY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND?!).

face courtesy of mom and forcing me to go to the ceremony lol

Wish me luck. The goal is to get into corporate social responsibility and environmental health equity. Now what does that all mean? Essentially, climate change is a public health crisis and the faster we get people and corporations to understand that a declining environment will lead to more health issues, especially in black and brown, low-income communities, the faster we can try to remedy the situation before it gets too bad.

Now, that also requires corporations caring for said population, and that really might be the challenge :))))).

teaser for the next paragraph but also relevant bc I used this cute lil jaunt as my work profile pic bc radiant smiles and, like, well i look cute

So how have I been spending my free time? A whole lot of DIY, cooking, sleeping, working, eating, and did I mention sleeping? Recently I’ve been reminiscing about a fun adventure I had with the one and only Bryanna Goode, the magic behind a lot of my recent photos. The way I miss adventuring… Lots of good memories, but I’ve been thinking about Boqueria (remember when I went in NY? No? That’s why I hyperlinked it for you! And here it is again!) a lot, mainly because what I wouldn’t give for a bottomless brunch in a chic setting right now. Full disclosure, DC locations > NY.

I thought about going back into video editing, but it really was not for me. I enjoyed capturing the footage, did not really enjoy mashing it all up together. So, if you’re reading this and you enjoy making videos, please let me know. I will appreciate you more than I already do.

And another thing I miss? The post-brunch adventures.

Surprisingly, I’m fine staying home, probably because I live with my family. But I hate not having the option to go out and adventure. What I would give to travel safely right now and eat my way through the tropics, lounge on a beach with crystal clear waters, but also drunk shopping, navigating through the metros of DC, and saying “yes” to every adventure that comes my way.

this lowkey looked a lil cuter before i cropped it into a rectangle

But, all I have for now are the memories and these yummy pics of me doing yummy things, so let’s all just close our eyes and take a second to imagine what life was like before this. Ready? Go!

Yeah, what a time. Let’s see… The food was good. I obviously went back and I want to go again! Unfortunately I took these pics in October, so my memory of the food isn’t perfect. Shout out to mega delayed posts, huh. What I do remember: the chicken tenders were delicious because they were coated in crumbled chips, but I did cut my mouth on them. The fresh toast was yummy but I enjoyed the apples more because I’m a sucker for cinnamon backed apples. The lil pineapples were GREAT, I had like 10, a lil smokey and a lil sweet. Steak and eggs were great, except I am very very weird about egg yolk, and I didn’t care for these because they were a littleeee too runny, but I ordered steak on the side just to eat more. The Bloody Mary shots were good too. They were more shot than cocktails and the spiced salt rim really sealed the deal. Take back too many and you’ll be wobbling your way down DuPont. 10/10 would go again, so hit me up if you wanna go.

Anyways. Let’s see what else I’ve been up to…

My friends and I all created a playlist of 25 songs we love so much, we wish we produced them. You can check out mine right here. I am no DJ, but I think I make pretty good playlists. Want a fun challenge? Make your own and send me the link so I can share!

And oh, look, another picture of me. Sometimes candids really DO turn out well. This was still part of the Boqueria brunch adventure, so no judging me on the same exact outfit, thank you very much. The only thing worse than an outfit repeater is an outfit rememberer! [Insert Lizzie McGuire gif here]. Duh.

And as much as this natural hair was cute as SHIT!!! I miss stunting in a wig. And makeup. I did my eyebrows the other day? And I forgot how to do them?? But then when I did perfect it??? It looked so foreign???? On my face?????

tbh surprised makeup still looking good at like 1am after drinking #champ also shoutout to dupont krispy kreme bc #lifesaver

not a wig but i do miss the high pony bc yes.

I can’t even recognize myself in makeup anymore?

hey siri, set a reminder to take pics vertically and horizontally

Honestly, I don’t even recognize myself, period! In all fairness, the picture was when I was extremely done up for a formal event, but I just wanted to be dramatic…

My plans for after this end? There’s so much I want to do! I cannot wait to leave, head to a MedSpa and get a Fraxel facial because—I deserve, and my face deserves even more. That’s it. And a new hairstyle. Either wig or silk press. I recently cut all my nails off because I’ve been doing them myself, but it’s been such a hassle. I bought a new manicure set anyways, so I will be entertaining the hassle once more. I bought a poly gel kit, so wish me luck.

And speaking of hassles… Men. Listen, it’s quarantine, sir. Leave me alone. It’s a pandemic! If I’m getting sick and infecting others, it’s because I’m hanging with my friends, not because I’m meeting new guys and fooling around with guys from the past. Yikes.

Please. Pls.

But all in all, life has been ~good.~ I even did some passion twists. They did not last long. But I tried.

i’d like to personally thank celena for letting me have/borrow/whatever her sweatshirt

No complaints really. I’m alive, and there really was a time where I thought I wouldn’t make it because I was THAT sick. I’m gainfully employed, and was worried because last to hire, first to fire. Luckily, the company I’m working for has gotten busiER during this time. Yay, work?

Started working out again to try to get a little bit of definition, but the way my sickness ruined my lungs… Trained 2 years to get to this level of fitness (not super fit lol but I can run, read jog, a couple miles without dying) just for it to be ruined from being sick for 4 months, lol. BUT! I’m determined to get back to where I was before 2020 ends :). We got this, right? Please, wish me luck.

So as per usual, I won’t make promises about this blog. But I hope I find the time and enegy to update you more. Thank you so much for checking in on me. Y’all are the reason I want to write these posts.

Until next time!

P.S. I like these updates, so maybe I’ll focus less on food and travel (funny, I know, because would need to focus on those things to begin with) and incorporate more about general life, because you’re here to get “elod” of my life, right?

P.P.S. You get brownie points for laughing at my pun. They’re worth nothing, yet.

Post Bar Relaxation, Pisco y Nazca, and a Donut

I’m trying out different post titles instead of just saying the restaurant name. Let me know how you like it.

It has been 2 weeks. 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS. Two weeks since I took the dreaded bar exam. And I really haven’t blessed y’all with a post in… a minute, actually. So I hope y’all are ready for this one.

Yes, let’s start this blog post off with a picture of me, because why not. Let’s do it. Also! I just saw this all blown up and portrait mode is a trip. I feel as if I photoshopped myself into this.

Let’s start with my life updates: the bar is over and now I have time to go to the bars. Friends are cool and all. Guys are there. Speaking of guys. Def saw this guy who halfway through hanging, told me he was in an open relationship. Just like that. Definitely was in some sort of shock, but I’m very over it now. I’m looking for a sugar daddy–I’m kidding. I’m broke. But I’m not kidding. But I am. Y’all know how much WORK you have to put into it? It’s a whole lifestyle. Anddd, I’m going on vacation on Monday! For a whole ass week. Hope y’all are connected with me on the ‘Gram, so that y’all can see my vacation stories (and pics) before they hit the blog.

Yeah, that’s it, really. But I know you aren’t here to read my life. If we’re being honest, you’re not even here to read about the food. You just want to see the pictures! So really, who am I to deny you this luxury?

So without further ado…

We have Pisco y Nazca. I have decided this is my favorite, favorite brunch place in D.C. I need to go back for happy hour, lunch, and dinner, to let you know if it’s an all around good place. But this really is top 5 brunch places I’ve been to. If not even top 3.

Ah, yes, another picture of me. On my own blog. Look at that.

And we have a donut from District Doughnuts. Top 5 donuts too. Shoutout to DC for making cool stuff.

Pisco y Nazca (translates to: The enjoyment of libations in a social setting).

And honestly, that it was. Good food. Good drinks. Good people. Good atmosphere. What more does one need? Good prices! And you’ll find that here too.

Doing this whole two birds one stone. Watch here, and I get a Tube view. That’s how it works, right? Ugh, send help.

I think here is where I say I don’t own copyrights to this song. It is not my song. It’s an instrumental version of “No Promises” with Demi Lovato by Cheat Codes. I got it from this Youtube dude. Hello, the lawyers reading this, can y’all help me out? Thanks!

So, I think I’m getting better at the videos, right? Right? Please tell me yes. Kidding, if it’s bad, let me know. And I’m trying the Youtube thing. That’s what all the kids are doing. But serious question: should I start doing voice overs? Should I start talking? Will y’all enjoy my voice as much as I hate hearing my own voice on video (but who doesn’t though)?

Prices. $30 for a 3 course brunch. $18 for bottomless mimosas and sangria. The food ranges from $10-$30, and the starters are pretty filling. I was actually full off of mine. I took my second course to go. And I had the third course (dessert, yes!) as I got hungrier.

I mean, I should have posted the first interior pic here, but… Too late now.

And the interior. I was in love. Perfectly modern without being obnoxious

And oh, Lord, did I down those amazingggg passion fruit mimosas. I could drink it all day. And I wanted to also, but might have actually died, but I would have been happy and dressed in a cute outfit. I don’t recommend the sangrias. We personally did not have them, but the nice people sitting next to us (shout out to y’all!) let us try them and… The red sangria was too sweet and the white sangria was very peach liquor-y. If that’s your jam, go right on ahead.

The tostones were perfectly crispy and the meat on top was, *chef’s kiss.* It really was so overwhelming with how much meat there was, so I ended up picking at the meat and then eating the tostones with less meat on it.

The sandwich was very good, especially with the sauce. But man, there was so much bread. I do not like ciabattas. I don’t. I’m sorry. I can do without it. But this was a huge ciabatta! The meat inside was amazing though. Yes, I ate it at night whilst I was sobering up, but it was still so good.

Listen, I am not a French Toast fan, but I swear this is one of the best ones I have ever had in my life. Perfectly crisp on the outside and extremely fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth–I just caught myself drooling at the thought of it!

The cheesecake was different because it incorporated rice (like rice pudding!) Still delicious and creamy. But I really think the French Toast took the win of the day.

And I guess my friends ate food too, but, I was already mimosas in and didn’t want to get up and take pics so… enjoy these subpar pictures. I’m sorry.

A Donut (or is it doughnut?)

Ya, at this point, I was lucky to even remember I wanted some pics, let alone pics of a donut. Is there anyway to put a poll? Doughnut v donut?

Thank you, District Doughnuts for the donut. I didn’t take pics of the donuts. I was a good handful of strong mimosas in. And a lil winded, honestly. I walked in. They were nice. I got a donut. I took a picture with said donut. But you can enjoy the photo progression of trying to post with the donut. If you were curious, the donut was key lime and it was oh soooo good.

Oh, you caught the outfit change? Well, yes, I ended up going into a store and changing my outfits. Might as well cop some pics for the ‘Gram, right?

All in all, it was a great Saturday. Perfect weather. Semi-perfect humans. And amazing food. Seriously. Here’s to good vibes to finish 2019 strong.

Barre x Brunch: [Solidcore] x Agua301

So I’m back at it. Taking a break from the bar exam to go do some barre only to go to a bar after that. Say that 5 times fast, everybody will be confused as to what you’re referring to. But don’t say it 5 times fast. Please.

[solidcore]: you love it or hate it. i love it. they hate it.

I’m trying a new thing, where I’m working out just to eat all my calories plus some right after, with my friends. I’m also trying this video thing again. Let me know what I should do (or not do, L O L). I was thinking whether or not I should add voice overs or have more of me talking. Or just scrap the whole video thing all together. But hey, enjoy the video. It turned out way better than I had wanted it to, #smallvictories.

Kinda cool, right? Oh, you didn’t watch it all? That’s fine. I think here is where I add I don’t own any rights to the song. It’s “Stars” by Marshmello. This isn’t for commercial gain. Just for the shits and the giggles.

But we all know what comes next: pics of food! But, to set the background for y’all… We went to [solidcore], a cute hardcore studio where it’s pilates reformer (using a machine) but on crack. Possibly one of the most effective core workouts I’ve ever done. Also, the biggest drain on my bank account. Yikes. Worth it? Yes. Honestly, I haven’t done it in 2 weeks and I know I’m going to cry because I missed a week. I wish I had before and afters for you. It was so fun to get my friends to come out and do it with me. I love working out with people, keeps me a little more accountable.

After, we yondered over to Navy Yard to get some food. I love to try out new restaurants, but I must admit, choosing a new restaurant for an event is a bold choice and it could have gone terribly wrong. We went to Agua301, a modern Mexican restaurant that faces the Potomac River in DC. The reviews were a bit mixed, but the consensus was: good food, bad service. I can live with that, as long as my alcohol cup keeps getting full.

I personally had 2 critiques: once you chose a bottomless drink, you were stuck with the drink instead of mixing and matching. I’d have preferred the mix-n-match, but beggars can’t be choosers. Also, as evidenced from above, my plate was the only one that didn’t photograph well. Albeit, a small thing, but, the whole point of this blog is to take pics of food to justify spending money on food. I enjoyed everything else and my friends didn’t seem to complain about the food either (they complained about the service, obvi). The food was GOOD though. Good taste. Good price. Would absolutely go back. But I definitely think I’m getting the crab cake benedict next because… you see how delicious that looks?!

People started trickling out and it was just me and the homie, Priscilla. Shoutout to friendship since Aug 2008.

we love girls who can pose. i, unfortunately, cannot.

We tried starting an IG page for brunch. Not a flop, per se, just trying to manage that, my own IG, and this blog is a lot. If only Priscilla could pull her weight *cough cough.* We tried to take pics (well, I tried and she succeeded) and then we went to Georgetown to eat all the ice cream at The Dough Jar. Why this cookie dough trend is a thing, no idea, but I am here for it.

So, au revoir, mes amis. Until next time. Studying for the bar exam is a TRIP. But almost there. When I do another public Barre x Brunch event, I have no idea, but I’m excited for it. But until then, stay cool. And of course, enjoy this picture of me.

model status. got my ‘fit from fabletics.

La Tasca

Whheewww, child. I know it’s been a while. I would like to thank my followers who have reached out to ask me if I’m okay or if I need any emotional support. Truly. I am so sorry I’ve been MIA. First week of my dream internship is done, and I really do love every minute of it. The people, the other intern, and the work. Where I am in Baltimore is a biiiiiittttt suspect, but I’m also only a 10 minute walk to work, so you win some and you lose some. Once I have my affairs in order, I’ll start a new tab for Baltimore eateries. I will also continue to keep you updated about my adventures in London. As for the natural hair… I’m going to hold off on that new column. It’s going to be a little bumpy for the next couple of weeks, but we’ll get through this together :).

BUT, this is not a post about me. This is about one of my new favorite restaurants. If you know me, you know how much I love love love (when it comes to food): my mom’s food, latin american cuisine, spanish cuisine, tacos without the shell, mediterranean cuisine, sushi, hibachi, and trashy $8 dinner specials american-chinese take out. Even if you didn’t know me, now you do. You’re welcome.

Image-1-1 — Just checkin’ out the district of columbia

So, I was super excited to come across this cute gem, La Tasca. My friend had come in from Kansas to visit yours truly, so we ate a lot, we drank a lot, and we watched TV a lot. La Tasca was one of 2 notable places that I decided to blog about.

mxdc9302 — This place was paaaaacked during the Stanley Cup. Go Caps! Had a bit of FOMO even though I don’t even watch hockey.

When we went, it was pretty empty. We also went after the lunch rush in the middle of the week. People started pouring in towards happy hour though. The waitress was a delight. I like how she actually was from Spain. The other waitress who served our food was from Colombia. Not sure why, but I enjoy when a restaurant (either by coincidence or intention) employs people from the cuisine location.

My friend and I used the lunch menu and decided to split two tapas and a paella, in addition to getting two sangrias.

She’s boooorrriinngg, so she got a dry red sangria. Not that people who get dry red sangrias are boring, she just happened to not want to try anything new, even though I suggested lots of other flavors. My personal fave is the cava sangria, because your girl loves prosecco. I’m not the biggest fan of blueberries, but I love all fruits when they’re in wine. Next time, I’m getting the Mango Blackberry, because does that not sound amazing???

For our tapas, we got the Bistec, cooked medium or medium well. The “fries” were two potato wedges (I only like french fries when they’re in the form of super crispy and tater tots and chips). And a spicy sauce. The Haitian in me loves spicy, but I let out a couple of coughs upon the first taste. It really had a kick.Ask me about the time I thought I was a daredevil and ate a spoon of Habanero sauce in Mexico. Wow.

The steak was amazing too. I was eating it slowly to savor the taste, and she asked if I was going to finish it! So rude.

The other tapa was the Albodigas, the lamb meatballs. I love lamb. I prefer it ground, but a good seared lamb shank with a green harissa spot will hit the spot 10 out of 10 times. The meatballs were cooked in a tomato sauce and topped with some goat cheese. The meatballs were the melt-in-your-mouth variety and at that point in time, life was gooood.

We didn’t get the Calamares… which I really wanted. I love calamari. But my friend does not like the idea of breaded fried squid. I just let out a deep sigh. Next time I’m taking my mother, because she LOVES calamari.

Lastly, we got the vegetarian paella. The paella was my favorite, by far. Came in a cast iron pan and the lunch size was enough to feed the two of us (along with the other tapas).

mxdc9300 — I got sooooo hungry while writing this post

I’m never sure how to best describe paella except that when I was in Spain, that was primarily all I ate. It’s like having a taste of wonderful in your mouth. And La Tasca’s paella was no different. I love a good rice. The perfect amounts of moist and sticky but not soggy. Maybe it’s the saffron that I truly enjoy. No kidding, this has been the best paella I’ve had outside of Spain. I loved it so much, I called my parents and told them that we need to go the location by us, in Rockville. My dad is not a fan of Spanish dishes or latin-american cuisine, but he LOVES a good paella. So I hope he will enjoy it as much as I did.

mxdc9301 — happy member of the clean plate club

Towards the end of the summer, I’m taking my mom to the paella making class La Tasca offers, and I am pumped. So definitely stay tuned.