Estadio, a Spanish themed restaurant now open near Logan Circle, is the latest establishment from the same owner of Proof in Penn Quarter/Chinatown. The restaurant mimics eating in Spain to the most minute details, from the replays of famous Futball games on the widescreen televisions at the bar, the cured Jamon Serrano hanging from the ceiling, and the Spanish tile that decorates the walls. The front of the menu consists of a large selection of tapas, while the back is an extensive drink menu to assist in washing down your palette.

The restaurant is one of the “hot spot” restaurants of the moment and is enjoying the in crowd clamoring at the doors.  Jen and I were offered seats that look into the kitchen at the hostess table, but we declined them, as the seats there were a good 10 degrees warmer than elsewhere in the establishment.  We were then told it would be a ten minute wait, so we waited at the bar while our table opened up.  The tiny hostess came by and confirmed who I was, and offered us to our table…which was right behind me, next to the restrooms.  Not exactly being excited at eating a meal there, I asked if we could sit elsewhere in the restaurant.  The girl offered us the seats near the kitchen, which I politely declined again.  Jen and I then asked her how long of a wait it would be for a normal table, one that wasn’t near the kitchen, and wasn’t near the baños.  At this point, the girl was clearly losing her patience with us and snapped that we would be waiting for around three to four hours.

Really?  Three to four hours?  That’s not what you told me at the hostess table.  I’m not sure I could cozy up to the bar and suck down margaritas and mojitos for a sixth of the day.  It was evident that this girl was “doing us a favor” by giving us such a short wait with the table near the bathrooms.  At that point, Jen and I took the table at the bathrooms, which was more of a bar table than a restaurant table, and tried to ignore the lack of hospitality there.

Thankfully, our server more than made up for her behavior, being extremely courteous, informative with the menu, and rarely leaving our glasses unfilled.

Jen and I ordered an army of dishes, which included a sampling of the cheeses, the jamon serrano (natch), and the egg and potato Tortilla Espanola classic pictured above.  For me, the dishes were a welcomed reminder of the food I ate traveling through Spain several years back, which is to say, the preparation is very authentic.

There tends to be a lot less set to appease the vegetarian crowd, as Jen only ordered a third of the dishes that we put in to our waiter.  The tomato salad is well balanced and very well executed, with a wide assortment of heirloom tomatoes.

The fried squash blossoms are the top of the list of the ones I’ve tried thus far.  Filled with creamy spinach and given a golden deep fried shell, the trio of blossoms here will definitely have you craving another order.

I ordered the grilled octopus, which came out less charred than I had expected, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  It did come out fantastically tender, with virtually no similitude to the rubbery tentacles one would expect ordering this dish.  Don’t expect it to pick out any World Cup winners for you, though.

The duck breast is another tasty dish, albeit a bit on the overly salty side.  Then again, a good deal of Spanish food is heavy on the salt, and not having had any duck breast in Spain, I could easily see this as being as authentic as anything you’d eat in the heart of Madrid.

Tapas at Estadio do run from expensive to very expensive per plate.  The high price point for such small dishes are a bit of a turn-off, as Jen and I felt like we had been gouged in the wallet after our meal.  Expect an average of $10 a plate, and a meal to easily run north of $100 for two without drinks.

The crowd there is beyond eclectic, and makes for an eventful night of people watching.  We watched a throng of girls drinking at the bar, old enough to know better to be drinking out at Adam’s Morgan, but young enough to still be in skinny jeans, dangly bangles, and high heels.  We watched a creepy looking guy grab one of their asses as he passed by, and we watched a guy hit on them, get rejected, and then proceed to hit on a pair of late 50′s cougs.

I suppose everybody has to go out and eat, right?

Estadio is about as an authentic Spanish dining experience as you can get in the District.  That, and it’s fun to say the name the same way you’d say…..SERGIO.  Over and over again.

Estadio can be seen on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Spanish Scenesters
• Bougie Bon Vivants
• Paleoheads

Not Recommended For:

• Frugalistas
• Vegans
• An Intimate and Sensual Evening with Betty White

Yonge street is the worst place to get food in the city, which is ironic, considering half the storefronts are lined with restaurants.

Restaurant reviews from Canadia coming soon, I promise!

2Amy’s neighborhood just isn’t the typical place I’d find myself hanging out in DC. It’s in Northwest, but it’s pretty up there as far as NW DC addresses go. Idaho Ave? I didn’t even know there WAS an Idaho Ave in this city. This all goes out the window, of course, if you’re a student at American University, which is about half a mile from this pizzeria.

Calling 2Amy’s just a pizzeria doesn’t seem to quite do this place justice. You don’t see slabs of pizza perched on stainless steel pedestals, slowly turning to cardboard behind Windexed glass panes. The interior of 2Amy’s is much, much classier, with brick walls, glossy subway tiles, and a large, hungry crowd waiting outside that never quite seems to entirel disperse.

There are an endless array of appetizers to whet your palette before your pizza arrives, so it’s a good idea to show up with a large party.  We were able to try a number of incredibly fresh and tasty plates.

The fried squash blossoms that are popping up all over various DC menus was something I’ve been wanting to try for  a few weeks now.  The taste is not too different from a light, fried okra, and the chefs here know the golden ratio for batter to oil for maximum taste.

The fried risotto balls were also very well done, although not something that I’d order on my own.  Risotto and molten hot magma (could have been cheese, although I swear it’s lava straight from Eyjafjallajokull) in a breaded crust, guaranteed to burn your mouth unless you know to cut these things open and let them cool down a bit prior to consumption.

Consider this your fair warning.

The prosciutto ham here is unbelievable.  I don’t know what sort of people had to get killed in order for this ham to get passed through customs from Italy, but they died for a very, very good cause.  2Amy’s takes it up a notch and pairs the ham with fresh honeydew (the money melon), a dusting of fresh ground pepper, and a quick splash of virgin olive oil.

The pork cheeks mixed with vegetables aren’t for everyone, and naturally only the more adventuresome will get over the sourcing of this meat.  The delicate texture of this meat here, however, seems to be overwhelmed by the mixture of oils and vegetables used to serve as it’s accompaniment.  That very well could be the traditional way of serving it Neapolitan style, but I’ve enjoyed pork cheese in previous experiences, and this dish just wasn’t something I was thrilled about.

The goat cheese served with a fig spread here is excellent in taste, texture, and quality.  Make sure you get the trifecta right and properly shove these two down your gullet on a raft of fresh baked bread.

The pickled sardines are flat out a must if enjoy like sardines.  The pickling process perfects the properties of these pescados for your palette.  The fish like taste is really kept at a minimum, with the strong pickling flavor coming out, giving these tiny fish a wholly unique taste.

The Margherita D.O.C. is most likely the most basic pizza you can order here at 2Amy’s, and that’s not at all a statement of disappointment.  The simple flavors of buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil stand strong, playing no supporting role in accompaniment to other pizza accoutrements to this Denominazione di Origine Controllata (D.O.C.) dish, which means that the pizza was prepared using only authentic Italian ingredients and authentic Italian preparation methods to produce what you see above.  The result?  Mostly likely one of the best pizzas, if not THE best pizza you’ll have within 50 miles of DC.

There are, of course, those who feel the need to take their pizzas the extra mile, and order a Margherita pizza with prosciutto, and 2Amy’s amply delivers with class.  My pizza arrived at the table covered in enormous slices of prosciutto, placed atop my pizza after being baked, but only moments before I tore into this dish.  You can also ask for your pizza to be served well done, as I did here.

You can by all accounts, buck the normalcy and order a pizza with buffalo mozzarella, sausage, and cockles, for an equally satisfying pie.  The flavors on this one are decidedly a bit different, but no more or less amazing than the traditional offerings above.

What better way to finish a dinner than with a pair of cannoli?  Fresh cream stuffed into crispy baked shells, this dessert was just enough sweet to finish a meal, without being overly heavy.

If that doesn’t quite suit your tastebuds, you can always perk up with a Foggy senor –  a shot of fresh espresso topped with whipped cream, a much more suitable way to exit a good dinner than doing Jaegerbombs and flipping over the table after you’ve paid your check.

It’s a bit unfortunate to me that 2Amy’s isn’t more accessible from downtown DC, but taking a trip solely for their pizzas is a journey that’s well rewarded.  The pizza here is hands down my choice as the best pizza in the city, and the fact that 2Amy’s is no dive should be given the consideration it deserves.  The staff here is knowledgeable, friendly, and accomodating; the vibe is energetic and happy; the food is going to blow your socks off, assuming you’re not some crunchy hippie rolling up in Birkenstocks and your nevernude denim shorts.

See 2Amy’s Pizza on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Pizza Worshippers
• Neapolitan Expats
• First Dates
• Casual Birthdays
• Vegetarians

Not Recommended For:

• Paleoheads
• Zone Dieters
• Cramming for Your Finals
• The Jumbo Slice Crowd
• Vegans

One of my friends mentioned to me how much he appreciated how I am constantly working on ways to cheat within the rules.  I couldn’t agree more.  So I decided to give a go at making a paleo fried shrimp recipe.  This is another super easy recipe to follow, and with minimal ingredients.  The coconut flour used as batter doesn’t stick perfectly to the shrimp, but it’s still an excellent paleo alternative to using a regular grain based flour.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of large (31/35) shrimp, frozen
• 1 pasture raised egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 cup Avocado Oil or oil of your choice

Directions:

1. Defrost shrimp the night before, or under cold water in the sink.
2. Place the beaten egg in a small bowl or dish.  This egg wash will help the coconut flour stick to your shrimp.
3. Spread the 1/4 cup of coconut flour over a large flat surface, such as a cutting board or plate.  Evenly grind 1/2 tsp of black pepper over the coconut flour, and then 1/2 tsp of Old Bay over the coconut flour.
4. Gently pat one shrimp dry with a paper towel, and then dip the shrimp into the egg wash.  Make sure the shrimp is completely soaked, and then roll the shrimp into the coconut flour, getting a generous coating on your shrimp.  Set each of these aside and repeat until you have about 8-10 coated.
5. Heat a a large pan or skillet over medium high heat for about 5-10 minutes, until pan is hot.
6. Pour avocado oil into your pan, and gently lay each shrimp down into the oil.  You can use tongs or chopsticks, and handle your shrimp by the tail, so you minimize disturbing your batter.  Cook for about 60-90 seconds until the batter has turned a golden brown, and turn over to cook the other side.  Cook for an additional 60 seconds, and remove each shrimp to a plate.
7. At this point, you can start feasting, or prepare another batch of shrimp with the same process above.

Who’d have thought you could have fried food on your diet and still get away with it? I took my shrimp down in a pool of sriracha, but feel free to use whatever paleo dipping sauce you’d like!

DC is full of neighborhood gem type sushi restaurants, but none stand out in the Dupont Circle area quite like Sushi Taro.

Well, not in the physical sense, at least. The restaurant can barely be seen by pedestrians on the street, its sign dwarfed by the CVS pharmacy that makes up the majority of the building it shares. With a short walk up a flight of stairs, however, and you’re transported to a landing of dark wood floors, dim lighting, and a sense of the extraordinary, leaving the world DC below.

Sushi Taro is unique in more than a few ways, including their Kaiseki tasting menu and the ability to personalize your a la carte menu.  The Kaiseki tasting menu gives you an opportunity to meet the chef, who will be your sea sherpa through a multi course meal prepared through traditional Japanese techniques.  It’s an excellent opportunity to really explore textures and tastes at the hands of a stranger, but definitely an option for only those who can go into a meal with an open mind and an open-er-er palette.

The ability to readily add or change your a la carte sushi is also a bit of a novelty, with options including adding raw quail egg yolks, tempura batter bits, spicy mayo, or having your roll turned inside out.  It’s the little touches that make a restaurant unique and the willingness to appease patrons does not go unnoticed.

To start, I ordered the seaweed salad, which didn’t arrive at my table quite like I had expected, which is not to be taken as a bad thing.  If you’ve ordered a seaweed salad before, you probably have a small bowl of green seaweed in mind, served in a mildly sweet dressing with sesame seeds.  Not quite the case here.  A large bowl of two fresh seaweeds arrived, served with sliced radish and lettuce, and easily enough for two.  It’s a very simple dish, but utterly refreshing on a hot summer day.  I’m sure you could ask your waitress for the Nemo special and have some clownfish sushi scattered throughout, but let’s save ruining your children’s childhood for another day.

The urchin* sea snail umami was by and large my favorite order here.  Served rather unexpectedly still in the shell, the preparation and freshness of the urchin made for soft rather than chewy morsels.  This isn’t going to be a big hit with everybody, but if you’re doing yourself a disservice by passing on this dish.

For my main course, I asked for the chef’s choice sashimi  dish- a wide assortment of raw sealife, from octopus, tuna, scallop, and shrimp, to some more unidentifiable but equally delicious meats on my plate.  The presentation is top notch, and once again, I was floored by the freshness of the fish.

Sushi Taro may not win the people’s choice of the best sushi restaurant in DC, but it certainly deserves a distinction of being one of the better establishments in the District.  The service was excellent, with rarely a moment passing that I did not have my drink refilled, or another dish arriving at the table.  The recent renovations have taken Sushi Taro much more upscale, and you can always pick up a movie at the Blockbuster downstairs after your meal (which is still somehow in business at the time of writing).  Best of all?  The entire meal is 100% paleo.

Recommended For:

• Fishicianados
• Paleoheads
• Pescatarians
• First Dates

Not Recommended For:

• PETA Monthly Meetings
• Pounding Sakebombs
• Committing Seppuku
• Texture phobes

* I could have sworn it was urchin on the menu, but a reader informed me that these were actually sea snails.