Restaurant Week in DC is always a mixed bag. There are plenty of restaurants that honor the basic idea- you get to sample the food, service, and atmosphere of one of the many participating establishments at a fraction of the price of a normal meal. Of course with any sort of open enrollment dining program like this, some restaurants will use the opportunity to simply shell out less than average quality dishes and service just to cash in on bargain seeking diners such as yourself, or say, a pirate who’s at port for a few weeks. What? Pirates need to eat too.

Jen and I took the opportunity to check out Casa Oaxaca at the south end of Adam’s Morgan in Northwest DC. This restaurant is about two blocks away from the noise, lights, and vom strewn streets of the main thoroughfare of Adam’s Morgan, which I’ve managed to steer clear of for most of my time here in DC. The general area just doesn’t appeal to Jen or me. So having a restaurant on a block that sees more neighborhood resident patronage than midnight whalebone four dollar intern specials and vomit free sidewalks are already a step in the right direction.

The restaurant is a thintangular split level establishment, with a modern Oaxacan theme up top, and a more relaxed, come wear nothing but your favorite futball team jersey (goooooooooooooooooooal!) and a weekday drinking problem. Both are actually very well decorated and have a lively atmosphere. I was a big fan of the painting upstairs where we sat. iAy dios mio! Caliente. I couldn’t find the owner to ask whether or not I could purchase such a fine work of art for my own home, but mayhaps that’ll be on the agenda for my next visit.

Everything at Casa Oaxaca starts the off with a small treat for every diner, courtesy of the chef.  We were given miniature corn tortillas topped with sautéed onions, spices, and Oaxacan cheese. Deeeelicious, and Zone friendly to boot!

The owners also have another establishment in Arlington, a more relaxed Oaxacan tapas bar called Guajillo (pronounced no-ha-blah-ess-pah-nee-ole), which is on the list of places to stuff our faces full of tacos and guac.

Speaking of green tasty treats, Jen and I started our meal with an order of their guacamole, which came to our table with a basket of chips, the house salsa, and the offer of a super spicy salsa that was quickly agreed to by the both of us. The guacamole was fair, but I think the spicy table-side prepared one at Oyamel beats the one at Casa Oaxaca hands down. Opt for a different appetizer to start your meal. We initially ordered the Ravioli de Huitlacoche, but after a warning of a 20 minute prep time for this dish, we thought better and went with a quick dip.

The house Sangria, and I'm boldly making the claim as a n/a it's the best in the city.

I had the Duck Confit salad start, a small but tasty and well proportioned dish accompanied with jicama, grapefruit, and slices of red onion. The heavy shreds of duck complemented the texture of the jicama and the lightness of the salad (argula, I think?) well. Completely awesome execution. If it were any better, it’d have to be at the expense of Anne Boleyn all over again.

The main course of my Restaurant Week picks were the Pork Medallions in a black mole sauce, which had heavy tones of Oaxacan chocolate, garnished with roasted sesame seeds and served with a molded serving of seasoned rice. I skipped on the rice, but Jen tried it and said it was pretty good. The pork was juicy and even better when devoured with the black mole sauce.

The last dish of the night was the dessert, several churro sections filled with a sweet cream cheese, just like your Aunt Juanita used to make for you as a niño pequeño. Tasty, but don’t expect it to hold up well the next day if you’re bringing leftovers home.

Service is fairly attentive here, and the little dish brought out compliments of the restaurant (they figured it’d be a better business decision than a quick slap to every patron’s ass on your way out) to you is a nice touch.  I’ve yet to try  tacos at this restaurant, but between Oyamel and Casa Oaxaca, you’ll find that each restaurant does different things better.   The black mole sauce on just about anything here is great, as is the duck confit salad.  Oyamel’s spicy guacamole wins hands down.  If you’re looking forward to a big main course type dinner, Casa Oaxaca would be your best bet, while Oyamel is a better option for sampling lots of different types of food.