Monday, March 31, 2014

Celebrating 25 Years at La Taberna del Alabardero

By: Lauren Rittermann
Capital Cooking Contributor

La Taberna del Alabardero, the very first restaurant to open in DC, celebrates it's 25th Anniversary with a Pintxos Bar,  the newest addition to their bar menu.  The restaurant, located 4 blocks away from the White House in the administrative center of Washington, has become a popular dining spot for Presidents, politicians, diplomats, and even celebrities.   



Over the years the restaurant has established a reputation of serving DC the best traditional Spanish cuisine.  But as more restaurants open in the district, La Taberna faces some challenges.  So executive chef Javier Romero has worked extremely hard to create a brand new pintxos bar menu with each plate costing $4 in hopes to create a new environment in the restaurant and welcome new diners. The dishes are authentic dishes from the Basque region, Madrid, and other areas of Spain.  The food is extremely fresh, and most if not all is brought in directly from Spain.  




You can find things on the menu like fresh marinated boquerones or anchovies, seafood salad, razor clams with lemon pepper and rosemary, Galician style Empanadas with beef, tuna, cockle, or cod, marinated muscles with sweet paprika, and tuna belly with onions, pepper, vinegar, garlic roasted tomato.  






There are also a selection of stews which include veal and vegetables, pork snouts, potatoes and baby squid, meatballs, and tripes with chick peas.  



And if that wasn't enough, Chef Javier also created various small sandwiches to please your palate like ox tail sliders, hand made sausage with onion and pear in a wine sauce, toast with ham and tomato, and roasted veal with caramelized onions and pardon peppers.




Chef Javier only cooks with olive oil and wants the food to have all of it's natural flavor.  And after sampling all of the pintxos, it was obvious how much hard work went into creating this menu and making each authentic dish flavorful, fresh, and absolutely delicious.  The restaurant is located at 1776 I St NW and is open daily for lunch and dinner and offers complimentary parking after 5:30.  

Taberna Del Alabardero on Urbanspoon

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