Taberna del Alabardero offers a summertime special of tapas and sangria

July 9, 11:35 PMDC Restaurant ExaminerLisa Shapiro

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Chorizo

Taberna del Alabardero is celebrating their 20th Year Anniversary with a Summertime Special of Tapas and Sangria. During the month of July, Taberna del Alabardero will offer an assortment of 6 traditional Tapas along with a pitcher of the best Sangria in town priced at $50 for 2 guests. The summertime special Tapas will include a new seasonal dish, Gazpacho Andalucia, Salpicon de Marisco (marinated seafood salad), Tortilla Espanola, Croquetas de Jamón, Chorizo Parrilla (grilled chorizo), and Falda de Buey con Pimientos (steak with piquillos peppers). I was invited in on Tuesday afternoon for a special sampling and sneak peak with Chef Dani Arana.

My favorite of the Tapas assortment was the Chorizo Parrilla or grilled Chorizo sausage. The portion provided, especially for the price is fairly large with 6 or so very large pieces of deliciously smoked sausage - the plate is drizzled with a thick sweet reduction of al Pedro Ximenez (see photo on right). The smoky flavor of the sausage is even more delicious when dredged in the Px sauce.

Salpicon de Marisco

The Salpicon de Marisco resembles a fresh seafood salad and includes a mixture of diced scallops, pieces of squid, oysters, mussels, and large chunks of vegetables, such as onions, green and red peppers in simple dressing consisting of olive oil, salt and pepper. The Chef insists that less is more when it comes to this dish as the Marisco is not overly seasoned so that each bite will taste like the seafood instead of a sauce which the Chef says would mask the natural flavorings.

The Croquetas de Jamón look like small rounded golden fritters and inside consist of a creamy light béchamel sauce (made from adding milk to a roux, a combination of butter and flour). They're delicious and so easy just to pop in your mouth. The dish comes with six so perfect to share with one other or two!  

Tortilla Española

The Tortilla Española is a traditional potato and egg omelet beautifully presented in two large triangular slices. Although it appears to be thick, it's actually very light and delicate. I prefer a lot of salt on potato dishes and also on eggs but didn't add any additional salt to the Española when I tried it. The omelet was seasoned well, but imagine that I would have liked it even more with just a pinch of course sea salt and possibly some black pepper.

Lastly, I tried the new seasonal Gazpacho Andalucia. The young and talented Executive Chef, Dani Arana, a graduate of the Hospitality School of Seville explained to me about 'Salmorejo', which is a soup consisting of tomato and bread, originating in Córdoba (Andalusia) in the south of Spain. It is made from tomatoes and is very similar to a traditional tomato gazpacho but richer and smoother, this delightful cold soup is typical of the Cordoba table. He explained to me the process of making this soup by soaking bread in olive oil and sprinkling it with salt and letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator. The next day the bread is broken down with the tomato - which is how the soup gets its thickness. It's poured into a small glass and served with a swirl of olive oil on top. It's perfectly acceptable to just drink it drink out of the glass - even though it's a soup! I also sipped the house-made Sangria, which is truly delicious and refreshing. It's made with a traditional Spanish red wine and diced oranges, green apples, and lemon juice. It's fantastic - even for lunch!

Inside Taberna del Alabardero Dining Room

Inside the dining room, the rich red walls and ceiling were set off by charming hints of lace and embroidered pillows, combined with the elegance of white table cloths and fancy place settings. The concept of La Taberna del Alabardero, or “Tavern of the Palace Guards,” was born thirty-five years ago, when Father Luis de Lezama with no prior experience in the restaurant business, decided to rent a 16th century townhouse near the Royal  Palace in Madrid, Spain and begin to serve his traditional Spanish cooking to locals. Quite to his surprise, people loved his food and he was inspired to expand his business. Lezama opened locations in  Sevilla and Benahavis. For his first and only venture abroad, Lezama crossed the great Atlantic Ocean to come to America to open Taberna del Alabardero, as it is today, in Washington, DC on March 27, 1989. There is also another location in Seattle Washington. Now for over 20 years Taberna del Alabardero has provided classical Old-World Spanish dishes, which reflect various cooking styles from the country's regions, including Basque, Andalucía, Valencia and Galicia.

Taberna also offers a wonderful daily hour menu and special which includes half price Tapas and their special house Sangria Monday through Friday 3-7 p.m. at the bar inside (which seats 7) or outside on their patio.  The restaurant has earned distinguished accolades including the DiRoNa Award, Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, American Academy of Hospitality Sciences’ Five Star Diamond Award; and the American Award for Gastronomy. Taberna del Alabardero has consistently been named one of Washingtonian magazine’s “100 Very Best Restaurants” and has been cited as one of the “50 best restaurants in the country” by Condé Nast Traveler.