Oyamel

401 7th Street NW,
Washington, DC‎
(202) 628-1005‎
http://www.oyamel.com/

I love Oyamel. I usually go here for girl's nights, but my mom was in town and my husband and I thought it would be a great place to go for dinner. It was. My mom was a little hesitant because Oyamel is Mexican food. It is not the heavy, flavorless standard fair, but rather a light interpretation of interior Mexican flavors.

Before I get to the food, I just want to mention the atmosphere and the drinks. The restaurant is filled with Neiman Marcus inspired butterfly mobiles, Mexican masks, and bright colors. Maybe it's because I lived in New Mexico, but I love the festive atmosphere. You can't help but be in a good mood when you enter the restaurant. I recommend the Oyamel Margarita. It is a standard margarita served in a martini glass with salt foam, rather then a salt rim. The foam is light and delicious. I also recommend the "Frutas Agumadas," mango juice and mint combine with chili and tequila. It is slightly sweet, and slightly spicy--an intriguing alternative if you don't feel like a margarita.

The food really is good. I have eaten here on several occasions and although some dishes are definitely better then others, I have never been disappointed. I am a big fan of tapas because you get to try lots of different things and if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. On this visit, we started with two types of ceviches--blue marlin and wahoo. The marlin was spicy and delicious. Ever since I first ate Marlin in Honduras, its been one of my favorite--but hard to find--fish. Marlin reminds me of a white fleshed salmon, and it works well with grapefruit and Jalapeno (the way Oyamel serves it). The "verde" wahoo ceviche lived up to it's name and was covered in avocado. I preferred the delicate balance of the Marlin ceviche, but the wahoo was delicious. We also had guacamole (good, but not as good as mine. Of course, I am biased), a special bean tapa (fabulous), hearts of palm salad, grilled flank steak, and an amazing chicken tamale. To top it all off, we each had a taco. I had the relatively standard grilled chicken taco with onions, guac, and peppers, which was good, but not amazing. I highly recommend the fish tacos (the fish melts in your mouth and is sauteed, not fried) and, if they have it, the braised goat tacos.

We ended our meal with coffee and warm chocolate cake with mole and vanilla ice cream. We were so full, but it was a great end to a fabulous meal.