Ordinarily I'm not a big fan of restaurant chains. The food tends to lack inspiration and to rely heavy on processed, packaged foods.
But there are exceptions to every rule. It's not serious food, but we love that La Tasca introduces tapas for the novice diner.
This weekend in Washington, DC, we wandered into the tapas themed import that originated in Spain, migrated to the UK, and now has five locations in the DC area.
We tried two locations - the Penn Quarter location (722 7th Street NW, Washington DC 20001, 202.347.9190) and the Old Towne Alexandria location (607 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, 703.299.9810) - and found the food reasonably priced, tasty and consistent.
The service was superior at the DC location, more attentive and more knowledgeable. Our Alexandria server was sweetly pleasant but told us a Tierra de Castilla Rosé was "served in little glasses," presumably referring to the Jerez sherries.
Typical of chains, the servings are huge, which makes the La Tasca experience an economical choice for families. And there are deals to sweeten the pot - on Saturday until 6 pm an adult meal gets a free kids meal and on Sunday bottles of wine are half off all day until 9 pm.
Adding to the authenticity of the experience, La Tasca imports ingredients, whenever possible, from Spain.
Order the Berenjenas Fritas (thinly sliced eggplant lightly and crisply fried) served with Cabrales cheese dip ($6), the Gambas Gabardina, shrimp deep fried in our special beer batter and served with garlic mayonnaise ($7), and the Queso Manchego served with Fig Jam ($6.75). The Churros con Chocolate fondue will be everyone's favorite fried dough dessert ($6).
Buen provecho!
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