We showed up around 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday at which time they told us we'd have a 45-minute wait for a table. Luckily, this is what I expected so it didn't bother me much. I think my only complaint about this restaurant is that they don't take reservations for parties under 6 after 6 p.m. There really is no good reason not to take reservations and it really doesn't make business sense since it annoys most of the patrons. One woman, in particular, who was standing at the bar was quite upset about the wait. I made my way over to the bar and ordered a glass of wine. About 15 minutes later, they informed me that a large party had canceled their reservation and some tables had opened up. Great! We were seated at one of the nice two-person tables along the window.
We immediately asked for the vegan menu and they brought it over to us. (I love that there is a vegan menu!) It appears that they added a bunch of new vegan items and we were having a really hard time trying to decide what to order. My friend wanted to order everything, but we eventually agreed that that wasn't the best idea. So, instead, we ordered 7 dishes!
All of the dishes are small plates so you are encouraged to order lots and share. As we waited for the first dish, I remarked that the restaurant hadn't changed much since the last time I visited. But, that isn't a bad thing. The tables and chairs are made of a dark wood and have a stoic feel to them almost as if you are dining in a castle. There is an open kitchen in the front of the restaurant where you can watch the chefs and a bar in the middle of the restaurant that has an open feel to it as well.
Our first dish was the Grilled Country Bread. This time (as opposed to last time) the bread was grilled perfectly and topped with a delicious tomato, olive oil, and onion spread with chives.
Next, we had the House Marinated Olives, which was a great mix of black and green olives with marinated orange peel.
Then, we tried the Fava Bean and Almond spread served with Picos, a Spanish cracker. I liked the spread, but the crackers tasted like generic crackers to me. They just weren't very exciting.
Our fourth dish was the Roasted Beets, Endive, and Orange salad -- a great mix of flavors.
Next, we had the Roasted Wild Mushrooms with Parsley and Garlic. The mushrooms are roasted with the perfect amount of oil and tossed with parsley and garlic. You really can't go wrong with this dish.
The Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions, Pine Nuts & Currants was by far my favorite dish. The brussels sprouts were blackened to a crisp and served with paprika-spiced pine nuts and currants.
Lastly, we ordered the sauteed Pea Shoots, which also turned out to be great although they were very oily.
As this restaurant is known for its wine list, I am usually very satisfied with the wines they serve and this visit was no different. The food, wine, and service were great while the dishes were appropriately priced at $5 to $9 each. I think this is a great restaurant for a meal with friends or a long-term significant other as it is quite lively and loud. It probably wouldn't be the best for a first date though. All in all, I really like Estadio and look forward to coming back again soon.
Previous review of Estadio - March 2012
Estadio
1520 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 319-1404
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