Washington D.C. Restaurants and Museums (cont.)

We recently took a trip to Washington, D.C., and left readers after having a delicious lunch at the National Museum of American History.

After rushing down to the Mall, and shuffling through the museum for hours, we wanted to get off our feet for a bit, so we headed back to the hotel, to take advantage of the free happy hour, a perk of the Kimpton hotel chain that we have enjoyed elsewhere. It was a delicious house wine, and a great way to relax for a few minutes, before our dinner reservation. 

Tina enjoys the house wine at Topaz Bar.

At the recommendation of a cousin local to the area, we had plans to enjoydinner at Casa Oaxaca. Casa Oaxaca is a small restaurant on the outskirts of a busy neighborhood. We arrived for a fairly early dinner, and the place was already full, a mixture of young families, couples, and groups of friends populating the tables. We’ve enjoyed Oaxacan cuisine elsewhere, so we were looking forward to the range of molés and other traditional dishes. 

I started with a cocktail on special for the evening, another concoction of tequila and jalapeno, the balance of heat and flavor of which put the drink at the Topaz to shame. We ordered Ravioli de Huitlacoche. Huitlacoche is a Mexican delicacy, a fungus that grows on ears of corn and which is often compared to truffle. It has a mild, earthy flavor and was a great start to the meal. Tina enjoyed their famous cheese enchiladas, drenched in molé sauce, while I had the filet mignon. To continue with the theme for the evening, we decided to pair it with Mexican wines. It was no surprise that both wines, being from such a warm climate, were light and tart. My Cabernet Sauvignon was a good compliment to my meal; the hints of leather and spice balanced well with the hearty meat. Even though we were exceedingly full, we were convinced through some joking with our waiter to order churros for dessert. It was one of his favorite dishes, and, after we managed to stuff ourselves, he came over to notify us that it normally comes with six pieces, but he couldn’t resist, and helped himself to one of them, knowing I was so full. All told, this was one of the best Mexican meals we’ve had to date, for a great price, and in such a wonderfully casual atmosphere.

To be continued . . . !