brunch at jaleo

Spanish brunch. Yes, Spanish brunch was on the menu, and Spanish brunch lingers gracefully on my taste buds. Brunch at Jaleo was a great meal with friends. The restaurant was far too cold (come on, let’s fix the heating system, please), but the atmosphere was, on the whole, conducive to pleasant group conversation. We went with the 55-dollar fixed menu brunch. One member of our party was vegan, and we were grateful that the staff was so accommodating. They brought great vegan alternatives for every dish, and the substitutions were actually clever, rather than lazy. I will say that you shouldn’t come to this brunch starving, as it does start light and build up to heavier food.

The first course was described as a “goat cheese tornado bite” by our server— a thin wafer cone surrounding whipped goat cheese with a seasoning drizzle. The texture was compelling. I will say that there were some sections of the cone that hadn’t been completely filled, which made for a few unsatisfying bites. However, overall, it was a nice and light first course that got our palettes prepared for the rest of the meal.

Course 1: 7.5/10

The next course was a selection of artichoke-stuffed olives and whipped olive “balls”. This was a super salty course, but that’s, you know, to be expected. The stuffed olives were quite tasty, and had a nice pepper-flake seasoning which provided some divergence from the saltiness. The whipped olive bites were very solid.

Course 2: 7.8/10

Course three was where things finally picked up. It involved two dishes: focaccia toast with egg, cheese, and salmon, and a sandwich with ciabatta and Spanish tortilla. Both were genuinely fantastic. The toast was very crunchy at its base, and the texture of the egg and goat cheese contrasted nicely against the warm bread. The salmon was fresh, and tasted fantastic. The sandwich was very fluffy, and the eggs were well-prepared.

Course 3: 9/10

My apologies for the poor photo on this one.

The fourth course could honestly have been left off the menu. In contrast to the previous one, this course seemed very pointless. It consisted of goat cheese, Mandarin oranges, and almonds in endive leaves. It tasted alright on the inside, but the endive was unnecessarily bitter.

Course 4: 4/10

The fifth course redeemed the meal from the travesty of course number four. It was quite heavy, and I was quite hungry and therefore excited to give it a try. The eggs were great— simple, fried eggs that got the job done. The honey-drizzled ham was incredible. It was crunchy, but tender in the right places, and well-salted. The potatoes were addictive. Overall, a forkful of this course was a treat.

Course 5: 9/10

The sixth course was great, as well. The brussel-sprout salad had a phenomenal, sweet dressing. I didn’t love the way the sprouts themselves were prepared, but this was redeemed by the brilliant inclusion of warm, peeled grapes. The steak and tomatoes were simple and well-executed. The steak was very tender; the tomatoes were slow-roasted and paired well with the rest of the dish.

Course 6: 8/10

Dessert was a banana-caramel-pudding cake with bananas and whipped cream. The whipped cream was very alcohol-heavy, which wasn’t my cup of tea, but my friends certainly enjoyed it. The bananas tasted fantastic— they weren’t too mushy, which was important. The pudding cake was solid. The frosting was definitely the best part— brulee-ing this was a good call.

Course 7: 7.8/10

Jaleo is, in fine, a good option for a Sunday brunch in D.C.