| Address | 2250 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (703) 413-2288 |
| Fax | (703) 413-9669 |
I went to Oyamel for a week night dinner and it was horribly disappointing. The tuna ceviche, even the tortilla chips that come with the overpriced 13 dollar guac was SALTY SALTY - and being a huge salt lover, it takes a lot of salt to get me to say that. Also tried the corn cakes which were hard and brittle topped with mystery meat, disgusting. The scallops were fine, but it was sad that they could not even produce a decent carnitas taco. My friend tried the baby pig confit taco and she nearly gagged at the table. Overall it was a horrible experience, and the huge tab for bite sized pieces were a huge insult to my palate. NEVER GOING BACK
Having only waited 25 minutes of an expected hour or so wait (the host reported a 1.5 hrs wait), we were happy and ready to sink our teeth into the menu. Options are plentiful. We ordered 1-2 tapas a person to share around, and a taco each. We were also brought freshly made chips and salsa when we sat down. We ordered a selection of vegetarian and fish dishes, all sounding delectable. Some of them, such as the scallops and the frites with mole, were exceptionally good. The others were good, but not exceptional. Even though Oyamel is a tapas place, the portions did seem to be on the small side. For example, the truffle corn (I forget the exact name) was extremely small, as were the extra tortillas (though homemade and delicious) and the tacos. The service overall was too attentive (Indian restaurant syndrome?), but friendly and helpful when navigating the menu. The drinks were generally tasty, but nothing too special. The margarita with the salty foam was indeed novel. Walking away, we were left with the feeling that it was another one of those places trying to use the idea of tapas to serve less food and cut corners. I'd probably go back in a few months though, hoping that they had figured it out a little more.
Walked into Oyamel on a walk from the Crystal Mariott with a vegetarian friend from Iowa who was craving authentic Mexican. The thick and crisp tortilla chips served in a stylish metal cone were gobbled up quickly with the fruity orange salsa. Our request that the mole sauce on the potatoes be put on the side was ignored the first time (it has meat in it), but the replacement came quickly. The mole was rich and deep. Too bad the potatoes themselves are limp French fries that still needed the second, hotter fry to be worth eating. The Caesar salad (for me, the dressing contains fish) was prepared at tableside with intact lettuce leaves for a fresh-looking presentation. We wished we'd ordered more of the soft-torilla tacos with fried mushrooms and a touch of guacamole. Best dish was the goat-cheese-stuffed squash blossoms with a side sauce of tomatoes, olives, and capers. The hibiscus margarita was a nice change, but the fleur de sel on the rim was a real revelation melting on your tongue. The sangria was decent too. The meal felt a little pricey at $50 for what we consumed, but it was a pleasant repast and we left full.
The seared scallops with pumpkin seed sauce, tamales oaxaqueno, and pablano relleno are real highlights, full of flavor, passable as something from your Mexican grandma's kitchen. Other items are latin-tinged, to be sure, but more questionable: the papas mole are dressed-up French fries, the mushroom 'fundido' seems like it belongs on a Spanish tapas menu, and there is no native Mexican ceviche. The paradox for me: Mexico has one of the world's greatest peasant cuisines, and attempts to upscale it seem arguably ingenuine. Nevertheless, the ambience is beautiful, the food delicious, and we had absolutely no problems in service. I would recommend Oyamel -- for a group of friends, it's a great place to have a slow meal and conversation. But for authenticity's sake, don't neglect your local Mexican taco stand.
Very good food and nicely decorated but the service was painfully slow, and it wasn't even that busy.
Beutiful Decor and good food.. .but DONT BE TEMPTED!!!--NOTHING-- is worth putting up with the terrible service. If something could go wrong it did-- from HUGE waits to even talk to a waiter . . and get drinks. . and order food. . and order more drinks and we were never able to order more food. .to incompentent waiters pouring red wine all over the table (he must have missed the glass by a couple inches). . to clothes being ruined. . all ruined what was supposed to be a celebratory evening. i'm a resturant person and can forgive almost anything if i'm just offered the magic words of "sorry" NOT ONE PERSON APOLIGIZED. No Comps. . NOTHING. . The Management there needs to invest in a little restaurant 101. Monkeys might as well be running the place.
The selection of Tapas was ok although the duck tacos were tasteless and I do not recommend them at all. My others were excellent. I ordered a passion fruit martini with tequila which I never drink because I hate it...but it was good. Then I asked for a martini and was brought the passion fruit thing again even tho I was told my server would come to take the drink order which did not happen. All in all it was ok but I would rather go to other tapas places like La Tasca. The crowd looked very different from the downtown dining crowd....that's what I get for eating in the burbs!!!
Fans of Jaleo and Zaytinya are unlikely to be disappointed by Oyamel. A recent revamping of the menu puts the taco selections front and center, but I prefer to steer around the edges, especially to the many vegetarian 'antojitos' (though I'm not). Three per person is the recommended ratio, but if you have 3-4 people you can probably drop 1 or 2. My favorites include the potato cakes; the masa puffs, which are deep-fried and stuffed with guacamole; and the hearts of palm salad. The shrimp and crab ceviche is also good. From the dessert menu, the Café de Olla, a chocolate flan, is unusual and excellent. Service is probably the biggest inconsistency here. On one visit our waiter was top-notch, from his assistance with the menu to his attentiveness. On another, we were constantly flagging our waiter down for drink refulls, the status of our orders, etc. One annoying feature is that Oyamel does not take reservations except before 7pm. So, waits can be long later in the week. Still, resist the temptation to order food in the bar, where service can get really frenetic, and wait for a table.
Food is good (better than Jaleo I think). In keeping with what I've learned to expect from Jaleo, however, the service was outrageously bad. A "fifteen minute" wait (which seemed a reasonable estimate judging by the emptiness of the room) turned into more than an hour. That happens--but then our waiter just disapeared after taking our first order, courses took forever to be delivered, and at the end of the night we had paid the check 15 minutes before our last dish arrived!
Go somewhere else. . .
It's best not to go to any tapas retaurant on an empty stomach, and it's best not go to to Oyamel if you're in a hurry. While serving size is comparable to Jaleo, two tapas is not enough to fill you up, and once you start ordering three or four, your tab really starts to get pricy. And even though we warned our waiter that we only had an hour to eat before we had to leave for the theater, our food was still being served at ten minutes before we wanted to head out, making us feel rushed while eating.
Other service problems involved seating. When we arrived, we asked to be seated in a booth; three were empty, but the hostess said they weren't seating anyone there, as it was the night before Valentine's Day and they didn't want to have to reset them. Odd enough at that point, but then within ten minutes, other diners were seated in the booths, making us feel jilted.
Nevertheless the food is delicious. This is not Jaleo and this is not Spanish tapas. It's a new take on Mexican food. There are reminders of what you know repackaged into something you don't, such as plantain fritters stuffed with black beans and topped with a creamy white coconut sauce. There are also completely new dishes not offered anywhere else in the area, such as fresh cactus-leaf salad. I'd return in an instant to taste more.
I've been off the restaurant scene for months as I threw myself into the election. With the resounding defeat of my party on Nov. 2, I suddenly have both a lot of time on my hands and a desire to find good food to cheer me up. Cue Jose Andres's new restaurant, Oyamel. Oyamel is in the small plates of tradition of Zaytinya and Jaleo, this time presented through the lens of Mexican cuisine.
My companion and I were surprised to find that the restaurant was not at all crowded when we entered at 7:15 p.m. on a Friday night, particularly because Tom Sietsema just gave a mini-review of the place in this week's Food section of the Post. We were seated immediately. The dining room is nothing short of beautiful. Soft colors, classy tables and chairs, appealing but not imposing artwork and decorations and, of course, the signature swarm of butterflies hanging from the ceiling in the dining room.
The meal starts with a clutch of fried plantain chips presented in a (now-ubiquitous) metal-cone-with-wax-paper with small sides of salsa and guacamole. The chips were clearly freshly cut and fried, which I appreciated, though I must say that the plantain chips/salsa combo that starts meals at Cafe Salsa in Old Town are tastier.
Our servers were extremely pleasant and eager to explain the menu and offer recommendations. The menu is made up of small-plate offerings of ceviches, salads, soups, vegetarian options, and meat options (beef, chicken, quail), as well as a couple of entrees. We started by ordering guacamole. It took quite a long time to get out to us (indicating that they make each batch fresh, though I don't know that for a fact), and when it came, it was covered in crumbled cheese. This surprised us because (a) the cheese isn't listed in the menu and (b) I had specifically told the server before placing our orders that I do not eat cheese. The runner took it back and returned with a no-cheese order of guacamole. Allow me to briefly mention that I thought the runners were much more responsive and generally present than the servers. Anyway, the guacamole was just about perfect; not too thin, not too thick, very fresh, and served with warm corn mini-tortillas. We ordered seven small plates. I had a mixed salad of mango, cucumber, and jicama, which was very fresh, sweet, and tasty. I also ordered the plantain fritters, which were sweet, fat little wedges of plantain deep-fried and served with a too-thin coconut sauce. I could have done without the sauce, but the plantains were awesome. I also tried the tilapia tacos, which were nothing exciting. Essentially, they batter and fry what is apparently one strip of tilapia, then cut it into three pieces and serve it in three mini-tortillas. Good, but nothing to write home about. My companion ordered the mushroom and cheese enchiladas, which she was extremely pleased with. She also got some sort of pastry puffs filled with cheese that she liked, though did not love. And she got beef filet strips that, while rather rare, were, in her opinion, outstanding (particularly the tangy sauce). We split the mole potatoes, which is just a small plate of over-fried french fries covered in mole sauce (which is a medium-textured, unsweetened chocolate-based sauce). I enjoyed the mole sauce for its novelty, but I probably wouldn't bother getting the dish again. None of the desserts sounded particulary appealing, so we decided to forego ordering any. I hope that over the next few months the restaurant adds a few dishes, subtracts a few unpopular items, instructs the servers to check on tables more often, and starts adding specials to the menu. That said, this place clearly has a ton of potential, and I will happily return there.
Outstanding, very authentic Mexican with modern presentation in a cosmopolitan setting.
Feels like the hippest restaurant in Mexico transplanted to DC.
Tapas-style menu with many small plates (not unlike dim sum), with a few large entree-size dishes.
Selection of great specialty drinks, margaritas, rare tequilas and beers.
Beautiful decor and a proud, friendly, capable staff. The food and ambiance are unique, fun, highly approachable and inexpensive.
Try the chicken tacos, the corn tamale, the shrimp veracruz. Food is fresher, more flavorful, and more skillfully presented and prepared than at Rosa Mexicana.
My only complaint is that the menu has many items on it (like Jaleo) and may be intimidating. Ask your waiter for some assistance if necessary.
