If to choose authentic Spanish dining, try Jaleo

Late last night, I went to Jaleo with some very dear friends to my mother and me. We had to wait a bit, but I think on average the wait was worth it! Jaleo is a tapas restaurant, so feel free to get more than ten or eleven dishes, not including dessert like I did. I was exited to try the Remolacha con cítricos, but while eating, I thought it was unbelievably watery and a bit slimy-and it was really acidic too! But then I had the Pan con tomate y queso Pasamontés, and it was really great, with fresh tomatoes and subtle flavors. The Pimientos del piquillio rellenos de queso were amazing too; they tasted slightly sweet and tangy. I tried the Trigueros con romesco, a far cry away from the Pimientos because they were so bland and flavorless. But when the Patatas bravas came, they tasted more flavorless than I would expect and they didn't taste like authentic patatas bravas... I wonder why... Fortunately, the Tortilla de patatas tasted nicely salted and pretty well flavored. Then came the Gazpacho estilo Algeciras that was slightly pungent and way too overbodied for a kid's taste buds. After that, Endibias con queso de cabra y naranjas came and they tasted extremely bitter. Then the waiter cleared our dishes away and asked what dessert we wanted. We ended up with three Chocolate hazelnut mousse tortes, with one for each person except for one friend of ours named Brenda, who chose Flan. When the desserts arrived, the torte didn't look at all as expected, but it did taste good! It was so rich, decadent, spongy with a nutty chocolate revenue. Jaleo is rated two and a half stars for its tastes.

Enjoy your next bites,

The Tiny Tastebud

A middle-of-the-road place to be: Agrodolce

Tonight, I had a disappointing meal at Agrodolce (bittersweet). I tasted the spinach beet salad, an unusually put together dish, consisting of a sweet, nutty, and bitter flavor that would be a terrible choice for any kid who is not in college or in their mid thirties. Then came a caprese that I think was the most flavorful, fresh, evenly balanced, and amazing caprese that I have ever had. Most kids will probably think that it’s fantastic too, but there is a guarantee your kid will avoid the basil- don't be mad about it, that's totally natural that kids do avoid greens. I had ordered margarita pizza, but the waiter gave me a Manhattan pizza. The service that was present wasn't very good, but the Manhattan pizza is great for a kid with its well bodied sauce. My mother had penne with grilled radicchio, which was too flavorful to me, it felt overwhelming to eat! Overall, I will give Agrodolce one star.

Enjoy your next bites,

The Tiny Tastebud

www.agrodolcerestaurant.com
21030 Frederick Road
Germantown, MD 20876-4133
(301) 528-6150

Take an indulging bite out of Cava! A number one restaurant for you and your kids!

Tonight, I went to the common Washingtonian milestone in Rockville, Cava, a delicious Greek restaurant that is really hard to beat. I started off with a popular Greek food- hummus, of course! I absolutely loved how you can really taste how it's so tangy and vibrant; I couldn't help myself from a triple dip- but don't tell! A few seconds later, I found myself looking at a plate of dolmades (stuffed grape leaves). I remember the minty and sweet taste that was so good and thought, even at the beginning, I would give a great review. Suddenly, a mouth-watering plate of tiropitas came out. But how could I possibly have known they were going to be so flaky, golden, and cheesy? Next, some saganaki came, and a note for parents, your kid[s] may love the cool fire display used to cook it in the pan, but because the dish is strong, chewy, striking, and grown up (it really depends on your kid), maybe you adults can eat it, and your kid can see the display. In literally two seconds, a hot plate of Greek fries appeared plus dipping yogurt (force your kid to try the yogurt- they might forget ketchup). Your kid will, without doubt, love these! They are crispy, crunchy, and greasy (check my arteries), and I think these make other fries look awful. I got a very popular spanakopita, and when I took a bite, my one thought was: green. It's almost like Cava owns a farm, the spanakopita's spinach is so fresh, but kids will not like the spinach at all. At Cava, I think the service is awesome; the people are lovely (if possible, ask for service from Christie, a great waitress!), a great thing at Cava is how quickly the food comes, yet is still unrushed. I declare Cava four and a half stars!

Enjoy your next bites,

The Tiny Tastebud

9713 Traville Gateway Dr
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 309-9090
www.cavamezze.com

"The Vyne"- a yes for kids who don't always want new tastes

I just now ate at The Vyne, an American bistro, as it is called. As a starter, I tried the cheese fondue- and for the most bizarre moment, I had thought that the fondue would be something more like a Swiss fondue with white wine or strong cheese. But when I took a taste, I couldn't have been more wrong; I would strongly recommend the fondue to kids who love macaroni and cheese because of the hints of savory tang; the smooth, creamy, rich flavor, and mellow tastes that still are in my mouth even when I write of this moment. Unfortunately, I could not say similar things of the gnocchi with Alfredo sauce, which was bland, boring, and didn't taste as much as gnocchi as it should. It was more of a queer pumpkin taste, maybe, or maybe a squash. I also tried some of my mother's fettuccini with evoo garlic sauce with mushrooms and asparagus. Instead of being bland, however, it was robust and zesty, a surefire way to please kids (but they might avoid the veggies, no matter what you say about growing strong!). At The Vyne, as a plus, they have great service. When the waiter found out I wasn't keen on the gnocchi, he took all the cost away of my entree- all of the gnocchi’s cost.

Enjoy your next bites,
The Tiny Tastebud
The Vyne
9755 Traville Gateway Drive, Rockville, MD‎ - (301) 217-5900‎

An unappealing meal of two stars- not to mention an "Anti-Kid alert"

Tonight, my parents and I sat down at a Japanese restaurant, known as Hinode (which really looks like "Hindoe"). The meal, apparently, came with miso soup, that, if you want a kid to get their taste buds with lots of variety, well, don't let them have it. The reason is that this particular one has little tofu or veggies, and more salty than it obviously should be. Next I shared a giant mound of seaweed salad, decked out with frozen (food dyed?!?)carrots. Nevertheless, I declared it as one taste, not as aftertaste, nor is it a delicious foretaste. Slightly after my third bite of seaweed goodness, I tasted a unique twist to a regular sort of age (aah-gay)tofu- it wasn't half bad, I admit, but many children may think its kind of weird or gross. My mother and I got a vegetarian box, including: special vegetable rolls which were technically colorless in a word,vegetable gyoza(a.k.a,dumpling)that looked and tasted like they were made in a Chinese manufacturing company in Portugal that had never seen better days,however,the vegetable tempura happened to be the best tempura I have eaten since I dreamt of going to Japan. A very unfortunate moment of service happened when I ate age tofu, and my mother was in a mood for tea. By the time she got her tea, we were in the middle of eating our vegetarian box. Joe Tex reminds us that one monkey don't stop no show, and yes, we agree, but I ask "What about fifteen monkeys?".

Enjoy your next bites,

The Tiny Tastebud