Estadio 1520 14th Street NW DC

I tried the relatively new Spanish Tapas restaurant, Estadio, last night. It's the "sister restaurant" of Proof. I had to make the reservation for 6:00 pm because it was booked solid after that time, and for weeks that was the latest available time. When we got there I thought maybe we didn't need a reservation, but within about 20 minutes of being there the restaurant was packed.

They charged for bread, which is always kind of annoying. But instead we got the grilled bread with tomato, olive oil, salt, and Serrano ham, which was really good. We also got a spinach salad with grilled peaches and pears, hazelnuts, and fresh Parmesan cheese. I love fruit in salad so I was sold.

The next to come was the grilled octopus, which was amazing. Then the grilled scallions with romesco and goat cheese. They were definitely the low point. Not terrible, but just not something I would order again. Then the last dish was the spiced grilled chicken with cabbage slaw, rice, and salsa loca. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the mint sauce was stick your finger in and lick it good.

Because it was tapas, and tapas aren't usually that filling for me, we got a dessert too-pumpkin panna cotta with pumpkin bread. It was tiny! But sooooo good. Probably my favorite dish but I also have a ridiculous sweet tooth.

All in all a great experience. If you are sick of some of the other Spanish Tapas restaurants in DC (ahmm Jaleo... get it together) I would try Estadio. And don't be put off by the early bird special if you can't get in after 6- it's worth it.