Jaleo Hour? I’m there!

Bacon wrapped dates at Jaleo Hour

Jaleo’s bacon wrapped dates may not have photographed well, but believe me, they sure tasted heavenly. And for $4 during Jaleo Hour, they were definitely worth both the wait and the price.

Jaleo Hour takes place Sunday-Friday from 4:30-7:00pm and features $4 tapas, drink specials, sangria, and draft beer. Normally, Jaleo’s tapas are a bit pricey at $6-12 each, which makes a visit to Jaleo Hour a total steal. My boyfriend and I snacked on garlicky gambas al ajillo (shrimp sauteed in with garlic and guindilla pepper), the aforementioned bacon wrapped dates, and the crusty complimentary bread and olive oil. I also had a glass of  Tempranillo & Garnacha for a mere $4 (wines are half-price), which was an excellent pairing to the tapas. In total, we spent only $12 on our Jose Andres tapas excursion.

The only drawback (or for some, it might be a plus) was the crowd. At 5:45 on a Friday night, we could barely squeeze into the bar and were lucky to even find a seat. I recommend going early if you have a big group or want to be guaranteed a seat. Despite the crowd, it’s still a fun happy hour and I’m certainly not going to complain–especially with a plate of those bacon wrapped dates in front of me. 🙂

Jaleo (3 locations)

1. Downtown: 480 7th St. NW Washington, DC 20004 (202) 628-7949

2. Bethesda: 7271 Woodmont Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814 (301) 913-0003

3. Crystal City: 2250 A Crystal Dr. Arlington, VA 22202 (703) 413-8181

12 Bars of Christmas

Sourced from: http://barstoolmountain.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html

Get into the holiday spirit(s) with Washington City Paper’s 12 Bars of Christmas. Everyday from Dec 2-17 between 6-9p, a different bar will have beer specials ranging from $3-5. Bring in your City Paper passport to get stamped and enter giveaway contests, with prizes such as 4 tickets to a Wizards game and a large flat screen television. Now that’s something to be merry about! For more information and a list of bars, click here.