Stepping into Dleña transports visitors from the busy hustle and bustle of K Street NW to a relaxing environment filled with the tantalizing smells of delicious food being prepared and cozy spots to dine, drink, listen to music and catch up with loved ones in a space that fuses fine dining with home.While the restaurant features fantastic fare inspired by Mexican culture year-round, from now until Nov. 3, Chef Richard Sandoval is offering a specially curated Dia de los Muertos menu that not only celebrates the holiday but highlights the food, stories and traditions that originated in Mexico.
With the Dia de los Muertos menu, Dleña diners are not only treated to warm hospitality and a good meal but also an opportunity to take a culinary trip to Mexico, learning about the origins, names and history behind various dishes such as mole, ceviche, tamales, horchata, atole, pan de muerto and empanadas, also known as Mexican quesadillas.
“In Mexico, this is what we call a quesadilla,” said Sandoval, of Richard Sandoval hospitality, pointing to the dark-purple-hued empanadas de langosta. “In the U.S., you’ll see a flour tortilla with cheese, but in Mexico, we have fresh masa. We put a little squid ink for [the Dleña dish], a little bit of corn purée so you get a little bit of sweetness, and we stuff it with the lobster and then we deep fry it.”Dia de lo Muertos altar, as part of the restaurant’s holiday celebration (Micha Green/The Washington Informer)The empanadas de langosta are special and worth savoring until the last bite. They are fried to perfection and the squid ink in the masa is a great touch with the rich flavors of the lobster. Many of the dishes scream fall with a Mexican twist, such as agave mashed potatoes, butter squash purée, and heirloom carrots. Everything is delicious and the menu items are the perfect portion sizes for diners to try multiple dishes and leave satisfied, but not so stuffed they can’t check out the live jazz music downstairs. Plus, there are themed drinks such as the papel picado paloma with Gran Malo tequila, creme de violette, agave, lime, red wine and hibiscus. A purple and yellow cocktail — colors often used in Dia de los Muertos celebrations to symbolize purity and mourning — the papel picado paloma is not only beautiful to behold, but tasty and packs just enough sweetness that it’s smooth and delightful to drink.Then there are the specialty desserts, such as the jericalla, served in a pumpkin and topped with pumpkin seeds, vanilla bean ice cream and a little cotton candy.“Jericalla is almost like a custard you get from the Jalisco region, where tequila is made, so we took that idea,” said Sandoval.
The decorations include a Dia de los Muertos altar featuring recognizable, renowned faces such as the late Mexican American artist Selena.Visiting Dleña on Oct. 24 offered Lynette Wilson, co-owner of Wilson’s on 18th Barbershop, such an enjoyable and illuminating experience, she felt transported and at home all at once.“I woke up the next morning still wrapped in a fog of texture and flavor, feeling as though I, myself, had traveled to another world to be comforted by a common ancestor,” she told The Informer. “The meal was so familiar and enlightening at the same time.”For more information, go to dleñadc.com.
Source: Washington Informer
