Ever since I first moved to DC almost three years ago, I have been a fan of El Centro DF menu. I clearly remember my first time there with SpicyCandyDC on an early fall evening. It all started with mango margaritas and tacos for happy hour and I was hooked. The menu can seem like an afterthought at a place popular for happy hours and late night dancing to Maná, however, the food is delicious. Richard Sandoval, the man behind El Centro DF loves creating seasonal destination inspired menus. Last fall, we took a gastronomic plane to Los Cabos at Zengo DC (one of his other properties). Twice a year, Richard Sandoval and his corporate chefs travel to a different region of Mexico to research the area’s culinary heritage and celebrated foods. From now until the end of June, Chef Sandoval takes us to Guadalajara with his Destination Guadalajara menu. Here are my impressions of our recent visit to El Centro DF Georgetown.
All about El Centro DF Menu “Destination Guadalajara”
Cocktails: El Centro DF menu is known for its creative margaritas and the cocktails of Destination Guadalajara do not disappoint. The menu has a choice of watermelon infused margarita and the Spiña, a pineapple and serrano infused drink. I’ve had a thing for spicy cocktails of late. The Spiña won my heart with the chile laced salt rim and the fusion of the sweet pineapple and spicy peppers.
Appetizers: The El Centro DF Menu of Guadalajara included shrimp cocktail, plantain empanadas, beef taquitos, and an heirloom tomato salad. I love plantains (the Puerto Rican in me) and must say I love the innovative way it is employed on the empanadas. They are filled with cheese (queso fresco) with plum mole. The flavors went along perfectly. The winner among my two dining partners was the shrimp cocktail. They both loved the light flavors, perfect for the summer. The heirloom tomato salad was ok, it just felt like something that can be easily be made a home. I love going for more complex dishes that I am too lazy to try at home when eating out!
Mains: Sometimes it can be challenging to get a group of people together with different dietary needs in one restaurant. I enjoyed that the restaurant has several gluten-free and vegetarian dishes. One of the vegetarian dishes that even carnivores will love are the vegetarian tacos. They are made with hearty veggies such as mushroom and squash and topped with crispy cheese. Delicious. For the meat eaters, the pork chicharron tacos should be on your list. The chicharron was nice and crispy but not greasy (tough to pull).
Dessert: If you have room for dessert (we all had a very small space) go for the churros. The purists may be disappointed as the churros are not dense but we all agreed that we enjoyed how light and airy they were. The creative dipping sauce of passion fruit in addition to the chocolate was deliciously summery too.
The Verdict: A must when in DC. El Centro DF menu continues to evolve without changing what has made this place a local favorite. Whether it is the rooftop of the 14th Street location or people watching in Georgetown, it’s always a good time. The friendliness of the staff, the margaritas, and the creative menu is one of the reasons why El Centro DF has been one of my favorites in DC since I moved to the city. Tip: don’t miss their bottomless brunch!
* Disclaimer: El Centro DF hosted my dinner. As always opinions are mine….
