First up was dinner at Jaleo in Crystal City.
The Distcos generally stick to the confines of their District, almost never venturing abroad for anything but Harris Teeter via Zipcar. So only rarely do the Distcos dine out in the Commonwealth. This time felt like a lab experiment: Jaleo Crystal City versus Jaleo DC. The Crystal City location offers immense volume--high ceilings and high capacity. Mr. Distco probably prefers the crowded accomodations of the District branch. Too much elbow room and a place takes the feel of an Olive Garden. The service was fine, and probably better than in DC, with the exception of the inexplicable refusal to serve Mr. Distco the special occasion cocktail crafted in honor of Barack Obama. You see, the cocktail must be served as part of their special four-course sampling menu. No exceptions. "Fine," thought Mr. Distco. "Don't take my money." And they didn't.
The food, alas, also disappointed. Heavy dates, heavy paella. The meal did nothing to change Mrs. Distco's negative opinion of Jaleo, which, in truth, the DC branch has certainly earned. Mr. Distco has had good experiences at Jaleo DC in the summertime, with sangria and loud conversation. But always, unfortunately, without Mrs. Distco.
At any rate, the Distcos were fed, if maybe a little fed-up. So they attempted to navigate the Crystal City shopping district to get to Arena Stage. A bit lost at first, the Distcos luckily ran into an acquaintance of Mrs. Distco's, and an associate of the Arena Stage, who escorted them to their destination. Apparently only hours before, this associate had been toasting the end of the run of "Next to Nowhere" at Jaleo with the cast and crew. One can only assume that they had the Sangria and the loud conversation.
Not to ruin the suspense, but the show was a hit with the Distcos. Unfortunately, the full account must wait until the next post. For now, know this: if you missed "Next to Nowhere," you really missed something beautiful.
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