oyamel

oyamel is owned by famed spanish chef and restauranteur jose andres, who also owns several other restaurants in washington d.c. oyamel is located in the city's penn quarter section, only a couple of blocks away from our morning destination at the international spy museum. i had made reservations for 12:30 pm on a saturday and when we first arrived the restaurant was only moderately busy. however, towards the end of the meal, most tables looked to be taken,  so it appears that washington is

one dimensional. in a word, this restaurant is bland.
i was extremely excited to try oyamel after having it recommended by several people i work with. that being said, i have no interest in returning.

the black bean soup they serve was luke warm and mostly liquid, with a few beans floating within in. i ended up asking for a side of rice as it needed something....after receiving the rice, i took a few bites, put my spoon down to take a sip of water, and a server came by and took my unfinished soup away. it happened so fast, i didn't even have time to react! oh well.

i had also ordered the refried beans. again, incredibly one dimensional. the beans were pureed with a crema and cheese studded throughout. while the description sounds good, it literally was so bland, i had one bite and was done. they serve these beans with house made tortillas that are so thick, they completely over take anything you put on them.

i had a side of the fries with mole sauce and again...the bland flavor of the sauce was over whelming. mole is such an incredible flavored sauce-so to expect to taste such a deep and wonderful taste and get nothing but the same bland flavors was terribly disappointing.

the last thing i had was a poblano pepper stuffed with pork and pineapple-i wish i hadn't though. the pepper itself was warm. i think it's terrible when you order food, expecting it to be hot and it's only warm. the pepper was topped with a cream sauce that was distracting and simply put, did nothing to complement the pepper.

the best part of oyamel? it's just down the street from pitango gelato. while i nibbled at dinner, i filled up on incredible gelato and was beyond grateful for that!

oyamel offers modern mexican cuisine in a festive atmosphere. it is the perfect place for any occasion -- lunch, dinner, happy hour, brunch, private parties, and special events. most importantly, oyamel offers a separate vegetarian menu upon request. pictured below are a few of my favorite items for a quick and filling lunch.

amazing flavors and intelligent service!

i felt like i was on fear factor when the server put the chapulines down. i could see everything from the abdomen to the feet of the grasshoppers. when i took a bite, i could feel the insect’s crunch. first there was no flavor. then it was incredibly salty.

some authentic cuisine. good food that matches the hype.

ate here during restaurant week; the meal was great. their tres leches as dessert, was amazing. nachos and salsa were also great. ambience was good too.

by far the best chiles en nogada i have ever had the pleasure of tasting. the waitstaff is friendly, professional and they joyfully maintain a clean environment.

sort of like a tapas place. our waitress (c something?? long blonde hair in a pony tail, tall) suggested the guac to start. fantastic guac. get that, the brussels sprouts, the cauliflower and squash and retried black beans (paste).

scollops were a hit with the seafood lover, the shrimps were highly reccomend but unfortunately a little over cooked.

meatballs were average, young chicken was average. cheese meal was incredibly cheesy - okay when hot but not fantastic.

good atmosphere. nice house margarita. quick service and incredibly friendly. instant refills on drinks and chips/dip.

make sure you book ahead. it was very busy.

great brunch experience. i experienced this with my wife and friends cheryl and glenn for brunch in november. the service was immediate and attentive, even though it was quite busy. the margaritas we started with were very good and fresh. for starters we had the chips and house salsa and the papas al mole, potato fries in a mole poblano sauce of almonds, chilis and a touch of chocolate, topped with mexican cream and queso fresco cheese. they salsa was quite nice however, the fries were the real star with the mole drizzled over them. the rest of the brunch we experienced more tapas style. the table ordered the quesadilla de chicharrones (shenandoah valley pork belly fried served in a house-made tortilla), the cochinita pibíl con cebolla en escabeche tacos (yucatan-style pit barbecued pork) , the pancita de puerco al pastor tacos (seared house-cured pork belly) , the carnitas con salsa de tomatillo tacos (confit of baby pig with green tomatillo sauce, pork rinds, onions and cilantro), and the bistec con mole amarillo y hongos (grilled hanger steak with a oaxacan mole with wild mushrooms. every taste was a hit particularly the seared pork belly tacos which came in a sauce of tomatoes and guajillo chiles, served with pineapple, onions and cilantro and the confit of baby pig, which blew our minds coming with a topping of pork rinds. we have always loved chef josé andrés' restaurants, and this did not disappoint.

brunch is amazing! initial thoughts:

food: authentic mexican breakfast
drinks: amazing mimosa selection
service: exceptional
would i go back? yes.

i've dined at oyamel for dinner in the past, but this was my first time checking out their brunch. i was extremely impressed. everything was phenomenal from the food, to the drinks and the service. we started off with some eye openers. their mexican mimosas are the best i've had. i loved them all (apple and lavender, guava, orange and passionfruit, and pina colada).

food o.k. management awful. it wasn't just disappointing that we never received the food we ordered for 2 people at our table, but they didn't tell us the selection unavailable until the other food arrived. one option they were to finally bring out didn't make it to the table until after the bill did. on top of all that the manager - whom we were informed by the wait staff was going to talk with us- never had the courage to do so. i have never been treated so appallingly. the wait nor manager did anything to feed the 2 hungry peopl at our table. of the food we did receive - the only superior dish was the salad, rest i could do better at home. very disappointed!!!

while most of the city folks are preparing their halloween costumes, oyamel is preparing for their sixth annual day of the dead celebration. “dia de los muertos” is the ancient mexican tradition of celebrating the dead with food, drink, and festivities.

the mayan calendar – and perhaps the world- may be coming to an end. i’m hoping the food and drink inspired by the culture will live on. i plan to head back to oyamel during the day of the dead celebration,which begins october 22 and continues through november 2. because sometimes, history bears repeating.

if you like pretentious, over-priced drinks, and burnt brussel sprouts, you'll love this place. total disappointment, missing the art of "tapas", not sure what they were going for.