OYAMEL

It's been a while since I've written a review, but in the last 2 weekends I've visited 3 great places. One of them is Oyamel, one of Jose Andres' yet another gem in the city. A very chic and trendy decor adorns this corner spot on Penn Square where a previous authentic rural Mexican cuisine restaurant, Andale, resided. Oyamel offers a good selection of wines from California, unlike its other sister restaurants (Jaleo and Zaitinya) offerings off from its respective regions of Spain and the Mediterranean. Chef Andres specializes is small plate presentations such as Tapas (Spanish small plates), Mezze (Mediterranean small plates) - Jaleo and Zaitinya respectively.
Oyamel offers great traditional Mexican small plates - Antojitos, prepared with slightly updated versions of its traditional form.
Limes, Cilantro, garlic and cumin rule the flavors.
I went with a friend and shared a few things, as is usually the norm when one visits these types of places.
One cannot pass up the freshly made guacamole, tableside. Made with 2 hass avocadoes, fresh minced garlic, lime juice, cilantro and topped with Mexican Cotija cheese. A combination of smooth and sweet avocado texture, citrus and sharp cheese.
Also not to be passed are the freshly made tacos prepared at the Taco Bar, always go with the fish tacos. Prepared with presumably Tilapia, with a hint of garlic and lime flavors. The beef tongue is no. 2 on ,y last as it is bursting with flavors of almost corned beef without the acidity and a slight smoky after-taste. I made sure I didn't tell my friend eating with me knew that it's beef tongue, as it she may not be as adventurous as I am. For those who are a little more daring, there is also a Tacos chapulines, grasshopper...crispy and slightly spicy, but not for the faint of heart as it is an acquired taste....some say the texture may be a turn-off.
There are also chicken and vegetarian taco choices as well as seafood. The tacos are pretty small as a variety of choices is encouraged. I ordered, 2 fish tacos, 2 chicken tacos, Pollo guisado which is shredded chicken pieces in a tomato chile sauce and grilled with chicken pieces served with a guacamole sauce. Both are good and citrusy. I also ordered the beef tongue taco, which is surprisingly light in flavor, almost smoky and a slight cured tasting.
On other occasions I've also had their corn tamales topped with green tomatillo sauce, which is very good; light and creamy with a consistency of polenta.
The food here stays consistently good, professionally prepared with high quality ingredients and always a great value. A perfect combination in a sea of unnecessarily high priced restaurants in DC.