merkado

P Street is only a couple blocks from me (technically three if you count Rhode Is. Avenue) and I've watched the pre-theater dinner places crop up across from Whole Foods. I'm rather disappointed they are not open for lunch (but they are for weekend brunch!). But I finally stepped into Merkado, which bills itself as Latin American and Asian fusion. Its very tasty and now my new favorite local restaurant. Local for Logan Circle, Zaytinya's is still my favorite in the city.

My friends and I first decided to split a bunch of small dishes, and an entree. Well this restaurant doesn't serve American sized portions ... unless you're dieting, you can order an appetizer, salad, entree, and desert for one person and not feel like you've completely pigged out. Also pleasantly surprising was the bill. At less than $40 a person including alcoholic beverages, the place was a steal. Well anyway, I had the most heavenly white tuna sashimi with a sake-miso reduction and truffles ... to DIE for, raw scallops, very simply garnished and tasting very fresh, chile rellenos was good but personally I still prefer Rose Mexicano's version with the raisins. We also later ordered quesedillas, better than the average (I'm not a quesedilla person), and for entrees, the halibut on a salad of mango, tomato, mint, and other yummy stuff, some fine silky fish. Hungry we ordered another entree of seared ahi tuna with bok choy, shitake, and wasabi mashed potatoes. My sister told me JMU would serve wasabi mashed potatoes, man if those were anything like what they served at merkado, I'd be taking them away from the dining hall to squirrel away in my refrigerator. A tasty well seasoned Ahi tuna, the amazing thing it was marinated without actually being cooked through the inside, which is quite amazing.

Anyway, there's my plug for Merkado kitchen. It's tasty, and serves one of the most amazing martinis I've ever had, a sake infused with black currant and pear ... refreshing actually.