I had met Jose Andres last year as he was working on a collaboration with my former boss, so I was excited to go to one of his restaurants. Jaleo was magnificent. I loved the modern vibe, the wood-burning fireplace, and the atmosphere in general. Even though I was a bit jet-lagged (we had just arrived earlier that day), my taste buds were awakened by the culinary masterpieces we experienced in tapas form.
The fried eggplant with a drizzle of honey had a delightful texture and were unexpectedly good. I never thought that vegetable would be so good in a zeppole-like incarnation but it worked. We had a savory spinach dish (I forget the name) which was quite good, but was outshined by the goat cheese with a bread that reminded me of Eli's raisin pecan crisps. I wish I could have that for dinner tonight, but such is life. The paella, our final small plate, had both rabbit and chicken, and was flavorful and not overly oily. I tried a bite of the flan with oranges for dessert, which also did not disappoint.
Jaleo made me rethink the way I seldom go for tapas, and has given me the intense desire to try some of Jose's other eateries.