‘paella’
courtesy of ‘looseid’

A couple of nights ago, I had the pleasure of attending the kickoff to the 8th Annual Paella Festival at Jaleo in Crystal City, and I must say I was very impressed to say the least.  Between June 7th and 20th, all locations will be celebrating the traditional Spanish dish, so you have plenty of time to get a plate of your own!

Just to give you an idea of all the tastiness you can expect, let me run it down for you.  The featured dishes included Arroz con pluma ibérica y verduras de Alicante (Iberico pork paella with green garlic and seasonal vegetables), Arroz caldoso con cigalas (soupy rice with Norway lobster), Fideos finos tostados con bogavante (vermicelli paella with lobster), Arroz con verduras y setas de temporada (paella of seasonal vegetables and mushrooms), and Caldero de pescados con arroz finito a banda (fish stew with rice).

I didn’t forget the drinks either!  This week the Mazafrano cocktail is being highlighted.  It’s made up of saffron infused vodka, thyme simple syrup, fresh green apple juice and saffron garnish.  Trust me, you definitely want to make your way down to Jaleo pronto!  For more information, you can visit the website.