Lariol Plaza

god i am so behind. it is not even funny. i have about 20 billion posts to write…its been a busy few weeks for BOOF dining with buddies as summer 2010 sets in.

best buddies of BOOF who were previously featured in the trip to Zaytinya were back for our last gathering in this great city together before we all set off for the next adventures in our lives. it’s been a great year and it has gone too fast but it is funny how these things work out. who would have thought that we not only would remain so close after meeting on another continent but then we would end up in the same city. i miss this already.

it has been a long time coming since my last trip to lauriol and i honestly think that i have been craving it since then. there have been ample opportunities for me to get to go to lauriol since but it has never seemed to work out, so when were looking for somewhere to enjoy our last dc dinner, it was only natural that i through out the idea of lauriol and everyone was excited. i mean what is summer without a swirl margarita?

lauriol is located on the dupont circle/adams morgan border in a seemingly quieter part of both dupont and adams morgan. lauriol is known for their great space but also very very very busy dinner hours. it is a HUGE restaurant which is necessary as they always have a wait after 6:30 on any given evening. It has a very modern flair and we opted to sit outside on this warm early summer evening, but their outdoor seating is wonderful because it 1) is covered (barring the numerous impromptu sun showers) and 2) has ceiling fans to take away some of the DC humidity.

first things first we started off with a pitcher of swirl margaritas (1/2 strawberry 1/2 regular) which never disappoints. we also munched on some complementary chips and salsa which is a typical and delicious staple of any mexican restaurant.

onto the entrees. hugdoll ordered the brazilian salad which consisted of Grilled marinated chicken, spinach, avocodas, palmittos, other regular salad veggies, zucchini, olives and topped with an olive oil vinaigrette. She enjoyed it, thought the chicken was cooked well and enjoyed the variety of vegetables other than the typical salad staples that it included.

kb ordered the spinach quesadillas which also looked delicious. by ordering the regular size, she had a plateful of deliciousness with a super reasonable price tag. she enjoyed the flavor of the quesadillas and although there was nothing special about them, they did the trick.




sio ordered the cheese enchilladas and she thoroughly enjoyed those as well. They were filled with Monterrey jack cheese and topped with a chile ancho sauce and served with rice and frijoles a la charra. another mexican staple done well with good taste and seasoning but nothing too special.




i ordered my typical mexican meal in the veggie fajitas. i really enjoyed this because they had a real variety of veggies which is a nice departure from the typical onions and peppers. They included other veggies such as zucchini, carrots, eggplant and the winner of the evening, plantains. that definitely put these veggie fajitas on the map because the plantains added such a nice sweet taste to the typical salt and pepper seasonings that are standard in a meal such as that. surprisingly delicious.

all in all, a trip to lauriol never disappoints. although the food is nothing too special and mind blowing, it is well done cheap mexican. i believe that they could make their flavors a little more complex and could add a “kick” to their meals. but i guess you get what you pay for. furthermore, the ambiance is great and the swirl margaritas are always delicious. i recommend getting there as early as possible or even maybe going for lunch. if you wanted to get seated in a timely manner on an evening after 6pm, lauriol is definitely not your place. furthermore, they do not take reservations so although it is an ideal location for a large group, this can be very difficult because you are not sure when you will get a table. you could be waiting for a very very very long time but they will supply you with an endless supply of chips and salsa while you wait…and clearly, a drink if you so desire.

Overall Grade: B+ (ambiance/service/restaurant)/ C+ (food)