Goodness and Greatness on 18th Street

Two meals on 18th Street this weekend - one good, and one great:

I'll start with the good. We finally got around to trying Casa Oaxaca ("wa-HA-ka") the new-ish Mexican place in Adams Morgan. This was the good, not great meal. Complimentary chips with an alright guacamole, that tasted sort of blah and mushy, like the avocados had been too ripe. A trio of blue corn tacos called Kekas - one pork carnitas, one poblano pepper, and one with huitlacoche (a type of fungus that grows on corn, but is considered a delicacy in traditional Mexican cuisine). The pork was nice and tender, the huitlacoche was interesting - sort of tangy, yet earthy. The poblano pepper was nothing special though - it tasted like regular green bell peppers heated up and stuffed in a taco. I had the Enchiladas de Mole Poblano for my entree - the chicken was tender, and the mole sauce was good, if a bit mild. I liked the fact that it was sprinkled with just a bit of queso blanco, and not smothered in a greasy blanket of cheese the way some Americanized Mexican food is. Jason had some type of seafood and goat cheese enchiladas, which I can't find on their online menu. He seemed to enjoy it alright, but was surprised at the dominant sweetness of the goat cheese. To drink, I had a Margarita (very good), and a Mojito (which was a bit syrupy). All in all, it wasn't knock-your-socks-off great, and I was a tad bit disappointed given how much Tom Sietsema praised it in his review. The service, however, was great - attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. I think it's worth another visit, as it's possible we just caught them on an off night.

We had another great meal though, at previously-blogged-about Las Canteras, which has quickly become one of our favorite places for a low-key dinner. I'm happy to report that the Pisco Sours are as good as ever and the Choros a la Chalaca (plump mussels with diced corn, tomato, and red onion) was as wonderful as the first time I tried it. I tried a new entree this time though, the Pescado a la Macho, poached white fish with a super spicy seafood sauce. It was ridiculously good, in that addictive makes-your-nose-run-and-your-eyes-water kind of way. For dessert, I tried the Guava Flan, which was a bit grainier than the flan I'm used to. The guava flavor was slightly overwhelmed by the caramel sauce that came on top. It was a nice, light way to end the meal though.

Good to know:
Casa Oaxaca is located at 2106 18th Street, NW. It's probably an easier walk from the Dupont Metro stop. Exit on the north side, walk up Connecticut, take a right on Florida, and then a left on 18th. It'll be on the left-hand side.

Las Canteras is located at 2307 18th Street, NW. Ditto on the above directions, except once you hit 18th, you'll walk up another block or so, and it'll be on the right-hand side.

Here's a helpful map.

Photo of 18th Street by Flickr user M.V. Jantzen.