…these new places that just opened in our area. Since it’s Spring Market in the real estate world things are a little hectic around the office and hours are a bit longer than usual. So we decided treat ourselves during the work week. We took time out from the busy work day on Cindo de Mayo to actually take a lunch break and explore a new restaurant that had just opened, AND we treated ourselves to some donuts for breakfast (more on the donuts towards the end).
We checked out Bartaco in Reston Town Center. It didn’t disappoint! Cinco de Mayo was a gorgeous day in Reston, 82 degrees and sunny. So we opted to sit out side on their patio. The patio was separated from the rest of the restaurant by huge floor-to-ceiling screens – perfect for keeping pesky bugs away. The decor was coastal casual with whites and blues.
After we were sat our waiter explained the ordering system. There were small pieces of paper with menu items on it. You wrote the number of each item you’d like to order next to the item on the paper & then place the paper in the holder. The waiter then comes and picks up the paper and puts your order in. It’s a tapas restaurant so the dishes are small – for $3 your tacos are NOT going to be large. We liked the tapas menu because it allowed us to try a bunch of different items. It’s the worst when you pick something off a menu and you look around and everyone’s food looks better than what you ordered! This style ordering allowed you also to order more of anything whenever you wanted it, just fill out another order card and display it so that waiter could pick it up.
First we ordered drinks. My margarita was phenomenal. It was super fresh, no sugary syrupy concoctions here! Then we ordered a bunch of items off the menu. We had quesadillas, chicken tacos, fried oyster tacos, and salsa verde with chips.
The salsa verde came out first – and Nora thought it was a little too spicy (keep in mind she used to think soda was too “spicy” as a child – but I loved it. The chips weren’t your usual chips. They were circles as big as your hand!
The tacos were good and so was the quesadilla – which was wonderfully cheesy. Who doesn’t love cheese? (Well i guess don’t answer that if you’re lactose-intolerant.) But for me the best part of the meal were the sauces they had on the table. There were three, Habanero, Jalapeno, and Rojo. My favorite was the Jalapeno. I put it on everything on my plate.
Bartaco is a great addition to the dining options in Reston Town Center, and it was a nice low key way to spend our Cindo de Mayo lunch!
Our second “treat” to ourselves this week was breakfast. Duck Donuts recently opened in Herndon and we kept hearing great things about it from people that had been to the original location in the Outer Banks. So I decided to pick up some on the way to work. When I got there I was concerned that the line was looking rather long – but it moved quickly & the place smelled phenomenal. You customize your donuts to your liking by picking with coating and topping you’d like. They make them as you order them, so you know your not going to get a crusty old doughnut that’d been on the shelf all morning. And they’re served warm – so they’re extra delicious.
I ordered 1/2 a dozen. 2 maple frosted with bacon, 2 vanilla frosted with rainbow sprinkles (I love rainbow sprinkles!), a cinnamon sugar, and a glazed donut.
My absolute favorite was the maple bacon – I’ll be going back just for a maple bacon. It was the perfect combination of sweet and salty. I wish I had ordered a whole box of them (although my waistline is VERY glad I didn’t!).
That’s how we treated ourselves this week. Have you tried either place? Do you take time out of your busy work week to treat yourself? If so, how?
Matt Elliott Realty 