Sara Jerez, who dances at the Crystal City location, explains that the dancers are actually doing sevillanas, a traditional Andalusian folk dance, and while done to the same music, it's not strictly flamenco. As a social dance, sevillanas contain a strict series of steps and turns that must be followed in order, while flamenco thrives on improvisation.
Still, it's a crowd-pleasing event. As the prerecorded music begins and the dancers begin their rhythmic clapping, heads turn, and patrons stand up and twist their necks to get a view. There are no stages at the Jaleo restaurants, so the dancers perform much like strolling violinists, dancing between tables as they move around the room. (It's easiest to get a view in Crystal City, the largest and most striking of the three restaurants.) "There was no type of planning [for dancing] when we opened [in 1993]," Andres says. "But the dancing gives people a reason to come."
Sara Jerez performs flamenco accompanied by Michael Perez, center, and Gerard Moreno on Mondays at Cafe Citron.
(Michael Temchine For The Washington Post)
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While the floor show is quite a spectacle, it's more of an embellishment to a meal than a must-do event. Last week, for example, the Crystal City restaurant featured performances at 7 and 8, but each lasted only about a dozen minutes, and from my table, the dancers were visible about half that time. Still, between the costumed dancers, small plates of roasted sweet onions and fish, and Jaleo's excellent sangria, I had no reason to complain.
'DESPERATE' MEASURES
It's been almost a year since "Sex and the City" went off the air, and with it one of the more unusual nightlife events around: the "Sex and the City" viewing parties at the Felix restaurant and martini lounge.
Every Sunday night, while other bars were filled with guys watching football, scores of women gathered at the Adams Morgan nightspot to watch Carrie and friends on flat-screen televisions, sip discounted Cosmopolitans and catch up on female bonding.
Now La Tasca (2900 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-812-9120) is trying to fill the gap with a party centered on the acclaimed series "Desperate Housewives," offering drink specials and games every Sunday from 7 to 11.
It's an interesting idea. Despite the clever writing and largely female audience, the women of Wisteria Lane wouldn't appear to be natural successors to Carrie Bradshaw and her pals. "Sex" celebrated being young, urban and single -- words that describe many of those who came to the viewing parties -- while the "Desperate Housewives" neighbors struggle with issues of marriage and motherhood.
But there's a bigger difference: "Desperate Housewives" is on network television.
One of the draws at Felix was being able to follow "Sex and the City" without subscribing to HBO. La Tasca's challenge is to get "Housewives" fans to abandon the comfort of their couches for a Spanish tapas restaurant in Clarendon.
Here's the lure: Nine different varieties of house sangria are available for $1 per glass. (Go for the cinnamon-spiced Sangria La Tasca over the bland traditional blend, or try the Agua de Valencia, a sweet mix of orange, brandy and sparkling wine.) Selected wines are $3. And true "Housewives" fans can win gift certificates and other merchandise by answering trivia questions. What is Rex Van De Kamp seriously allergic to? What are the names of Lynette and Tom Scavo's three oldest kids? (Answers below.)
Despite the specials, La Tasca isn't the perfect place to watch television. It's a huge restaurant, with two stories separated by a twisting staircase and narrow mezzanine dining area. Flowers, old paintings and Spanish bric-a-brac cover the walls. The "Housewives" party is held on the first floor, and you can count the number of TVs on two fingers (though one is a large, well-positioned flat-screen). The crowd, though, which has consisted mostly of groups of women and couples, doesn't seem to mind.
La Tasca's "Desperate Housewives" party is held when a new episode airs, which means you can check it out on Sunday and Feb. 20 before the show takes a break for the Academy Awards and resumes in March.
(The answers to the trivia questions, which were worth $25 in food and drink: onions, and Parker, Porter and Preston).
