Last updated on March 30, 2019 by Liza Hawkins
It all started with a tweet.
I don’t remember the exact phrasing of those 140 characters, but I do remember these words were included: Jaleo, Tapas, Tweet Up and Informal.
My thought? I’m. So. There.
The group for the Totally Informal #DCTweetUP on February 11, 2011, was laboriously lovingly casually thrown together by Janine at Twofer Mom after some chatter on Twitter about meeting over wine and tapas, and … well … really that was all it took to get the ball rolling.
Who doesn’t want to use a social gathering as an excuse to drink wine and gorge on tapas?
(Or should that be the other way around….?)
It’s been over fifteen years since I lived in the D.C. suburbs (as in, within twenty minutes—because some would argue that Frederick is considered D.C. suburbs), and since Jaleo is only celebrating its ten year anniversary this month, I’ve never had the opportunity to go.
But, tapas? I love me some tapas.
So despite the fact that my bedtime has been between 8:30 and 9pm before 10pm lately, I really wanted to be a part of the action—both food-wise and conversationally.
I mean, look at this awesome group of people:
So, eat and chat we did—lots of both.
And for four dollars a tapas, it wasn’t difficult!
Chef Paul even bought us a few special treats we didn’t order (love that!) and was kind enough to correct me when he saw I tweeted the name of one of them wrong (whoops).
Jaleo Bethesda: it’s the place to meet up (or tweet up) near D.C., especially for happy hour when your wallet’s just as happy as your mouth.
Pro tip: be prepared for a crowd, I’m not the only one that enjoys the tapas and atmosphere!
It was so much fun. And so great to chat with you! We have to do it again soon.
Totally agree – it was a blast! I love food and conversation!
Love this post! It is always so much better coming from a foodie. Those endive leaved with the mandarins oranges and other goodies? Loved them! And that creamy sauce on the potato dish was to die for. So fun to hang with you again!
@Janine – Yeah, the aioli on the potatoes was SOOO good – it’s hard to tell from the photo, almost looks like melty cheese (which probably would have been yummy too). Hope to see you soon!
So when do we get to do this again? It was great to connect with old friends and make new ones…and enjoy tasty tapas, too!
If we want to get together anytime in the next couple of weeks, we should probably start coordinating sooner rather than later! LOL! It’s not like any of us are busy or anything….
Was great to meet you! And yes, it was a blast! Look forward to sharing more yummy food together in the future!
Absolutely! Sooner rather than later! 🙂
Those bacon wrapped dates are one of my favorite tapas dishes! When I saw you tweeting about Jaleo I hoped you’d get those.
What a fun night…and what a treat to hang out with old friends, meet new ones and generally get Tapas happy! I plan for soon sounds ideal!
i had a great time! the food was SO yum. i’m already thinking of trying to re-create those endives myself…great post!!
It was wonderful to meet you! I agree – the endives are my absolute favorite, also.