Estadio Brunch

In striving to stay up to date on the new restaurants constantly popping up in DC, it’s easy to overlook the area’s mainstays. I’ve been meaning to check out Estadio’s brunch for years now, but something always got in the way. At long last, we were finally able to make it happen.
We started out with cappuccinos as we pondered the lengthy menu. Our hunger levels were high, which lead to a somewhat heated debate over what to order. Items toward the top of the menu are smaller, tapas-style dishes, and as you move toward the bottom of the list the dishes get larger and more substantial. We eventually decided on a mix of both.
Estadio’s drink menu encourages diners to “day drink like a Spaniard”, so we couldn’t help but comply. Despite never having eaten at Estadio before, I’ve been in for drinks a couple of times and knew that the drinks would be on point. Tom ordered the Toquito, a Spanish version of the Bloody Mary with vodka, tomato, pimentón & Piparra. I opted for a simple Spanish cocktail of vermouth, soda and Angostura bitters.
For our tapas selections, we ordered the wild mushroom croquetas with roasted red peppers and the manchego and chive biscuits with crispy bacon and gravy.
We were off to a great start. Both dishes were absolutely delicious. The biscuits were fluffy and bursting with flavor, made even tastier smothered with the creamy gravy. Tom and I may have had fork fights over the gravy. He won. We’re still working through it.
The croquetas were Tom’s favorite dish of the day. Crispy on the outside with a piping hot, creamy wild mushroom filling, we both could have eaten these by the handful.
To make sure we ate our vegetables, we also ordered a side of sautéed kale with garlic, sherry and red chili, which was simple but vibrant in flavor and cooked perfectly.
For our one large plate order of the day, we went with the huevos cabreados (angry eggs) with sofrito dip, matchstick potatoes and house grilled bread.
This was a perfectly solid dish, though I have to admit I expected a bit more flare from my “angry eggs”. The sofrito, hiding under the eggs, had a nice kick to it, but I still wasn’t exactly blown away.
I was blown away, however, by our final dish. I’ve long heard whispers of the magical manchego cheesecake at Estadio, and knew I couldn’t leave without taking a taste.
This was crazy good! I loved the balance between the sweet and savory. It reminded me of a getting the perfect bite from a cheese plate, as I tend to favor hard, pungent cheeses with sweet jam on top. The cheesecake itself was smooth and creamy and set off perfectly by the salty, crunchy granola. I never used to consider myself a dessert person. But after tasting this cheesecake and the two excellent desserts we had at Tiger Fork last week, I’ve officially been converted.
Brunch at Estadio really hit the spot, and reminded me not to overlook the tried and true restaurants in DC that have stood the test of time. I’ll definitely be back!