BrightestYoungThings: Sampling: La Tomatina Festival @ Jaleo

all words: Laura Herman
all photos: Stephanie Breijo

Just as summer seems to be slipping away (SEE: BYT FALL GUIDES), ever-awesome Jaleo’s seized the best of what the season has to offer and put it on display: late harvest tomatoes. The Jose Andres Spanish tapas hot spot is hosting its eighth annual La Tomatina Festival NOW through Sunday, October 2^nd at all three restaurant locations, in Bethesda, Crystal City and downtown DC.

We stopped by to taste test earlier this week and walked away happy, full and whistful for summer. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful, which allowed the late season fruit—the best harvest of the year, we learned—to shine.

La Tomatina is inspired by the world’s largest tomato food fight (I get giddy just thinking about this), which is held annually on the last Wednesday of August in Buñol, Spain. Crowds gather armed with tomatoes and just go crazy middle school lunch room-style. Everyone ends up dripping in tomato pulp.

To celebrate, celeb chef Jose Andres and team have constructed their own less-messy take on the festival with a special menu of tomato-inspired dishes. Over the two-week festival, the three Jaleo restaurants go through 1,000 pounds of locally-sourced tomatoes. I’m still trying to picture what that looks like.

Each tomato-inspired tapa was constructed to showcase the fruit, with simple, flavorful and sometimes playful preparations (check out the can of marinated tomatoes with watermelon and goat cheese). Some of our absolute favorite dishes included tomates rellenos de ajo blance con granizado de tomate, or juicy campari tomatoes stuffed with a creamy ajo blanco mousse, and topped with tomato granitee and olives, and the cordero con tomate confitado, or grilled lamb chops with tomato confit, which were cooked to perfection and had a great sweet/savory balance.

The sopa fria de tomates y fresas, or cold tomato and strawberry soup with yogurt, pistachios, and pockets of olive oil that we literally wanted to eat by the spoonful, was a perfect way to start the meal. And we were also really into the tomates verdes fritos, or fried green tomatoes with Valedon cheese, that proved surprisingly light.

The special La Tomatina cocktail, the 1959, should also not be overlooked. Bartender/genius Owen Thomson’s creation is made from Plymouth Gin, tomato water (DIY tip: it's made by straining crushed tomatoes through cheese cloth—delish), lemon and opal basil. It tasted like the love child of a fantastic lemony Gin & Tonic and a great Bloody Mary. Basically, my ideal beverage. I’ll be sad to see the Tomatina Festival end for this offering alone.

All of the tapas dishes on the special Tomatina Festival menu will run you between $8 and $12, and are available a la carte in combination with regular menu items. Jaleo’s Tomatina Festival runs through October 2 so get there SOON and enjoy those last bites and sips of summer while you still can.