Vera Cocina and Bar

Regional Dining Discussions DC, Mid-Atlantic
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Vera is new place in ivy City that features a Mexican-Lebanese fusion cuisine. Apparently that actually a thing – a bunch of Lebanese settled in Veracruz in the19th century. It;s stylish place, with a comfy-seat hung on the first floor and another lounge and a large open dining space on the 2d floor
We started with coctails - Mezcal, black lemon, aquafaba, and figs

vera cocktail e
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and tequila, lime, cactus, basil, and an arak spritz – both very tasty
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the on to appetizers --roasted eggplant dressed with peanuts, pine nuts, and a dollop of salsa macha,
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and some black sesame seeds. This was very interesting and very tasty.
And whipped feta with toasted almonds, castelveltrano olives, lemon honey, and ancho chili:
vera feta
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and a salad of yellow and red watermelon, mint, feta, and an orange-cilantro vinaigrette.
Then for entrees, a vegetable dish of whole okra, tiny carrots, pearl onions, and diablo salsa, which is a blend of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and guajillo chiles
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Branzino aserved over turmeric basmati rice with pastor adobo salsa, labneh crema, salsa verde, and more pine nuts and sesame seeds

vera fish
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A beef kabob that came with tabbouleh, grilled vegetables, and salsa de arbol.
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and finally grilled octopus topped with a nice light medley of salsa ingredients, and on the side.purple potatoes, and a salad of grilled pineapple and large beans (I’m not sure what kind), all
wrapped around white potato foam.
Everything was cooked well and served well, a the different seasoninggeneratewd lively conversation. It was a lot of fun. There was inoffensive live music, and a 20% tip appears automatically on your bill.
More details at https://johntannersbbqblog.wordpress.com/2024/09/07/veras-cocina-and-bar-ivy-city-washington-dc/
Give this place a try for sure.
https://johntannersbbqblog.wordpress.com/2024/08/26/leflers-place-cafe-and-grocery-mount-gilead-north-carolina/

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That’s how tacos al pastor came into being

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Looks stunning. Do you have a favorite of what you tried?

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That sounds absolutely fantastic!

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It was !

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Vera’s cuisine is much different. The Mexican and Lebanese flavors are both distinctly present , but balanced. As opposed to a Lebanese dish with Mexican spices substituting for the Lebanese. Its fascinating food

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We hope to make it to DC while we’re closer than usual, and that place is pretty much at the top of our list.

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Let me know! I;d love to get together!

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You betcha! November and December are still wide open at this point :slight_smile:

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Sounds lovely.

There’s a Lebanese Mexican place that opened in Brooklyn last year (but iirc it was the chef’s interest and not the overlap of the peoples in Mexico that drove that). I missed the initial visit but it’s been on my list for a while.

ETA write-up here.

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The menu looks interesting

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As are we.

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Mondays or Wednesday nights would work, possibly some Fridays & Saturdays as well, depending on my work schedule.

But we can take this to DMs for further planning :slight_smile:

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I’d love to be kept in the loop for any group meals. Sounds exciting. Thanks!

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Absolutely! If @johntannerbbq would like to throw some dates at us we can hopefully make that happen. The more, the merrier. Maybe @tcamp can join in the fun as well, being from the area n 'at.

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I’m trying to figure out my schedule. I’ll see how soon I can come up for air

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If the out-of Towners could let me know when they plan to be here , I’ll see what options are out there

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Just sent you a reply :slight_smile:

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We’re looking at the 1st or second week on November, with the important provision that anyone who mentions politics while at a restaurant or other meal has to put in $20 for each. mention.

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Absolutely no politics.*

*Unless we discover we’re all on the same side & have reason to celebrate :joy: j/k

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