Don Lobo's Mexican Grill, Georgetown, D.C.

Last night we at last ventured to Don Lobo's Mexican Grill, a little locally-owned restaurant on M in east Georgetown, which is on a strip with several restaurants we frequent. It's very small and narrow, occupying the ground floor of a row house. The dining room is decorated in the red, white, and green of the Mexican flag and they have vinyl gingham checked coverings on the tables. It was close to their closing time, so there was only one other table in the dining room and we had our choice of tables.



Leo started off, as usual, with a cocktail, this time selecting their sangria. We noticed that the sangria was made-to-order both times he ordered one. Leo was pleased that the sangria had some alcohol in it with a distinct wine taste, instead of being diluted with lots of fruit juice; a bunch of apple chunks soaked in orange juice floated on top of the glass. I tried a sip of one of the drinks and it was pretty good.

While we waited for our food, we got the traditional chips and salsa; the salsa here is noteworthy. The sauce was served hot! I mean temperature-wise, not spice (of course, it had plenty of spice, too!) The salsa had a rich, smoky taste with a touch of sweetness and was a deep reddish-brown color. It was unique and very good.

When dinner arrived, Leo got a "ranchera platter." It included a cheese-filled chile relleno and a grilled pork enchilada, along with rice, beans, pico de gallo, lettuce, and sour cream. He particularly liked the pork enchilada, a surprise since he usually doesn't eat pork.



I had two chile rellenos stuffed with chicken, and they were surprisingly good. The chicken was juicy and well flavored, and there was certainly a spice kick to the dish. Rice and beans, which were unremarkable, and a little green salad filled out the rest of the plate.



After dinner, we split a Mexican fried ice cream. This was an interesting version, with the ice cream having been rolled in corn flake cereal before being fried. It was a simple preparation with a yummy honey sauce over the top.



Don Lobo's was nice, being much more authentic than what I usually get served in D.C., much more what I'm used to from eating with Mexican families back in Oklahoma. Olé!