Alero

Although I did not think to review it on here at any point prior to this, I have eaten at 3 of Alero's D.C. locations: Cleveland Park, U Street, and Dupont Circle.  As one might guess, my not remembering them means that they were not especially memorable, although the company in each instance was.

Alero (Dupont Circle location) - 1724 Connecticut Ave NW

Recently I ate at the Dupont Circle location.  The chips and salsa were good.  Nothing special, but not bad.  I started with some kind of specialty frozen margarita with some blackberry liquor or something in it.  I can't find it in their on-line menu.  It was very good and others followed suit.

The meal itself was disappointing.  I ordered beef enchiladas.  They weren't bad, but they were bland and almost watery tasting.  No zing from any spiciness, not much flavor from the cheese, no savoriness from the meat.  Just kind of unobjectionable enchiladas.

The scene and ambiance pretty good.  The Dupont Circle location is a long, somewhat dark, narrow room with interior brick.  Our party sat in a somewhat hidden enclave at the back of the restaurant.  The enclave was a bit tight, not just for a party of our size, but for anyone who wants to sit across from each other.  Still, it was nice.

The other locations:

Alero (U Street location) - 1301 U Street NW

It has been a while, but I remember ordering something a bit more interesting and less common than an enchilada.  I believe that I remember a similar result though: acceptable, but not exciting food.  Also, I think that my margarita was pretty good.  Again, the physical restaurant was pretty good.  We ate outside in Alero's large enclosed area out front and it was fun.  Based on this location's proximity to me, the good margaritas, and the outdoor area, it seems like a fun place to get together for a happy hour during the summer - but perhaps not to impress anyone with the food.

Alero (Cleveland Park location) - 3500 Connecticut Ave NW

Okay, I last visited this location 3 years ago.  I don't know if I had anything other than the free chips and a margarita.  Again, the margarita was good and the chips were solid.  The location is smaller and less done-up than the others.  It's more of a niche.