El Presidente — Restaurant in Washington

3.5 stars, and calibrated against other restaurants in this price point, service and atmosphere were great, food was disappointing.

I love tacos and love both simple and elevated Latin cuisine in general. El Presidente promises a mix of well-executed simple with a few side trips to elevated. The latter was the best for me. The tuna toatada had a perfect balance of textures and flavors, something I could have eaten 5 of them if they weren't $17. Likewise, the tortilla soup was well composed with nods to traditional elements of the dish while creating a satisfying, layered, and robust set of flavors.

The "simple" fare fell much shorter. The tacos were particularly disappointing. Tortillas, a crucial component, were limp and lacking in any of the distinct flavors you would get from good quality fresh-ground masa and quality fats. They may well have come from a Costco bag.

Birria tacos normally have beef that is slow cooked in a flavorful broth and emerge as rich and flavorful on their own, then the broth the meat is cooked in can be used for dipping to rocket them to a whole other level. These tacos had dry, lean, shredded beef that desperately needed broth to add flavor and moisture. The broth was then a shadow of what it should be, perhaps even made separately to try to mimic flavors of a real consumme.

The sea bass "Al pastor" tacos were even more disappointing. Slightly too salty for a remarkably flat flavor profile and then nothing remotely Al pastor about them. No smokey juicy goodness that you get from layered marinated meat against a trompo. Just a few bits of fish and additional bits in a limp tepid tortilla. 2 for $21.

We also had the frijolarama, or something, which looked beautiful - several tortillas with beans and veggies swimming in a beautiful dark sauce. Maybe because my mind was unconsciously expecting mole, but I was deeply disappointed in what turned out to be a sauce that seemed like just a reduction of the black bean juice that comes from a can. It was concentrated black beany flavor without (or with little) in the way of additional flavors. Then there really wasn't much even in the tortillas to contrast with the utter blandness outside.

Then the frozen pineapple marg was solid. The mezcal martini was mediocre. Slight bitter in the aftertaste where you should have a slightly sweet herbally note on the finish that you get from a good quality mezcal. Maybe it was the wrong mezcal, maybe the orange peel had too much white. What I really wanted to try was their version of a micheLaLada, but holy fawk, I can only get it in 32oz size??

So I might go back to chance the Tlayudas and have some more soup, but there doesn't seem to be much to bring me back otherwise....

Is El Presidente, with the backing of a fancy restaurant group and in a trendy area, worth the hype? After walking in on a Friday evening with my wife and six-year-old daughter, I think it is. Here's our experience.

1. Food: Inspired by Mexico City, the menu is Mexican, pulling from different parts of the country. The menu itself is two pages and organized around raw bar, seven appetizers, two nachos, three guacamoles, three tlayudas, eight tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas, specials, sides, and a make-your-own taco section.

To feed three of us, we ordered the classic guacamole, the "Nachos Mama," enchiladas suizas, whole roasted cauliflower, and Mexican street style corn. It was more than enough food for my wife, daughter, and I. (We brought most of the roasted cauliflower home.)

The standout dishes were the nachos, cauliflower, and enchiladas. The nachas come out on a single-layer pan so every bite has every topping on it. The enchiladas were rich in flavor and for being a simple dish, the cauliflower was perfectly roasted and with great flavor. It's massive and can feed a few people. (See it as a whole entree v. a side dish.)

The guacamole was well-made, but we found it to lack salt. The street corn was good!

2. Drink: Their drink menu is impressive with margaritas, cocktails, beer, and more. Glasses of margaritas are $12 each, which is less than I'd expect at a trendy D.C. restaurant. My wife and I split the $45 frozen margarita pitcher, and it poured around six glasses. It was a good margarita. The best in D.C.? We didn't think so, but still good and refreshing.

3. Service: Our entire experience was positive. With reservations all booked, we walked in right at 5 p.m. when they open on a Friday evening. We waited only 15 minutes before getting an inside table. The host was professional and kind and our server was excellent. She was very attentive and treated our daughter, the only kid there, with grace.

4. Price: The menu really does have something for many price ranges. The margaritas were less expensive than expected. Our nachos cost $17, but they were filling and a lot. If you want to splurge, they have a $195 grand seafood tower.

5. Neighborhood: It's near Union Market so there's plenty to do as you wait for your table. As we waited, we walked across the street to Shop Made In DC to so some local shopping. Union Market and La Cosecha are nearby with lots of vendors and shops. There's something in the area for most people.

We found street parking right next to El Presidente, which is hard to find. La Cosecha has an underground parking lot with free parking for a few hours. If you get lucky, the parking lot by Union...

Won’t be back! My friend and I went to El Presidente for dinner on Thursday evening and had a very unpleasant experience. Upon arrival the host let us know the next table wouldn’t be available for about 45-50 minutes, but we could make a reservation and wait for bar and bar area seating, which was open seating/first come first serve. We made a reservation and waited around for space to open up in the bar area. After waiting for a bit it looked like a bar area table was opening up, so I asked the couple if they were wrapping up. They responded, “Yes!” I confirmed that the table they were at was bar seating, and they said, “Yep! We just came in and sat down. We already paid, so if you want to sit, go for it.” I sat down and the woman hostess had someone come over and clear the table off. My friend went back over to the host stand to cancel the reservation we’d made upon arrival since we’d gotten bar area seating and that’s where the unpleasant experience began. I noticed my friend was visibly uncomfortable while the male host spoke to her. Shortly after, my friend came back over to the table and I immediately asked her what was wrong because I could tell something had happened. She proceeded to tell me that apparently another patron arrived first and was entitled to the table. Confused, because we were told that bar seating was open seating, I went to get clarity from the host. The other patron was at the host stand and began raising her voice at me saying “I know you saw me! You cut me in line” etc. and the host backed her up. I have never, ever been to a restaurant where the bar seating had some sort of line…and I asked, where was the line? I repeated back to the host what we were told (by him) about the bar area seating, and he kept insisting that we’d cut a nonexistent line. Then he went to get the manager while the other patron continued to raise her voice at me. The manager came out, and at this point, I just decided to leave because the other patron continued to raise her voice, while the male host backed her up. I kept trying to ask for clarity and explain that we were told that it was open seating and I was met with hostility and attitude. The whole ordeal was ridiculous and I’ll never go back. The customer service at El...