Caliente

12/7/13:

Stars: 4.4 out of 5.0

Pros: Lots of Seating, Good Drink Menu, Flavorful Wings

Cons: Bathroom Door Sticks

     Part of going to the Dominion Christmas Parade is going to get lunch after. It allows time for traffic to clear out and it allows us a chance to warm up. This year we walked down to Caliente (Caliente) because it was close to where we all parked. Also, I was craving wings and I knew Caliente served them. Win for me!

     Caliente is located on the corner of Park Ave and N. Sheppard St. in The Fan/Museum district. It is a fairly big building. It has a really nice looking outdoor seating area (which was of course closed because it is winter) that I want to hit up in the summer. You enter into a fairly spacious dining area with a bar. It was fairly empty when CB, LB and I got there. We knew JK and the boys were coming so we took a big corner table. Our waitress brought us both drink and food menus. She explained the deal with brunch (was being served) and entrees (not being served). That is very helpful information to know. Sometimes brunch is needed.

     She also ran down the drink specials. One being a Poinsettia, which is cranberry juice and champagne, CB and I went with those without a second thought.The drink menu at Caliente is quite impressive. They have a lot of good craft beer both on tap and in bottles. They offer a wide variety of styles and brewerys. You shouldn't find any trouble picking something to drink. They also offer great mixed drink specials. I was very impressed. I will certainly be back to try their happy hour specials.

     After JK arrived with the boys, the serious business of ordering began. JK, CB and I all agreed that wings and a salad (it's important to balance your meal) was the way to go. LB, went with a bowl of chili. The boys split a sandwich, some fries and some cucumbers.

     We got our salads first. I will say I was a bit taken back for a few seconds. There was dried fruit on my salad. I was not aware this was going to occur. I have a thing about fruit on my salad. Just don't feel it belongs. However, I also resolved to try to move past old food prejudices and try new things. So, I left the dried fruit on and went to town. I hate to admit how good it was. Damn you dried fruit... While we were finishing up our wings and chili came, as did the boys meal. LB's chili was a big old bowl. It smelled great and looked warm & filling. She said it wasn't bad. She noted a hint of cinnamon which was pleasant, but unexpected. The boys devoured their meal, but refused to give me a detailed report on it. Being only 2 is NOT an excuse... I had ordered the General Tso flavored wings to step outside the box a little. I thought the flavor was very rich and warm. It didn't have much spice but I liked it. The wings themselves were fairly meaty. It was a filling meal and set my taste buds off nicely.

     One of my only complaints occurred after we were done eating. I went to the bathroom and found that upon exiting, the door got stuck. It took a little maneuvering and pushing to open it up again. Nothing is as terrible as the thought of being trapped in a public restroom. I hope someone looks into fixing that soon.

     Caliente was an excellent choice for our after-parade lunch fix. The drinks and the food were top notch. The atmosphere was great. The waitstaff was very pleasant. Aside from that creepy sticky bathroom door, it was a wonderful trip. I'm pretty sure that I will be back, if only for the wings and beer.