Best Dining Bets at Decade-Old Spanish Dining Destination SER | Eater DC

"A decade in, this Spanish destination in Arlington proves you don’t have to leave the suburbs for tradition, flair, and warm hospitality. Large-format dishes are theatrically presented, feed two to three, and are worth the splurge: servers even use plates to chop the $160 cochinillo asado tableside, with a new $20 small plate featuring the same meat for the budget-conscious. Paella ($60) shines in a seafood version dark with squid ink, while the meat rendition stuffed with chicken, duck, and rabbit is just as formidable. Vegetables arrive artfully in unusual combinations, like a seasonal salad that combined blackberries, blue cheese, watermelon radishes, fennel, and citrus. Classic tapas are textbook—creamy croquettes, robust tomato bread, and garlic shrimp bursting with umami—and for a simpler solo meal, the chilled half-lobster teeming with crab meat ($35) pairs nicely with a tapa or the creamy gazpacho. The vibe truly treats customers like family: guests who pass away are remembered with photos on the wall, owner Javier Candon greets regulars by name with a handshake or kisses, and general manager Dimitri Brinza might reference your last visit. For an insider touch, Candon infuses his own liqueurs—about half a dozen appear on the after-dinner menu (sample the cherry marcona almond one)—and some show up in cocktails like a gin and tonic heady with rosemary." - Missy Frederick