By Susannah Black
SER is the Spanish infinitive for the verb “to be,” but it also stands for SER’s dedication to serving simple, easy and real food.
SER was the winner of the scandal-plagued Ballston Business Improvement District’s 2014 Restaurant Challenge and will soft open tomorrow with a 20 percent discount on food; the grand opening is on March 12.
Javier Candon and executive chef Josu Zubikarai are the owners of this Spanish tavern, and they plan to bring Spanish cuisine to their Arlington community. Candon’s wife Christiana Candon helped to open SER, taking on the role of creative decorator and helping in various ways behind the scenes.
Zubikarai, a native to Basque Country in Spain, opened D.C.‘s Taberna del Alabardero in 1989 and became friends with Candon, who worked as the general manager.
“Spain has a lot of variety of foods, from Belize to Barcelona … totally different,” says Zubikarai. He plans to experiment with recipes local to specific regions in Spain: breads and olive oils from Barcelona, empanadas from Galicia, chickpea stew from Madrid and gazpacho from Southern Spain. “We bring a little bit of everywhere,” says Zubikarai.
SER’s menu will showcase both traditional and modern Spanish dishes. Classic dishes include Angulas (baby eels), Candon’s and Zubikarai’s mother’s and grandmother’s recipes like carrilleras de Iberico or braised pork cheeks with market vegetables and a favorite of Zubikarai, which he named after himself: Josu’s bacalao al pilpil, salted cod with olive oil emulsion.
The modernized section of the menu shows off a cheeseburger with the tomato-and-paprika-based sauce bravas, mostly known as a dip for patatas bravas, and an angel hair pasta with lime zest and matossol caviar.
The beverage program leans Spanish with wines, sangria, four or five Spanish beers and Spanish liquors like the sweet-ish liqueur patxaran. / Opening Thursday, March 5; SER, 1110 N. Glebe Road, Arlington
