Wine Conversations: Danny Lledo, Slate Wine Bar, Part One

If you haven't made it to Slate Wine Bar, nestled between Georgetown and American Universities in Washington, DC, you're missing out. This place is a total gem.

I was super excited to sit down with Slate's chef and Sommelier Danny Lledo at the wine bar for a conversation about Slate's story and how he came to work in the business.

Lledo grew up with both food and wine as a large part of his life and comes from Spanish and Portuguese heritage. His family even owns a vineyard and farm in Portugal!

He started off as a financial advisor and said it wasn't fulfilling, and wanted to do something he was more passionate about. So after meeting Elizabeth Banker, the founder and owner of Slate, he came on board to run day-to-day operations.

But, when Slate's chef left unexpectedly, Lledo had the opportunity to take over, and he did. He began making seasonal changes to the menu and it developed organically from there. Lledo said he is very proud of the dinner menu now (which he should be, the food here is excellent).

Scallops and Polenta

He said that while he has incorporated some of his family heritage into his cooking, the dinner menu is more new-American and French. However, his seafood Paella won first place in a cooking competition last year in California. He said he is going back this year to compete again!

Lledo said one of the best parts of working in the business is getting to know his customers. He even crafts menus for special occasions, noting that on the day I interviewed him, he was making a suckling pig for the dinner menu as a special request, and a birthday cake, for one of his customers and her family.

Slate's versatility is one of the things Lledo said he is most proud of. It can be a great spot for affordable food and wine (with two happy hours, even on the weekends), or customers can opt for the three and five course dinner menus.

And one of my favorite things is they have several rotating wine flights and many wines by the glass, that are all pretty unique and come from a wide range of countries. Lledo stressed the importance of a global perspective for his wine list. (Their house rose, the Bodegas Castano from the Yecla region of Spain, made with Monastrell grapes, is the best house wine I've had yet).

They also carry more high-end wines by the bottle, for customers that are seeking that out.

Chardonnay is Lledo's favorite. At his suggestion, I even tried a Chardonnay from Alexana Winery in Oregon's Willamette Valley, which is hands-down the best Chardonnay I ever had, and I am not ordinarily a Chardonnay drinker really at all.

Slate also has several events coming up, with regular wine tastings and dinners. Lledo said this helps introduce his customers to new grapes and new regions (something I also love).

This is part one of my conversation with him. Part two will be coming soon. Make sure to stop by Slate soon for excellent food and wine. Cheers!