Damn, now I'm really going to have to sell my Smart car.
Moqueca de Janairoa, a Latin take on bouillabaisse.
With its ambitious menu of Pacific coast Mexican fare, likable waitstaff and affable and omnipresent owner, the just-opened Yelapa already is one of my favorite Montrose restaurants. Unfortunately, it is adjacent to the absolute worst parking lot inside the Beltway; the pothole-pocked parking lot the restaurant shares with Blue Fish House and Hobbit Cafe has been known to swallow Mini-Coopers and make chutney of Volkswagons. My poor little Smart Car doesn't stand a chance.

So I'm shopping for Hummer or whatever massive four-wheel monster will get me safely in and out of Yelapa for what I expect will be weekly helpings of Moqueca de Janairo.
Crispy skinned salmon atop cauliflower risotta
Moqueca de Janairo is Chef L.J. Wiley's version of Brazilian fish stew. The mildly sweet tomato-and-coconut milk broth is peppered with plump mussels and shrimp as well as fresh cilantro and green onion. It's a makes hardy lunch or a warming dinner on a cool night.

I've managed two visits to Yelapa just this past week. My Saturday afternoon visit was hampered by my skittish dining companion who was thrown by the seafood-heavy menu and the more Mexican-than-Tex-Mex ingredients. So concerned that Mom would find something to her liking, I not only overlooked the bouillabaisse on the menu, but I also ordered (by distraction) one of my least favorite foods: I hate cauliflower. I really do.
Chicken with root vegetables.
The crispy skin salmon I ordered arrived on a generous bed of cauliflower risotto. The fish was perfectly cooked and the risotto had just the right creamy yet sturdy consistency. It's just the latter was aggressively flavored with cauliflower. Not the kitchen's bad, mine -- for not reading the menu. (For the record, the risotto didn't go to waste. My veggie-loving roommate wolfed it down and declared me a cretin.)

Mom's chicken with huitlacoche over root vegetables was rich and homey. The chicharrones (fried pork) salad with green papaya and tamarind dressing we shared as an appetizer set the mood for lunch, which felt long and lazy thanks to beautiful weather, our attentive waiter and the tropical dining room's French doors being open.
The flan
We ended the meal fittingly with a lemony flan that was served in rosewater.

A couple of days later I returned with the risotto-scarfing roommate. We sat at the bar where we had a (obstructed) view into the kitchen. I took my time studying the menu as I munched on the roasted pumpkins seeds and dry fruit that are served instead of chips and salsa.
The Whole Enchilada
There it was, the magic word: "bouillabaisse." Gosh, I'm a sucker for fish stew. And it didn't disappoint. My roomie ordered the "Whole Enchilada," a colorful skirt steak and cheese stack. It was tasty, but (here's a small quibble) could have come to the table a little warmer.

Next visit -- you're history, Smart Car -- I'm going to try one of the Wiley's ceviches or many gazpachos, as well as the Snapper Veracruz.

Yeah, right, who am I kidding. I'm going to order the fish stew again. You can try the other dishes and let me know what I'm missing.
Chicharrones with green papaya and tamarind-lime dressing