By DCist contributor Victoria Finkle

If the passing of the seasons has you feeling a little blue, Zengo (781 7th Street NW) is offering a tropical escape with its new “Los Cabos” menu.

Four Mexican-inspired dishes make up Chef Richard Sandoval’s latest “Test Kitchen” series, created with several top chefs from our neighbor to the south. Served only at dinner, the seafood-packed line-up includes clam ceviche, sea bass tiradito, seared scallops and octopus carnitas “bibimbap.”

The ceviche (market price) is paired with mango and cucumber, a refreshing balance to the dish’s subtle heat. The sea bass ($12) is similarly light, served on a bed of mashed avocado.

The pan-seared sea scallops ($28) were a personal favorite, despite (or perhaps because?) they are topped with a blend of butter, seasoning and “chapulines.” That last ingredient is known to English speakers as grasshoppers, a popular treat in some regions of Mexico.

Finally, the octopus bibimbap ($14), based on the traditional Korean dish, is served in a piping hot stone bowl and garnished with a poached egg. Everything is stirred together until you have a hearty and satisfying jumble of seafood, egg, rice and veggies – the perfect antidote to a cold, rainy D.C. evening.

The Los Cabos menu also features two signature cocktails ($11 each): an infused pomegranate and serrano margarita, which balances sweet and spicy, and a jalapeño margarita, a dusky green concoction with some real kick to it.

Sandoval and his team crafted the menu after a weeklong trip to the region, which was devastated by a hurricane just last month. Zengo will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from the special menu to the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. The dishes will be offered through the end of the year.