101 replies to this topic

[hjshorter]

Very nice article about chef Jose Andres in today's food section of the Washington Post..

Click

[guajolote]

my wife was in dc earlier this week and i told her that this was the place to go. she went with her boss and both loved it. thanks everyone.

[Al_Dente]

my wife was in dc earlier this week and i told her that this was the place to go. she went with her boss and both loved it. thanks everyone.

What'd she have? Anything stand out?

[guajolote]

her and her boss both ordered the chef's tasting. she mentioned a mango ravioli with anchovy foam (it was the first time her boss had espuma), a scallop dish, and a great pisco sour.

[Curlz]

I just received the Jan issue of Bon Appetit; there's an article about Jose Andres, the exec chef at Cafe Atlantico. Haven't read it yet, but I certainly look forward to doing so! I live in Northern NJ and am always amazed by how often I see the restaurant mentioned in national publications (including, in recent memory, the NY Times magazine)! Great food, great atmosphere, and well worth the cost. The last time I was in D.C. on business, I convinced a small group to go, we had the tasting menu, and a fabulous night.
If you have the opportunity to eat there, don't miss it!

[8Track]

It's interesting as far as food fashions go. Spanish food is now all the rage. Latin is still hot as well.

That doesn't detract from Cafe Atlantico, which has been good for a long time. But the place is certainly enjoying a new surge of publicity that coincides with the culinary fashions.

[JennyUptown]

For those of us who are not up to the Minibar challenge...

What are the Don't Miss dishes at Cafe Atlantico?

[hillvalley]

Mojitos and gaucamole

[bilrus]

I understand that the conch fritters that are part of the mini-bar menu are also on the regular menu. They are quite good.

[hillvalley]

I understand that the conch fritters that are part of the mini-bar menu are also on the regular menu. They are quite good.

Even if they are only half as good as they were at Mini Bar, they would still be unbelievable. Oh my lord they were good.

I am daydreaming of them right now........

[babka]

actually, mine were better at Atlantico--couldn't quite understand Hillvalley's rave about them until I ordered a plate on Friday night. Ah....the liquid conch filling is liquid!! it had somehow been left out of the one I had at the minibar.

That's one of the things at Atlantico that I love most, though--they screw up, but the place feels so familial that the screw-ups largely endear it.

Atlantico was my 'first' restaurant in D.C. My mother had stumbled onto it during a conference visit, and we went soon after I moved here. It was back in the day when they served gussied-up regional specialties. The food was lovely, the waitstaff were kind, and an ongoing love affair was formed.

Birthdays? Atlantico. Best friend's parents visiting from rural Georgia, never having eaten anyplace fancier than Red Lobster? Atlantico. (As we sat down, her father nervously whispered that I'd have to show them how to eat in a restaurant like this....then our waiter arrived, his rabbit appeared, and all nervousness evaporated). Bad date? Atlantico mojito. Bad theatre show? Late Atlantico dinner. Watching their food get better and better and better over the years was just a wonderful bonus.

Even when it's off--and my few experiences there at the tail end of the service periods have been largely off, with lukewarm food and harried waiters--it's comforting. There's some sort of alchemy between the kitchen, the food, and the staff that makes the place feel like my aunt's house might feel if she could cook anything other than fish balls.

They do screw up, but they apologize quickly and sincerely. Our first try for a minibar reservation two weeks ago was thwarted when we arrived, on time, to be told that we were seated in the restaurant! The complimentary (and fantastic) glass of champagne during the rescheduled minibar session went a long way towards restitution. Our duck confit last week arrived with a very curious clear wrapping--after picking it out and weighing the likelihood of a deconstructed duck/spinach/cellophane dish, we told our waiter, who apologized and whisked it away and then sent the maitre'd to apologize and explain that a sheet of crisp gelatin had somehow fallen into a dish. They were so sincerely concerned that we couldn't quite figure out how to tell them that the gelatin worried us far less than the fact that we never received our second entree--and the familial magic thing worked so well that we felt quite awful when we received the bill and realized that they weren't charging us for dinner or dessert.

[hillvalley]

You still have to wonder though, why they still make so many mistakes? This is an established restaurant with a local celebrity chef. Why does the public put up with the gliches and come back for more?

I'm hesitant to go for dinner since it seems that mistakes/problems are so common. babka, in your case I understand your love with the place. It is part of your history. But for the average diner? I'm undecided.

[DonRocks]

Tonight was Café Atlantico, followed by a terrific dessert, followed by a late-night check-in at Rumba Café (perhaps more on the fine Rumba Café in an upcoming post).

The guacamole at Atlantico is the best I've had in Washington, the conch fritters (discussed earlier in this thread) are as good as you could possibly imagine, the scallops in a coconut crispy rice with ginger squid and squid-ink oil were disappointing, the scallops being overcooked and the sauce being too monolithic and dull, the foie gras in Torrontes with brioche is quite good but not special, the marinated quail with mango/anchovy raviolis and balsamic reduction is superb, and an incredible value at nine dollars. All dishes ordered as small plates, and I'm reminded once again what a terrific place this is to catch an early dinner at the bar.

The wine program is one of the best in Washington, but has a fatal flaw. Francisco Astudillo is a talented young sommelier who has assembled the single most interesting list of South American wines I have ever seen. Witness: 37 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignons, 16 Argentine Cabernet Sauvignons, 27 Argentine Malbecs, not to mention 30 sparkling wines (most of them Champagne including interesting pulls such as the LaSalle Chigny-Les-Roses Premier Cru for sixty dollars. Then there are the wines by the glass: 18 different varietals offered, almost all of them having at least two selections apiece - even unusual stuff by the glass such as Godello, Tokai-Furmint, Verdehlo, Torrontes, a German Pinot Gris. Nothing by the glass is priced at more than $10.00 - it's a fabulous by-the-glass list accompanying an interesting list in general, and the sommelier is engaging, knowledgable and eager to please, so what's the fatal flaw?

Well, you'll just have to read the next thread, because in this one, I'm not going to say anything but praise about Café Atlantico, so there!

Cheers,
Rocks!

[JennyUptown]

Tonight was Café Atlantico, followed by a terrific dessert, followed by a late-night check-in at Rumba Café (perhaps more on the fine Rumba Café in an upcoming post).

I *LOVE* Rumba! Can't wait for that post.

[babka]

An old friend was in town from NYC this evening and wanted a nice dinner.
Being the self-sacrificial type, I offered to let him take me to Atlantico.

afterwards, he cleared his throat, in that lovely self-conscious manner that men can assume.
"I just wanted you to know that tonight was a very special evening for me."
"Oh?"
"I've always believed that Washington restaurants were awful. They're Southern, and they glop sauce all over everything."
And?
"I was wrong."

the fun part, though, was that I went to Atlantico for brunch a month ago and tasted a gazzilion plates of individual dishes ... some worked, some (grilled watermelon) didn't.

but the grilled watermelon surfaced again tonight with the pheasant and oh my, that did worked. it's like struggling through a very pleasant dictionary and then, suddenly, understanding Proust.

or at least Antoine de Saint Exupery.

(and, confidential to our waiter---you were right, my stomach really _did_ want the conch fritters again, and they were just as fantastic as they were the last time, and I'm so impressed that you picked that up from my subconscious when my tongue fairly clearly asked for the marinated foie gras. )

Edited by babka, 25 March 2004 - 08:40 PM.

[DonRocks]

or at least Antoine de Saint Exupery.

In fifteen minutes worth of postings, we have The Little Prince and The Little Princess.

P.S. The bracelet was supposedly a forgery!

[babka]

In fifteen minutes worth of postings, we have The Little Prince and The Little Princess.

not sure if that's our literary or political zeitgeist.
not sure I wanna know.

[frogprince]

i finally made it to cafe atlantico today for the latino dim sum brunch after falling victim to my own euro-centric vision for experiencing jose andres' food at jaleo and zaytinya. and my god is that place good, absolutely stunning.
ive never had anything remotely resembling the hot and cold foie gras and corn soup in my life and the dish is... beyond words. a little coffee mug of warm unctous fudge-like liquid in that wonderful tone of pale beige that always sets my heart and tastebuds alight whenever foie gras makes an appearence. a delicately trembling flower of chilled foie gras mousse (?) poised on the surface under a smattering of chives, melting away every second and me acutely feeling the need to finish it as it was meant to be enjoyed. twas wickedly decadent.
i could go on and on but i will not. duck confit was perfection, the skin as brittle as the shell of a creme brulee, bathed in passion fruit oil. time constrains me now but the liquid conch fritters... goodness gracious me. but thats another post. suffice to say, a postprandial mojito capped off an amazing afternoon. i was full of delicious food, the sun was out, old man winter has retreated back to his dwelling, what more could one want?

[silentbob]

Anyone else having trouble accessing the website? I have been getting nothing but a blank screen. Would like to know what they're serving for dessert these days.

[oliveDC]

They (finally!) updated their web site and now it has fancy flash graphics so that might be the problem. I had to up my Internet memory to get it to display.

Here's what's on the web site dessert menu (notice that foam makes it on the menu):

Tres Leches con Tres Pinas
Home-style cake soaked in milk and presented a new way, with pineapple, milk jam and carmelized almonds

Bizcocho Templado de Chocolate con Banana
Warm chocolate cake with Venezuelan chocolate flan, banana foam and fresh banana-lime salad

"Pina Colada"
Coconut, rum and pineapple are the components of this classic tropical cocktail, served as a light refreshing dessert

Sopa de Mango
Soup of mango, frozen with mint, lime and meringue

BABA
The age-old classic French yeast cake, served warm in a modern Latin style with our special blend of jamaican rum, spice, panela and tangy fresh cream

Coco en Dos Formas
Coconut two ways with mango salad and vanilla-lime Gelee

Sorbete del Dia

[EllenH]

I finally tried Cafe Atlantico tonight for dinner! And man, was it good

The space is pretty nifty -- there are three levels of dining, all open to each other vertically. We were seated in the nosebleeds at the top, however next time around I would likely request the middle tier, where you have a view both above & below you. Also our table was right next to the hallway to the restrooms, and the bright flourescent lighting kinda detracted from the atmosphere

Our server was fantastic; Michelle (I have my credit card receipt in front of me) was friendly, knowledgeable, and always appeared at just the right moment.

Finally of course the FOOD -- ahhhhh......

Conch Fritters - so divine. A beautiful rectangular glass plate held a precise row of 4 golden fritters paired with 4 little translucent dumpling purses filled with avocado. Fritter eaten alone - warm, crispy, meaty rich seafood morsels with liquid centers. Dumpling eaten alone - delicate smooth avocado. Fritter + Dumpling = embarassing moans of ecstasy, causing heads at other tables to turn

Special Salad - honeydew, microgreens, citrus, salmon roe. This was husband's choice and I'm not sure what made him order it....not his type of dish AT ALL. He ate most of it except the roe. I tasted it, found the flavor combination to be a little bizarre. Far outclassed by my fritters. This was the only off-note of the meal (and "off" only in that we aren't salmon roe folks).

Seared Salmon on Cauliflower/Quinoa "Cous Cous" - big chunk of beautiful pink fish. Rare on the inside -- flavor was perfect. When I first starting eating this, I thought "well this is a little bland - like spa food" but the more I ate the better it tasted. Cauliflower and quinoa provided a really good nutty-flavored base, plus had caramelized onions hiding in it; salmon was topped with...diced pomegranate? can't remember. Also more wonderful avocado on the side to give every bite an extra richness.

Grilled Portabello w/ cheese & beets - hubby's choice. He is a mushroom freak & cleaned his plate. I had a bite & was pretty impressed; usually I'm not much on fungi that are as large as my face, but this was tasty. Gooey strings of melted cheese made it really decadent; beets were a nice & unexpected addition (especially after all the goat-cheese salads I've seen them on lately!).

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Flan, Banana Foam, Banana-Lime Salad - as good as it sounds. The fraternal twin to Turkish Coffee Chocolate Cake at Zaytinya. Rich chocolate cake cylinder w/ molten center is the same, but accessorized differently. Fabulous!

Drinks - mohito (husband) and a glass of Chilean Shyraz (me). Sorry can't remember the name of the wine but it's the only chilean shyraz by the glass on there. Both just dandy.

$100, including tax & tip, pretty good deal! More than we usually spend at Jose's other two in the neighborhood (Jaleo, Zaytinya) but obviously a restaurant on the next "tier" (or whatever you want to call it) above those. I wouldn't hesitate to steer anybody in Cafe Atlantico's direction.

[banco]

My wife and I and a friend had the pretheater menu at CA last Saturday. It consisted of a foie gras appetizer, a main of split lobster served in a rich ragu of tomatoes and olives, and a selection of carfefully prepared desserts. All the food was excellent, and for $25 this must be one of the best pre-theater menu values in town.

However, we encountered some strange service problems. When I called to confirm my reservation, I was told that someone had called to cancel it. When I said that no one had called and that we were coming as planned, the person on the other end grew defensive, said he wasn't "lying" and that my wife must have called about five minutes ago to cancel. She had done no such thing, and soon I found myself arguing with someone whom I had never met about whether my own wife had made a phone call. I tried to explain that there must have been a misunderstanding or a confusion with another patron (the pertson I spoke with even mentioned another party with a somewhat similar name to mine), but he would have none of it. I accepted his offer to find the originating number of the call for cancellation, after which he put me on hold, came back on the line, and told me the system was "down." It amazed me that a maitre was so obstinate in refusing to concede a simple error, especially when a patron had shown the courtesy to confirm a reservation. The whole altercation left a bad taste in my mouth even before we arrived.

Things improved once we arrived at the restaurant. Our server was efficient, helpful, and friendly (though the question, "Are you still working on that?" always makes me wince). But then things deteriorated again while ordering the wine. After I ordered a bottle of what the wine list described as a Mosel, the "sommelier" came up to our table to recommend another bottle (an Alsace), saying he had the other wine in stock but that the Alsace might be more to my liking. He made this recommednation very delicately, and the Alsace was only five dollars more, so I didn't think this was a case of a wine steward pushing a more expensive wine. I thanked him for his advice but said I would stick with the Mosel. Then a very strange thing happened. When he came back with the bottle I had ordered and showed it to me, it was not a Mosel, but a Rheingau. He made no mention of the switch, and when I pointed it out to him, he said, "Oh, there's a mistake in the wine list; this is the wine you ordered." This, after we had discussed the wine in detail only minutes earlier! How could somebody described as a sommelier not be aware of such an error and not bring it to the patron's attention?

I should add that we were at Cafe Atlantico after the heavy snowfall that same day, so the restaurant must have had a lot of cancellations and might have been out of joint in other ways. Still, one would think they would have been thankful for patrons who confirmed rather than cancelled, and the confusion over the wine was certainly not weather related. We will return to CA again for its excellent food, but it seems to have some service wrinkles to iron out.

[banco]

Follow up: The management at Cafe Atlantico contacted me the day of my post to apologize for the mix ups. I really appreciated the professionalism of this gesture. I also owe CA an apology myself: A reader of this forum pointed out to me that I should not have mentioned names in my review, and frankly I think she's right. My apologies to the staff at CA for doing so.

[monkey2000]

My colleagues at Café asked me to pass this along:
Thank you for taking the time to express your dissatisfaction with your recent evening at Café Atlantico. We apologize that the experience failed to meet your expectations.

There was a snow storm earlier on the evening in question and we had been inundated with cancellations. It was threatening to snow again so we had to make a decision about closing and sending our employees home early. At the same time, we didn’t want to disappoint any customers so we took extra care to confirm every reservation on the books. In this instance, there were two reservations with very similar names and there was some confusion. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

That said, we want you to know that at Café Atlantico we take your comments very seriously. We recognize that it is only by examining and analyzing where we go wrong that we can have any hope of doing it right. The type of feedback you provided helps us become better.

We hope you will choose to be our guest again at Café Atlantico. We promise to do better next time.

Regards,
Jimmy Pumarol
General Manager
Café Atlantico

[sdelgato]

So why Mr. Pumerol, did you argue with him regarding his reservation... If there were so many cancellations, shouldn't you have said 'we will see you at (insert time here)'? Why the confrontation?

Edited by sdelgato, 27 January 2005 - 10:14 AM.

[T.Thrasher]

So why Mr. Pumerol, did you argue with him regarding his reservation...  If there were so many cancellations, shouldn't you have said 'we will see you at (insert time here)'?  Why the confrontation?

This final comment is so unnecessary. Café Atlantico admitted they made a mistake and apologized for it.
Restaurants are businesses that are operated by PEOPLE! Sometimes…. people make mistakes! Imagine that.

[JennyUptown]

So why Mr. Pumerol, did you argue with him regarding his reservation...  If there were so many cancellations, shouldn't you have said 'we will see you at (insert time here)'?  Why the confrontation?

This final comment is so unnecessary. Café Atlantico admitted they made a mistake and apologized for it.
Restaurants are businesses that are operated by PEOPLE! Sometimes…. people make mistakes! Imagine that.

I agree. That was a sufficient explanation and apology from my POV.

I would return rather soon and try again.

[DonRocks]

I agree as well. banco appears to be more than happy with the resolution of all this, and Jimmy was magnanimous and gracious in following up here with his reply. I think Café Atlantico comes out of this looking like a winner, and I'm going to be certain to reward them in the very near future with my business because of the conscientious way they handled this situation.

Cheers,
Rocks.

[note to banco: if you're worried about having used real names, you can always go back and edit them out of your posting so they aren't archived until the end of time - I can help you with this if you'd like - just let me know.]

[sdelgato]

It is just that I received the same confrontational treatment over a reservation I was attempting to make. I love the restaurant and will continue to go but it was a little off putting...

[banco]

Don is right. Anyone can have an off night or mix things up; it's how you deal with it afterwards that matters. And CA's handling of this, as Don said, has made it come out looking like a winner. Jimmy's reaching out (which again I really appreciate) is proof of that. Now let's move on.