101 replies to this topic

[ulterior epicure]

Excuse my ignorance.

1. If there is a minibar thread, I couldn't find it, so please feel free to move this inquiry over to that thread.

2. How does ordering at minibar work? I went to their website and looked up the menu. It's broken into three sections: "Flavors & Textures," "Snacks," and "Sweet Ends." There are no prices, and I would assume you just order a la carte, not unlike at a tapas bar. What confused me is the message on the main minibar homepage which says that as of May 15, the menu will be $120 (w/o tax/tip or drink). Can someone explain?

[Fat Guy]

The Minibar topic is here. It's a single tasting menu of about 30 courses. There are only six seats, two sittings per evening.

[ulterior epicure]

The Minibar topic is here. It's a single tasting menu of about 30 courses. There are only six seats, two sittings per evening.

Ahhh, thanks, FG.

[Busboy]

Excuse my ignorance.

1. If there is a minibar thread, I couldn't find it, so please feel free to move this inquiry over to that thread.

2. How does ordering at minibar work?  I went to their website and looked up the menu.  It's broken into three sections: "Flavors & Textures," "Snacks," and "Sweet Ends."  There are no prices, and I would assume you just order a la carte, not unlike at a tapas bar.  What confused me is the message on the main minibar homepage which says that as of May 15, the menu will be $120 (w/o tax/tip or drink).  Can someone explain?

The mini-bar is a prix fixe (do we still use that phrase?) degustation. In for a dime in for $120, as the saying goes. Six folks sit down at the bar and two hours and 30-odd courses later you walk away, menu in hand, pondering.

The price, unfortunately just went up this month. Regarding drink, btw, matching courses is more or less impossible, friends of mine and I decided (FWIW) that a bottle of fizz -- preferably the sparkling wine from New Mexico -- works best.

[hll]

We had brunch here this morning - Latino Dim Sum. Loved almost all dishes. Duck confit with an passion fruit flavor was meltingly delicious. Fried egg in veracruz sauce just spicy enough, with a rich olive, caper, tomato flavor. Conch fritter were quite tasty, the liquid filling a perfect compliment. Also enjoyed the wild mushroom quesadillas.

Love to go to the minibar next time.

[John Talbott]

We had brunch here this morning - Latino Dim Sum.  Loved almost all dishes.  Duck confit with an passion fruit flavor was meltingly delicious.  Fried egg in veracruz sauce just spicy enough, with a rich olive, caper, tomato flavor.  Conch fritter were quite tasty, the liquid filling a perfect compliment.  Also enjoyed the wild mushroom quesadillas.

Well, I’m here to say that we were blown away by the “dim sum” luncheon on weekends at the CA. Wow! Colette and I came one Saturday and expected what we’d had before on weekdays, e.g., good fresh product, well done and pleasantly-served - but this meal far exceeded our prior experiences and expectations (it reminded us of Ze Kitchen Galerie in my home town, which is not Lake Woebegone. Wow again!) We were so impressed that we came back and over the two days had: the mango and jicima/sardines raviolis, scallops with orange, cigalas (with a charming burnt taste), shrimp with corn, huitlacoche and mushroom quesadillas, confit de canard, carne asado, chocolate and banana and baba au rhum desserts. Wow! Or did I say that before? The tariffs = $95.70 and 95.25. Wow!

[Zeemanb]

I had a wonderful dinner at Café Atlantico last night, and I’m doing this with very little reading of past posts, so if I repeat too many things people have already said, sorry.....

First of all, when I do the food-tourist thing I generally try to make a good connection with my server right off the bat....we need to be good “partners” to make a meal all that it can be. My server last night was extremely friendly while still being honest about what her favorite dishes were and why....when they have a genuine emotional connection to the menu, THAT is the key to good service for me (forget to fill my water glass, step on my foot, knock my wine glass into my lap...all of that leaves me unphased). When dishes come to me with the highest, giddy recommendation, and I taste them and agree...it’s kind of like when your friend tells you about a great movie you’ve never seen, so you go and watch it and then debrief each other on what you thought were the finer points. That was my experience last night, so long story short...great service.

One thing worth noting for anyone who may be in the same post-bariatric surgery boat as me is that the chef was really happy to help me out. Until now there wasn’t a chef’s menu that could defeat me...26 courses at Manresa was mere child’s play, but last night I had to tell my server I’d probably just have to try a few small appetizers and why that was the case. Without me asking her to, she went and talked to the chef to see if a compromise could be reached that got me a tasting menu I could handle. Basically, instead of doing the two “main” courses towards the end, they gave me a much smaller version of one of the mains and added an appetizer that wasn’t normally on the tasting menu (which happened to be the BEST dish of the night...or actually, the last two or so years).

And here’s the food (no pictures, sorry, between having a crappy camera and the fact that worrying about photography takes too much away from my experience...I just don’t do it).

Magic Mojito- Kind of a Mojito-tini…..the glass comes to the table with a huge wad of cotton candy, and the server pours the drink over it. Not normally my type of thing, but for some reason I needed a Carrie Bradshaw moment.

The wine I chose to enjoy during dinner was a wonderful “just dry enough” Rose……Pinot Noir, Adelsheim, Willamette Valley, 2006

Minibar Treat- crispy beets- This little bite looked like a ball of saffron threads, and tasted like a sweet potato chip

Warm Oyster w/Pineapple and Miso- Hey, try to guess who I am…..”Oh MAN! I could eat about six or fifteen of these!”. I can’t remember the type of oyster, but it was very small, kind of like an Olympia. A truly excellent bite of food, lightly cooked/warmed in the halfshell, sitting on a bed of wild puffed rice. The texture of the oyster, along with the warmth and sharp citrus notes (along with a tiny bit of…..cilantro?) made it a potentially addictive dish.

Foie Gras Soup w/Floating Islands of Corn- Imagine what “cream of foie” soup would taste like and you are halfway there. Three very rich pillows of “corn flavored” whipped cream floated on the top, and the bits of “corn nuts” added the textural component that it needed. Granted, there would have been NOTHING wrong with the cream of foie and corny whipped cream on their own, but the corn nuts rounded it out.

Grilled Octopus w/Warm Strawberries and Arugula- I enjoyed all of the dishes, but this was the first of two “I need to make a dramatic statement” plates of the evening. The dish is basically a whole (small, but not “baby”) grilled octopus…..and btw, it was by far THE most tender octopus I have ever eaten. It sat on top of a brush-stripe of squid ink and balsamic sauce. It was flanked by one large, roasted strawberry and one large, dehydrated strawberry. There was also some lime foam and arugula. It was just incredible...so my mandatory dramatic statement to the staff was something like “If I were a regular here, this would be the dish you would know to automatically bring me...and it would be the dish I would make any of my squeamish friends try because it would absolutely win them over”. And it’s true, the dish was complex (the smokiness and strawberry flavor worked more harmoniously with the Rose than anything else I ate), but it would also be a fantastic “octopus for beginners” plate. I think they said they’ve only added this to the menu in the last couple of weeks, so check it out!


Unagi, Pineapple Wrap, Avocado Sauce- From what they told me this is new as well, so if I’m the first person to give the scoop on this dish on eG, then I feel pretty special. This was the second of two “mandatory dramatic statement” dishes of the evening, and probably one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. It consisted of three wide filets of eel, “wrapped” in pineapple (either it was some micro-thin pineapple, or the glaze consisted of pineapple, I was too into the dish to get all technical). It was topped with very crispy, toasted quinoa and was surrounded by an avocado/wasabi sauce, some frisee and a few sea beans. Umami...and again I say Umami. Eel with pineapple...I can see how people would think this could be even more candy-like than your standard glazed variety at any strip-mall sushi restaurant. There was a sweetness to be sure, but the texture of the fresh unagi against the crispy quinoa...set against the slight bitterness of the greens, and the spicy yet unctuous avocado-wasabi sauce...it reminded me of a comment I had about some of the dishes at WD-50. Basically, it is an entirely new preparation of items you are already familiar with, and the combination triggers something that reminds you of your favorite comfort foods. Biscuits and Gravy would be one of my most beloved comfort food dishes...and while the unagi is about as far removed from that dish as anything you could come up with, it triggered the EXACT same kind of sense-memory and became an instantaneous “comfort food”. But enough of that…my proclamation for the plate was something like “this is the kind of dish that could bring your biggest food nerd-tourists and your Outback Steakhouse loving housewives together in perfect harmony”.

Scallop, Cocoa Butter, American Caviar, Cauliflower Puree (I think..my notes are illegible)- A masterfully prepared single scallop with “white chocolate” and a quenelle of roe. It was wonderful, it just should have come before the unagi. I mean, if someone gives you the best piece of foie gras you’ve ever eaten, and then they feed you the best loaf of bread on earth...I don’t care if the loaf was one that Jesus fed to the multitudes...it’s not going to compete with the foie.

White Chocolate Mousse, Warm Over Cold- a good dessert, contrasting textures and temperatures, the biggest thing I remember about it was that it reminded me of something the young prodigy JWest at Bluestem in KC made last year……a spin on baked Alaska that isn’t going to be surpassed any time soon.


So surgery aside, they made me a lot of small courses I could manage. Unfortunately, I did have to leave a few bites of the octopus and half a piece of unagi, but I know my limitations. They slowed the pacing down a little bit for me, and in general made it a wonderful experience.

Lastly, I wouldn’t chalk these things up to annoyances or failures, just funny observations that are probably more about me than them.......First, I ALWAYS fall for the water thing in restaurants.....as soon as they ask, “sparkling, still, mineral, or....” I never wait until they say TAP, I just hear “STILL” and go with it. Then I laugh when I see the extra six bucks on my bill. Also, what is the significance or tradition behind the tableside guacamole preparation (I'm familiar with magic of the molcajete in Latin restaurants, but why here)? Are they being quirky, is it a long-standing tradition I don’t know about, is it just THAT damn good....I just don’t like tableside preparations and it didn’t seem to go with the overall vibe of the place.

Anyway, a great way to blow my per diems for the trip.

[docsconz]

I had originally hoped to snag a reservation at Minibar for my family to celebrate the anniversary of my wife and I, however, the restaurant was already booked for the evening. Although I wanted our sons to have the Minibar experience, my disappointment wasn't too great, however, as I wanted to try the food from the Cafe Atlantico side as well.

The combination of the restaurants is really intriguing. Minibar, the restaurant within a restaurant, is one of the most creative, fun and exclusive restaurants in the country and beyond. I had a truly amazing meal there last time I was in DC. Cafe Atlantico, the host restaurant, serves creatively inspired Nuevo Latino cuisine. Both restaurants fall under the aegis of Jose Andres' Thinkfoodgroup with Katsuya Fukushima as the chef.

We were seated for our 8PM reservation adjacent to Minibar. Chef Katsuya had a special menu in mind for us, but we were asked if we or our sons, 16 and 8 years old, would prefer to order off the menu. My preference clearly was to eat what Chef Katsuya had in mind, but we wavered for a moment when considering our sons. Fortunately, I recalled our original objective and told them that we were all excited to see what Chef Katsuya had planned for us!


The meal ultimately consisted of a mix of the cooking from both restaurants, which pleased me greatly as we enjoyed some of the best of both worlds. We started with cocktails. The boys had non-alcoholic Dominicana Lemonades, concoctions composed of a mixture of various tropical juices, satisfying them. My wife and I started with some latino classics. She had a ...

Mojito, while I had a classic Peruvian...

Pisco Sour. Both were outstanding renditions of classics.

The meal started with a few elements from Minibar including the now classic and signature...

Olive Oil Bon Bon. It was fun to watch the smiles on my sons' faces as they ate these delightful morsels. This was why I wanted to bring them to Minibar!

With an obvious nod to Thomas Keller and his signature cornet, the next dish...

Bagel and Lox Cone also had salmon roe as an essential element. After the visual reference and the roe, the similarities ended as this was also a play on the classic NYC bagel with lox and cream cheese. Though neither of the boys eat their bagels with lox or smoked salmon, they liked this, the older more than the younger. He wasn't enamored of the roe, though I was happy that he tried it. The flavors matched those of a good rendition of the dish's inspiration, with an obvious and expected textural difference.

In his excellent report prior to this, Zeemanb enjoyed his ...

Tableside Guacamole, but wondered about its place at this restaurant. In the context of a Minibar meal it does seem odd, but in the Nuevo Latino context of cafe Atlantico it fits right in. It also happens to be some of the finest guacamole that I or my family have ever eaten. If there was a downside to it, it was that we ate too much of it, affecting some of us later on.

Not knowing what was coming, we asked Brian to select the wines for us. His first selection was a half bottle of...

Qupe 2007 Marsanne, which proved to be a fine choice.

Beauty was the hallmark of the next dish...

Beetroot Tumbleweed. The presentation was beautiful, but so was the flavor and the texture as these delectable morsels were popped into our eager mouths. This was one of my wife's particular favorites. Though the texture, technique and presentation was completely different, this reminded me of of the beetroot/yogurt/meringue profiteroles I particularly enjoyed last year at elBulli.

Another nod to elBulli followed, a dish that has become a part of the Minibar lexicon as it has that of elBulli, the famous...

Liquid Olives. It turned out that our 8yo really loved this, his first experience with spherification. It was ultimately his favorite dish of the night.

Though not the most impressive dish of the evening visually...

Warm Potato Mousse with American caviar and vanilla Oil, was a real knock-out. I can't recall having vanilla with potatoes before, but after having it here, it was a totally natural combination. This dish was perfectly balanced and absolutely outstanding!

The restaurant describes itself as Nuevo Latino, but in reality it incorporates elements from throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. One example was its ...

Liquid Conch Fritters. Outwardly, they appeared to be classic conch fritters, however, appearances can be deceiving. Tough they had the flavor of conch fritters and the external fried crunch, the interior was actually a warm liquid conch chowder. Though not my favorite flavor of the night, this dish was fun.

Perhaps the biggest conceptual stretch of the evening was the

Oyster "Pizza". This dish retained the texture of a fresh, just-cooked oyster while incorporating the flavors of pizza! While I found this dish to be brilliant and my family all liked it, I doubt that those who find fault with Wylie Dufresne's Pizza Pebbles would enjoy this dish either. It is not a dish for anyone who is an absolute purist when it comes to either oysters or pizza.

My older son really, really liked the ...

Boneless Chicken Wing Indian Flavor though the youngest found his too intensely seasoned for his palate.

Unfortunately, by this time, the majority of the table were really starting to get full, to which I informed the kitchen. Rather than turn what was an extremely positive experience into an ordeal, we thought it best to start limiting the output from the kitchen. I'm sure as a result that we missed some amazing things, but as it was we were not quite done yet.

The next course was for adults only. Another spherification, the...

Mojito Fizz was a great palate cleanser.

I'm glad that despite our collective appetite limitations, the kitchen did not hold back on

Foie Gras Cappucino with Corn Foam and Corn Nuts. This was liquid decadence with the corn nuts providing a nice textural counterpoint. By this time our youngest was really quite full and no longer particularly interested in savories. I ate his.

By the time the ...

Coconut Tuna Ceviche Wrapped in Avocado, Corn Nuts, Soy caramel, Lime Bubbles was served I was the only one who still had an appetite. This was unfortunate for the rest of the table, as this was simply outstanding. Along with the Potato Mousse, this was my favorite dish of the evening.

We still had another course to, the main course. They brought the same course for each of our sons and a different one for my wife and for myself. We had our second half-bottle of wine, this one a red, ...

Havens 2003 Borriquot a Cabernet Franc predominant blend from the Napa Valley.

My wife was served the...

Scallops with coconut rice, crispy rice, ginger, squid, squid ink oil , while the boys had...

Carne Asada with Malanga Puree and Chips. My wife and sons were able to eat their proteins but not much else through no fault of the dishes. I had...

Caramelized Duck Confit with Brussel Sprouts, Greek Yogurt and PX Reduction. By this time, even I was getting quite full. The confit was nicely done, though bits of the exterior that were caramelized were a bit to sweet for my taste. This was better when paired with the relatively bitter Brussel Sprouts and the dish improved for me once I realized this and ate accordingly.

Dessert was, for me, much better than what I had the previous night at Central. It was sweet, but not as aggressively so as the kit kat bar at Central. The...

Warm White Chocolate Mousse with Coffee Gelee and Muscavado Sugar Streusel held my interest with unique flavor and textural elements. This was a winner for all.

The meal culminated with a bit of fun.

Nitro Kettle Corn-Dragon's Breath were served to each of us directly out of a container of liquid nitrogen. While tasty and enjoyable to eat, the real fun came from watching one's dining partners snort out dragon's breath!


While we were served a few items from the Minibar cornucopia, the majority of our dishes came from the Cafe Atlantico kitchen. The creativity was the same for both. Anyone missing out on reservations for Minibar should be quite happy to have the opportunity to dine at Cafe Atlantico. It is simply too good and too much fun to be considered a consolation prize. The evening was everything I hoped it would be and more.

[ulterior epicure]

Nice report. Your son is absolutely adorable! Where did he come from?

What are your wife's scallops sitting in (the white creamy substance)?

Love the olive oil bon bon, it was one of the most memorable tastes for me last year.

I haven't had the Havens Borriquot, though their Merlot is one of the only palatable Merlots I've had recently. How did it pair with (which one(s) of) the dishes?

[Zeemanb]

Hi Doc, I was at minibar Friday night (just got home, report to follow soon....minus anything even remotely approaching your photography) and have to chime in on the bonelesss chicken wing that you were served.... it was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. I can see where it would be a bit much, but my friends and I had just done a KC bbq contest the weekend prior and it was just so....appropriate for my tastebuds at the time. Very intense.

And something about the usage of corn nuts and Fritos during the progression just hit the spot......

[docsconz]

Nice report.  Your son is absolutely adorable!  Where did he come from? 

What are your wife's scallops sitting in (the white creamy substance)? 

Love the olive oil bon bon, it was one of the most memorable tastes for me last year.

I haven't had the Havens Borriquot, though their Merlot is one of the only palatable Merlots I've had recently.  How did it pair with (which one(s) of) the dishes?

The scallops were sitting in a risotto-like coconut rice.

The Havens paired just fine with my duck confit. My wife seemed to enjoy it with her scallops too.

[docsconz]

Hi Doc, I was at minibar Friday night (just got home, report to follow soon....minus anything even remotely approaching your photography) and have to chime in on the bonelesss chicken wing that you were served....  it was one of my favorite dishes of the evening.  I can see where it would be a bit much, but my friends and I had just done a KC bbq contest the weekend prior and it was just so....appropriate for my tastebuds at the time.  Very intense. 

And something about the usage of corn nuts and Fritos during the progression just hit the spot......

Hi Zeeman. Sorry that we missed each other! I agree that I have never experienced finer use for corn nuts and Fritos! Looking forward to your report.