Cafe Atlantico

[Jason Perlow]

This last Saturday my wife Rachel and I ate at Cafe Atlantico,  405 8th St NW, 202-393-0812.

Rachel's comments about the food are here , Its heavily Dominican and Cuban influenced Nuevo Latino with some

Mexican spice thrown in.

Of special note about this place is that the owner is a serious rum fanatic -- the

bar stocks at least a dozen super premium rums, and serves several

specialty rum mixed drinks such as a perfectly executed Mojito using

Cruzan Junkanu citrus rum. Fantastic.

Here's a list of what I remember them having at the bar:

Cruzan Junkanu

Cruzan Estate

Cruzan Estate Single Barrel

Westerhall

Bally 1979

Bally 1983

Flor de Cana 5

Flor de Cana 7

Flor de Cana Black Label

Bacardi 8

Pyrat XO

Pyrat Cask 23

Note that this list is by no means inclusive, there were several others

but the lighting at the bar was dark and I wasnt really able to get

the bartender's attention to show me a complete list.

The restaurant also has a very large cigar selection featuring all sizes of León Jimenes and La Aurora brands from the Dominican Republic and a cigar smoking area

upstairs.

[edemuth]

Hi Jason,

I'm resurrecting this topic because I'm having a birthday dinner at Cafe Atlantico next week.

I enjoy rum, but the only brands I've had so far are Bacardi, Captain Morgan's and Appleton. I'd like to broaden my horizons--are there any "must-try" rums on their list? I've only had rum in mixed drinks so far, never straight up. I'm willing to try it though if the rum calls for it. You mentioned mojitos, but were there any other drinks you enjoyed there?

Advice please! (Other rum fans, please join in as well!) If I knew more about the differences between brands on your list, I'd be in a better position to sample. Thanks.

[Kristian]

With my limited experience with rums, I'd say that every rum that Jason listed above is worthy of a taste. The difficulty here is that you have not enjoyed rum neat before and so you do not know what to expect and you'll probably be ill-equipped to appreciate the most expensive brands, unless you have experience with other quality spirits (e.g. cognac).

However, I'd recommend you start out with one of the rums on Jason's list, rather than with Captain Morgan or other basic brands. They could turn you away from rum for good, if you happen to encounter a bad example.

You could also compare some French tradition rums (Rhum agricole) with English tradition rums (Rhum industriel) to get some sort of basic feel of rums and their variety. And remember that there is more variety between rums than there is between cognacs and whiskies - if you don't like the first brand you taste, do try another!

[Jason Perlow]

edmuth:

See Rachel's post on the DC/Delmarva forum re Cafe Atlantico on the food. Its awesome. You'll have a great time. I -highly- recommend their beef kebab appetizer if you like spicy food.

http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...=cafe+atlantico

All the rums he had were worth trying, I suspect it as it was several months ago he may have slightly different ones. The Bally, the Flor de Cana 7, the Pyrat, the Cruzan Estate Single Barrel are all EXCELLENT rums.

[edemuth]

Thanks Kristian and Jason!

I will definitely try some rum straight up next week and report back. I have dabbled in cognac before and enjoyed drinking it; however, it tends to render me a little numb afterward. (Kristian, yet another argument for your "before-dinner" program!)

I never liked rum-and-Cokes because I felt that the Coke just created a muddled drink. Fruity rum drinks can be good but I have to be in a certain mood; like Malawry, overly sweet drinks (pina coladas, daiquiris, etc.) are mostly relics of my college years, although they do get trotted out occasionally for warm-weather parties. I'm looking forward to using my relatively new Waring blender at our first barbecue of the season this weekend; I recently retired my Oster college blender for refusing to, well, BLEND. Anything. I am amazed at how efficient the Waring is!

My favorite rum drink is now the mojito, because it's fizzy and refreshing and has more of a tang. Lime makes everything better! Let's see, the drinking program could be: Mojito. Rum neat. Repeat. I like it!

[Kristian]

I have dabbled in cognac before and enjoyed drinking it; however, it tends to render me a little numb afterward.  (Kristian, yet another argument for your "before-dinner" program!)  

Oh, that kind of numb? I agree, then!

At first I thought you meant that your tasting buds get numb, in which case drinking rum etc. is definitely an after-dinner event, but now we weren't talking about rums, were we..?

But seriously, please tell us both about your dinner experience and about the rums you taste!

[vengroff]

We booked a table at Cafe Atlantico earlier in the week, not realizing the Steve Klc connection. My visiting mother actually chose it out of Zagats.

We're new to the DC dining scene, as my wife just began working down here. I'm still NYC-based at this point. On hearing about our move south, a number of friends took us aside and warned us away from the culinary wasteland they presumed DC to be. If Cafe Atlantico is any indication, their warnings need not be so dire. At a price point of $50 per person inclusive of a nice bottle of Malbec, few places in New York could compete on ingredients, preparation, and atmosphere.

The first thing one notices on entering the cafe is the open verticality of the space. The first and third floors house dining rooms. The semi-open kitchen is sandwiched in between on the second floor. Although in my mind, food makes or breaks a restaraunt, a well-designed room that makes a good first impression only enhances the experience.

To start our meal, we ordered the quail with mango and anchovy ravioli, foie gras soup, and a shrimp, tamarind and pineapple dish. The quail was tender and succulent and the filling of the accompanying ravioli was far more subtle than we expected. The foie gras soup was brought to the table in a small pitcher, then poured over a piping of a rich creamy corn mixture and ribbons of chanterelles. The soup itself was creamy, livery, and wholly satisfying. It probably could have done without the mushrooms, which were darker and chewier than what I expect from a chanterelle. I assume they were probably dried. I didn't sample the shrimp, but it was reported to be quite good.

For mains, we had duck confit with greens, salmon with quinoa cous cous, and braised lamb shank with pumpkin. The duck meat was moist an tender, everything a confit should be. The skin was crisped with what seemed to be carmelized sugar crystals. I found this a bit sweet for my tastes, but it was a hit with others. The greens were nicely done, tender but not mushy. The only thing that seemed out of place on the plate was a very large pile of plantain chips. They inapropriately dominated the presentation and were far more than I was interested in eating. I would have been happy with a quarter to a third of the amount served.

The salmon was a nice medium rare with an interesting salsa and fluffy cous cous. I don't know enough about Latin cuisine to know if a cous-cous-style presentation of grain is authentic, or whether it was created in-house. In either case, it was an enjoyable complement to the fish.

Finally, there was the lamb shank, braised in Malbec and served with mushrooms and pumpkin. Braised lamb shanks appear on all sorts of menus these days. They're there beside the one steak, ususally a sirloin or filet, that many restaurants feel obligated to offer. It's safe to say that at Cafe Atlantico, the lamb shank was more than menu filler. The sauce of reduced braising liquid was as rich and flavorful as any I've had, and the presentation, topped with paper-thin slices of pumpkin, was a nice playful touch. It made the dish a little after-Christmas present waiting to be opened.

We didn't sample the desserts, as we had a home-made chocolate cake waiting for us at home, but we look forward to trying them on our inevitable next visit. Score one for DC, we'll be recommending Cafe Atlantico to the naysayers back in New York.

Edited December 30, 2002 by vengroff (log)

[Steve Klc]

Vengroff--it is unsolicited anonymous reports like that that chefs love to hear--it means the average guy off the street--and his mother--get treated just fine. There is some value in Zagats after all.

My first desserts there debut for the special New Year's Eve dinners--a coconut cream with lime gelee and mango salad in lime-vanilla jus and my "Choco-Coco-Banana"--a warm chocolate cake with liquid center of coconut, chocolate flan, caramelized banana, caramel gelee and sprinkled with a salty plaintain powder. (Those very same plaintains served with the duck. Maybe I'll start using so many of them they won't serve so many to you Vengroff!) The second seating is already sold out--the first seating has about 20 seats left. (It's a 122 seat restaurant.)

I think the "cous cous" you had with the salmon was crispy quinoa--browned and slightly nutty, right? That stuff is so addictive--and yes, they make that garnish and the crispy dried arborio rice and the plaintain powder all in-house, all labor intensive but worth it. I'm trying to build a deconstructed dessert version of the Peruvian "dulce de quinoa" with molasses, cinnamon and raisins as we speak.

But Cafe has been on the map of food-savvy New Yorkers for at least 5 years--Jose was doing some amazing stuff there which culminated in Food Arts doing an extensive piece on him--a real star turn--in 1999. He left to open a Jaleo in Bethesda but he's back now over-seeing things plus Kats is now in charge of the kitchen (latest Verbena in NYC and El Bulli.) He can really cook and those two have worked well together for years. Plus the sous chefs at Cafe are strong--Samantha Withall and Saul Herrera--Saul just recently came over to Cafe after opening Zaytinya with me. At Zaytinya he supervised the cold station--and was instrumental in my desserts being successfully and consistently plated. He was the first person I trained on the PacoJet--initially the only one I trusted.

[vengroff]

Thanks, Steve. It was indeed made from quinoa. I don't have a copy of the menu, but I'm pretty sure it specifically referred to it as "cous cous."

[VivreManger]

I ate at Cafe Atlantico about four years ago and definitely second the recommendations. Can't remember the details of the menu, but my duck was excellent, the signature cocktails, great fun and the ambience very alluring.

[Fat Guy]

A couple of interesting observations from various food media sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...9-2003Feb4.html

"In fact, this whole brunch is beyond the usual. It's Cafe Atlantico's "Latino dim sum brunch," offered Saturday and Sunday (another nice touch) from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Executive chef Jose Andres and chef Katsuya Fukushima combined the idea of dim sum -- the little plates of Chinese snack food we all love -- with festive, spicy Latino and Caribbean cuisine to create a different take on the usual brunch menu."

and

"Whatever you do, save room for pastry chef Steve Klc's wondrous Coconut Two Ways, a layered parfait of coconut mousse, chopped mango and ethereal coconut foam on top."

http://www.cultureflux.com/dec_12/dimsum.html

"you won't find a predictable empanada or tortilla among the almost 30 dim sum choices. A quick scan reveals unusual items, such as mango anchovy ravioli salad, pineapple shavings with plantain powder, and seared cigalas with vanilla oil. And the traditional beans-and-rice-based dishes many Americans tend to associate with Latino cuisine are almost entirely absent, replaced instead with native grains, such as quinoa and root vegetables like boniato (a tropical variety of sweet potato) and malanga (similar to taro root)."

[Jason Perlow]

Here are Rachel's comments about the place during our last trip to DC:

Saturday night we actually went to a place recommended on eGullet. We originally had 9PM reservations at Galileo, but stopped by before hand to check the menu. Since we were a little underdressed and there were very few options to Jason's taste, we cancelled our table and headed to Jaleo. There was a line out the door, so drove around the block to Cafe Atlantico, 405 8th St NW, 202-393-0812. Their having valet parking and being able to snag the last available two-top without a reservation was definitely a plus. (They charged $8 for valet parking, which may seem like a lot unless you frequently pay more than $20 to park in NYC.)

The atmosphere was very lively, with standing room only around the bar. Jason was very impressed with their rum selection. The food was delicious, especially the appetizers (once again). The entrees were good too, I really liked my baby chicken stuffed with mushrooms. Jason got the porkchop and thought the portion seemed very skimpy (one single pork chop?). Two or three is the standard entree portion at every place we've ever ordered pork chops. I thought it should at least have been a double rib chop. It was well prepared although Jason felt it was a little bland after his appetizers of beef kababs with a jerk-like seasoning.

The best thing I tasted that evening was my Sopa Plantanos (Plantain Soup). It was really excellent, thick and creamy and did not taste as much like bananas as I expected. The garnishes of queso fresco, pipians and pulled pork added an interesting texture. We also enjoyed all the side dishes. Between what came with our dishes and the extra we ordered we sampled sauteed spinach with raisins and pipians (lovely), quinoa with okra (rich when soaked with my chicken juices) and polenta with fresh corn and poblanos (best soft polenta ever). The better of the two desserts was my Espuma de Cajeta (caramel mousse) with butter cookies, macademia nuts and diced strawberries. Jason was expecting something more like those warm chocolate undercooked souffle things in his Banana Chocolate bread pudding, but it was yummy anyway.

[Al_Dente]

The guac rocks. I usually have a Barbancourt rum gimlet (at least thats what one bartender called it when recommending).

I seem to vaguely recall an excellent quail appetizer.

Cafe Atlantico-- one of my faves in DC!

[Fat Guy]

At long last, today I had the "Latino dim sum" brunch at Cafe Atlantico.

I'll be back to report in more detail, but here's the executive summary from the competitive New Yorker's perspective:

On the one hand, I'm scared. I'm not sure we have a chef working in New York City right now who can match this Jose Andres guy for creative brilliance.

On the other hand, I take solace in the fact that the people of Washington, DC, are on the whole quite clueless about what they've got right under their noses. Let's put it this way: if a Manhattan restaurant offered the brunch I had today, charged $50 per person for it, and seated customers on a first-come-first-served basis, there would be a line out the door, around the block, and through the Holland Tunnel out to about, oh, maybe Rahway, NJ. In our nation's capital, however, they sell the meal for $35 a head and they can't even fill the place.

[Jason Perlow]

I definitely need to get back there, perhaps a stop off in the spring if we head down to NC, armed with Ellen's latest book.

[ajay]

So to clarify, do they take reservations for brunch? I plan to be in DC early this April, and this sounds really promising. However, I have a meeting saturday morning that is slated to last until 1. THe earliest I could be there is 1:30 but don't like the idea of waiting for a long time as I have to return to NYC for other work stuff. Also, given the lateness of the time, do members think I might be in danger of the 'good' stuff having run out?

This might deserve its own thread but I was wondering if members lean overwhelmingly one way or another between Zaytinya or Cafe Atlantico as I will not likely have time for both in my schedule.

[Fat Guy]

This might deserve its own thread but I was wondering if members lean overwhelmingly one way or another between Zaytinya or Cafe Atlantico as I will not likely have time for both in my schedule.

The restaurants don't compete on the same playing field. Cafe Atlantico is in the fine dining category (although to any New Yorker the prices will seem low) and can go up against any restaurant in that category. Zaytinya is a terrific upper-middle-market restaurant that puts most of its brethren to shame. In addition, you're comparing a well-drilled veteran kitchen (Cafe) to one that's something like 5 months old (Zayt.). So, if you're looking for the no-holds-barred better meal, it's going to be at Cafe -- and that's not a value judgment, just a simple statement of reality.

Technical details of reservations and such:

http://www.cafeatlanticodc.com/about.htm

[ajay]

Thanks for the insight, fat guy. At those prices, it seems criminal to not take advantage. The website is unclear on reservation policy; I will post after I call and obtain a clear answer.

[jparrott]

In our nation's capital, however, they sell the meal for $35 a head and they can't even fill the place.

It used to be $20 for an unlimited assortment of things that now appear to be the "a la carte" choices on the new dimsum menu. Are the items in the "tasting" taken from that menu as well? If not, they've just jacked the price up almost 100% without much of a change. Still nice tho :-).

[Fat Guy]

JP: The value is amazing. I think what they used to offer was a smaller selection of more casual brunchy items for $20 and at some point they decided to go hog-wild with the ingredients and selection so they upgraded and expanded the whole program. What you get now for $35 is truly a grand tasting, including all sorts of premium stuff. There's also a $24 vegetarian version of the tasting, and some of the best dishes are the ones that happen to be vegetarian. You can also go a la carte and put together a brunch from various items costing $3-$10. For example, you could do this as a tasting:

Potato & vanilla mousse with salmon roe

$2.50

Jicama-avocado raviolis

$3.95

Tuna ceviche with coconut

$4.50

Quail in Latin spices

$5.95

And that would total $16.90 (I think). It wouldn't be a huge meal, but it wouldn't be a parsimonious one either and you'd get to taste four extremely excellent dishes that outclass virtually anything else you'd get for brunch at any other restaurant I know of.

[Steve Klc]

Ajay--1:30 should still give you the entire selection--but really, Jose and Katsuya and crew are so good at adding and subtracting to create different permutations it would probably be transparent to you. Alot of regulars and chefs come in so they often create things on the spot--for the Fat Guy brunch we received maybe 8 off-menu or ad-hoc dishes. I believe the only thing on the website is that "reservations are recommended" but I admit I haven't read it closely. One phone call should clear it up.

The questions about where to go if you can only go to one place I think comes down to the difference between a 120 seat restaurant and a 230 seat restaurant--there are differences in scale across the board. Plus Jose has been refining his vision at Cafe for going on 5 years now and has a chef at the helm there in Katsuya who has spent 6 months at El Bulli and also previously ran the kitchens day to day at Pipa and Verbena in NYC. I think it also depends on what time/day you'd like to dine. I'd personally take the dim sum brunch--and discuss the very creative wine list with the GM Manuel Iquina--if you could go at that time of day versus a two plus hour wait on a Friday night at the Zaytinya bar before you can even sit down.

Also, I think it depends heavily on what else is going on in "Penn Quarter," which I never heard of until I read the Marian Burros article--so the schedules and events of the MCI Center, the various theaters, etc. definitely come into play. It was also very funny to see an actual big blue "Penn Quarter" sign right across the street from Cafe on 8th Street--a street I've parked on 30 times and a sign I've never seen before.

[jparrott]

Steve: Are the components from the tasting (for mortals, not you two Steves) taken from the regular latin dim sum menu? Is the tasting AYCE (as before) or limited? I suppose these and more will be answered in FG's exhaustive review that's soon-to-come?

I'd say about three-fifths to two-thirds of the a-la-carte dimsum menu are carryovers, or quite similar to the kinds of offerings of the "old" brunch. And the resto certainly hasn't done much of a job publicizing a ramp-up in ingredients/conception on the brunch.

[Fat Guy]

we received maybe 8 off-menu or ad-hoc dishes.

Yes, just to be clear, we sampled 17 on-menu dishes that were prepared exactly to specification, and of the non-standard dishes we received I saw other tables getting most of them. The kitchen seems more than on-the-ball enough to do improvisational cooking for everyone if that demand is present.

[jparrott]

of the non-standard dishes we received I saw other tables getting most of them

Now it sounds intriguing...do tell

[Steve Klc]

Jake--did you ever write up a report of one of your "old" brunch experiences on the site? Link to it or tell us about it. Otherwise, that's the problem with creative dishes and simple-sounding names--you can't really compare the composition or the presentation or the portion size by reading the menu. For some that's the fun of it. I think to get the most out of Cafe dim sum you have to be willing to give up some control to the chef on a given day. Conveniently, Tom Sietsema and Jose actually discussed your issue in his recent Post online chat:

"We begin today’s chat with a note from the chef at Café Atlantico, who wanted to respond to last week’s discussion about the price hike for brunch there:

“Hi Tom and fellow chatters! I'm Jose Andres from Cafe Atlantico. After the comments last week posted on your chat about Cafe Atlantico jumping the dim sum prices, I want it to clarify what is really happening. I started dim sum over four years ago. Price was $19.95 and we offered small plates, up to 26, of very small creative dishes, until you couldn't eat more. Well, many people didn't want to eat so much, or spend that amount for brunch. Then we decided to charge every dim sum plate individually. Now our customers can get a pumpkin soup for $2.50 or duck confit with passion fruit oil for $6.95; many items are priced under $4, meaning you can have a feast for under $20 per person, of a very creative cuisine.

On the other hand I had people that are asking "where is the dinner foie gras, Jose?” Some customers will ask at brunch when they don’t see it on the menu. Well, we are offering the $24.95 and $34.95 for those people that want to enjoy a long brunch, of very exciting food. What we did was to give a broader spectrum of possibilities for people to enjoy Cafe Atlantico. Now people can come in, have a decent brunch under $10, or celebrate a special moment with our deluxe or vegetarian tasting and enjoy our best dishes. Thanks.”