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Cilantro

JennyUptown

By JennyUptown
in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

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JennyUptown

JennyUptown

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Posted (edited)

A friend of mine is having her upcoming birthday gathering at Cilantro in Georgetown. I was going to post a message asking "anyone been?" when I decided to visit the web site first.

:blink:

Although the home page advertises "Tapas Bar" the menu goes on to attempt to be all things to all people. If you're not in a "Mezza" mood, try a "Focaccia Panini" or "Pasta and Risotto."

Kibbeh Asado anyone? Followed by...Coco Shrimp. It would be funny. If I didn't have to go there. I predict a spectacular disaster. Has anyone been brave enough to eat at Cilantro? If so, what'd you eat?

Edited by JennyUptown (log)
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EllenH

EllenH

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I work in Georgetown so ventured to Cilantro for lunch, once, about 8 months ago. I have absolutely no recollection of what I ate, so at least it wasn't horrible! But I do remember that 1) the dining room was EMPTY except for my group, 2) I was unpleasantly surprised by the size of the check based on the food I'd put in my mouth, and 3) that if you ask for bottled water the waiter will bring you that amazingly expensive Norwegian stuff (Voss?). Talk about sticker shock!

However the atmosphere was pleasant so that's something, right?

I did think to myself as I was leaving the place, "well, never eating here again".

Um, have fun? :hmmm:

"What, after all, is more seductive than the prospect of sinning in libraries?"

Michael Dirda, An Open Book

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JennyUptown

JennyUptown

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:laugh:

My estimation is that my friends are there more to drink than eat. Fortunately we have some area (or room) booked and there are about 25-30 of us going so if nothing else, it won't be empty.

But I think I'll grab a snack at home before heading to the party.

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yellojkt

yellojkt

Posted
Posted
A friend of mine is having her upcoming birthday gathering at Cilantro in Georgetown.  I was going to post a message asking "anyone been?" when I decided to visit the web site first.

:blink:

Although the home page advertises "Tapas Bar" the menu goes on to attempt to be all things to all people.  If you're not in a "Mezza" mood, try a "Focaccia Panini" or "Pasta and Risotto."

Kibbeh Asado anyone?  Followed by...Coco Shrimp.  It would be funny.  If I didn't have to go there.  I predict a spectacular disaster.  Has anyone been brave enough to eat at Cilantro?  If so, what'd you eat?

Since no one else on this thread seems to have eaten there (or remembered eating there), I will give my impressions. This is my first post on eGullet, so please be gentle. My wife and I were at the movies on Saturday night and I promised dinner afterwards. During the preshow, the slide for Cilantro Bisrtro kept in rotation. It said Cilantro - Tapas, Sangria, Mojitos. That hit us three for three.

Now usually, restaurants that advertise in movie theaters are a warning sign, but with no other firm plans we gave it a try. We had to wait at the bar for half an hour and started a pitcher of sangria which was not as good as the sangria at Jaleo, but what is.

The menu is kind of a hodge podge in that is not mediterranean or middle-eastern, but has bits of both as well as just random things. My wife had the Cilantro soup and the Pollo Med. She is a big soup fan and loved the real chunks of tomato and vouched for the presence of cilantro. I had the crab cigars and the beef kabobs. The cigars were very rich and full of crab with out a lot of other filler. The kabobs were tender and came with a mild juice dipping sauce.

Why do things at tapas places come in threes? The beef kabobs were three skewers of two pieces. Are just not supposed to ever be able to split things evenly? Just a little side gripe.

The place is the typical rowhouse set up with a bar up front and dining in the back. The dining area had a much calmer vibe than the bar. The centerpiece of the dining room is a large chandelier which looks antique but is actually a huge modern artish thing that looks like it was made of giant pipe cleaners.

The crowd was mostly couples with some large groups. One was some sort of family get together and another was a group of women about to go clubbing. The service was a little confused as food kept coming out to the wrong tables, but the place is so small, it all found its right home eventually.

As we were leaving, the bar had filled up and had gottem smokier. As a non-smoker, I was glad we did not have one of the 4 or 5 tables in the front window area.

Overall, not a great place, but a nice alternative to the much larger and even noiser places across the street.

Live by the foma.

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FunJohnny

FunJohnny

Posted
Posted
A friend of mine is having her upcoming birthday gathering at Cilantro in Georgetown.  I was going to post a message asking "anyone been?" when I decided to visit the web site first.

:blink:

Although the home page advertises "Tapas Bar" the menu goes on to attempt to be all things to all people.  If you're not in a "Mezza" mood, try a "Focaccia Panini" or "Pasta and Risotto."

Kibbeh Asado anyone?  Followed by...Coco Shrimp.  It would be funny.  If I didn't have to go there.  I predict a spectacular disaster.  Has anyone been brave enough to eat at Cilantro?  If so, what'd you eat?

Why do things at tapas places come in threes? The beef kabobs were three skewers of two pieces. Are just not supposed to ever be able to split things evenly? Just a little side gripe.

Maybe something to do with the mystical power of three :raz:

Oh, J[esus]. You may be omnipotent, but you are SO naive!

- From the South Park Mexican Starring Frog from South Sri Lanka episode

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Malawry

Malawry

Posted
Posted

Thanks for your snapshot, Yellojkt, and welcome to the forum. :biggrin:

Why do things at tapas places come in threes?  The beef kabobs were three skewers of two pieces.  Are just not supposed to ever be able to split things evenly?  Just a little side gripe.

When I was a student in culinary school, we were taught that odd numbers of items always look better than even numbers on a plate. It wasn't a hard-and-fast rule (we weren't downgraded if we broke it or anything), but it might help explain the proliferation of three-piece tapas. Try it sometime and you'll see that it's easier to arrange 3 items artfully than it is 2 or 4.

Rochelle Reid Myers aka "Malawry"

Diary of a Cooking School Student

Foodblog: 34 Hungry College Girls

Foodblog: Expecting a Future Culinary Student

Lots of Everything

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Miami Danny

Miami Danny

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Posted (edited)
Just the name would put many people I know off. FYI, French people HATE cilantro. Coriander seed is a whole different thing.

Let me get this straight-a restaurant nobody's been to is getting slammed because 1) It's in G'Town, and 2) Some French people don't like Cilantro. When Landrumm (or any eG fave) goes on about emptying his IRA to keep his place afloat, everyone (almost everyone) rushes to his defense-but some poor slob in G'Town who doesn't have friends on this board gets slammed? It's really sickening. Maybe Mr. Cilantro emptied HIS IRA, too. Maybe it's as good as Firefly? That's not exactly an original name either-but, oh right, the chef's on this board. Nothing personal, but please take your head(s) out of your ass(es) you snobs.

Edited by Miami Danny (log)
DailyCocaine-I ingest, so others don't have to...
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EllenH

EllenH

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Let me get this straight-a restaurant nobody's been to

Nothing personal, but please take your head(s) out of your ass(es) you snobs.

Wow!

I have been there, see earlier post. And no, nowhere as good as Firefly.

Sheesh.

"What, after all, is more seductive than the prospect of sinning in libraries?"

Michael Dirda, An Open Book

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morela

morela

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Posted (edited)

I'm embarrassed to say that I once had a salad there...

Something with walnuts, maybe some turning strawberries and field greens (cannot remember). I was watching soccer on TV, though.

I would say that Marriott or Sibley Hospital could pull the off the same sort of masterpiece.

Plus, the place brags about it's sangria and tricked me into ordering one. The sangria there sucks!

Edited by morela (log)

...

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yellojkt

yellojkt

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Posted
Plus, the place brags about it's sangria and tricked me into ordering one.  The sangria there sucks!

The sangria definitely wasn't good. And we went there because we like sangria. Bait and switch. As I said above, I thought the food was fine.

Live by the foma.

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oliveDC

oliveDC

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Posted

I ate there shortly after it first opened...and like previous posts, I can't seem to remember what I ate. Maybe a sausage tapas, some grilled shrimp. It was fine, but I never thought about it again, and would definitely never seek it out. Just overall unmemorable.

Not to sound "snobbish" but the upstairs lounge was decked out in Ikea furnishings. How did I know? I'd been to Ikea about a month before.

So Jenny, did you end up going? Any reports?

Amanda

Metrocurean, a D.C. restaurant and food blog

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JennyUptown

JennyUptown

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Went, but didn't eat. We had the upstairs space which seemed weirdly furnished to me - why were there rocking chairs everywhere??

I felt like I was in someone's parents' rec room because almost all of the lights were out, except the ones over the bar and stairs.

I really have nothing to say about the place. Didn't like it much.

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