July 28th, 2008: Mother and Daughter Do Dinner Downtown
The experienced diner knows that going to a restaurant is a gamble; will the chef live up to the expectation? Will each dish be as good as the last? Will you want that next bite? An enthusiastic eater on the other hand, sips her Spanish wine and munches on her freshly baked flat bread with seasoned pumpkin seed spread ready to enjoy the meal. I am both, food lover and opinionated eater. But I always give credit where credit is due, and last week chef owner Jeff Tunks blew my socks off at his Latin American Restaurant Ceiba. From start to finish the meal was lovely. Accompanied by my stylish and adventuresome mother, we tasted the heat and passion of Latin America through five self-designed courses.

We opened our meal with a sampling of ceviches each its own unique dish. I favored the Clasico, fresh lime juice, red onion, cilantro and picante pepper—crisp, fresh and pure. The lightness of this course lifted my palate, preparing it for what came next, arguably one of the best dishes I have eaten in the last year.

Tunks’ chili relleno, is a masterpiece. The chef stuffs a large poblano pepper with three kinds of cheese and confit rabbit meat, then sets the lightly fried package atop “blistered tomatillo salsa and grilled corn-black bean relish.” Not one flavor is out of place; the dish sings in perfect harmony. The Conchinita Pibil Yucatan Style ran a close second to the relleno. It boasted incredibly succulent pork, sweet pan-fried plantain and a thick corn pupusa to soak up the juice. A red onion slaw played a cooling staccato to the dish’s warm Latin rhythm.

After salivating over the final drop of my relleno, and before I’d tasted the soft pork, the grilled octopus course was a disappointment. Smothered by a black olive aioli, the normally flavorful sea creature lost its essence and became mealy. The dessert too, didn’t live up to its potential— the smoked apricots should have permeated the eggy flan, but they were sadly cast to the side letting the rather run of the mill custard try to lead the dish. These two dishes however, could hardly detract from the evening.

Ceiba will go down in my books, and the chili relleno may even garner a place on my personal “best dishes ever” list. I’d love to make a return trip: the decor is inviting, the service is top notch and the food bursts with flavor. See if you can spot me some night, I’ll be sitting by the window munching on their homemade caramel corn as I wait for my check.

Click here to see the menu

Ceiba
701 14th Street, N.W.,
Washington DC 20005
(202) 393-3983

June 28, 2008: Future Leaders of the World Unite to Dine

After a hot day wandering the city through the mall, markets and museums, the cold citrus-y caipirinha tasted divine. Around 8:00, I met my roommate and three of her friends at The Grill from Ipanema, a Brazilian restaurant in Adams Morgan. The caipianha is to Brazil as the mojito is to Mexico. Muddled with lime, sugar and ice, the drink gets its kick from cachaça, a distilled liquor made from local sugar cane. Making the cachaça is not unlike making wine; the best types are aged for many years in oak barrels. In the States, cheap versions are everywhere, so look for quality brands like Leblon, named for a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro or Agua Luca.

From the beginning, it was a great place to start a night. The waiter and I conversed in a mix of Spanish, Portuguese and English as I ordered jacaré au pantal or alligator with mustard, and Frango ao alho or chicken with garlic rice, collard greens and feijão. The dishes arrived after warm bread rolls and political conversation had cultivated new friendships around the table. The alligator, lightly breaded did indeed taste like chicken, but over salted. I discovered that the Feijão was a combination of red beans, yucca flower, the egg, sausage, onion and parsley not unlike a southern gumbo.

The A Bacate Marajó was easily the best; the meat of half an avocado was scooped out and mixed with big shrimp, green chilies and tomatoes then replaced into the empty shell. The ingredients played off each other beautiful, the smooth weight of the avocado tempered by the shrimp and tomato and zinged up with the chili created a round mouth feel but it was light enough that I wanted that second, third and fourth bite. Yum!

The Grill from Impanema is the ideal place to start an evening. The atmosphere is warm, the people friendly and the drinks potent. The night isn’t about the food, which takes a back seat to the environment. Although the flavors on the menu are exotic to the American tongue, the kitchen is missing that extra something that would kick this restaurant to new gastronomic heights. While I think I’ll be trying new options next time I’m in the neighborhood, I will hold fond memories the alligator and of my waiter!
Comer feliz e goza a noite!

The Grill From Ipanema
1858 Columbia Road, N.W
Washington, DC 20009
202-986-0757