Cafe Atlantico, at last we meet

So I’ve been really busy with my day job at F. Mac N’Cheez that I’ve been slacking on the posting here.  Up to date, I’ve visited quite a few spots (for dining and social outings) that I would love to share with you all.  It’s coming soon I promise!  Some establishments are fairly new while others I just haven’t visited yet.  One such company is Jose Andres’s Cafe Atlantico.  Per usual, Veronica makes the reservation.  Mathematically, it makes sense to her to make the shots and I would run with it.  She’s raved so much about Minibar, but has not done Restaurant Week dining here.  Thankfully, Cafe Atlantico extended their prix-fixe menu by a week.

Due to our reservation being held on a Wednesday night, they were able to cut us some slack for being a tad bit late.  Upon entering, I wasn’t totally enchanted by the appearance.  But rest assured, your author did his research and was ready for the culinary adventure to be had.  After sitting down, I took a gaze at the surreal sized open kitchen, wine cellar and various levels.  We were comfortably seated at the gazer’s delight mezzanine level.  Shortly after sitting down, our waitress, Aileen arrived.  She gave us a quick run down of all the specials for the evening and left us with time to explore the menu, think of questions to ask, and order beverages.  Our original intention was to order from the Restaurant Week menu.   Veronica and I both took notice of the a la carte menu and both thought the same thing.  “Let’s order a la carte instead!”

Had I gone with the RW menu, I would’ve chosen Cafe Atlantico’s Braised Short Ribs as an entree, Carrot Soup and Sorbet of the Day .  Instead, I went with the Grilled Octopus as an appetizer.  Being that it was my first time ordering grilled octopus outside of an Asian restaurant, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  The sobrasada I felt acted like the seasoning agent to compliment the charred taste of the octopus.  Overall, I did enjoy it.  However, Veronica’s Scallop with crispy rice, coconut rice, squid and squid ink oil lapped the Grilled Octopus and some.  The variety of textures and flavors seemed to fit my palate more.

As far as entrees go, I’m known to order fish or something light and Veronica orders the hearty fare.  This time, we both got meat.  I opted for the Feijao Tropiero, which is essentially Brasilian style pork chop with a hot poblano concoction, slices of oranges, black beans, rice, farofa and collard greens chiffonade.  I ordered it knowing the accompanying sides were black beans, rice and collard greens.  After having some collard green rolls at Red Bamboo in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, I’ve been craving for anything with that vegetable.  Similar to the Grilled Octopus, the  pork chop was dressed with a bit of foam on top, which is a signature of Cafe Atlantico’s.  The meat was very tender and the spicy poblano complemented it very well.  Even the foreign taste of farofa, which I couldn’t understand initially gave a contrasting texture and a feeling of harmony with the remaining ingredients.

Veronica LOVES lamb.  Hence why she ordered Lamb Two Ways.  The dish consisted of grilled chops, confit, fingerly potatoes, watercress and artichoke.  I forgot what I had sampled, but the texture was crisp.  Had I known artichoke was one of the ingredients, I would’ve told Veronica to turn around and hi-jacked her plate of all the greens.  And she probably wouldn’t have cared.  That is unless I gave myself a five finger discount to a whole rack

The conclusion to our dinner was of course dessert.  The coffee/tea and dessert menu came in an adorable red mini 4″ by 4″  leather album.  The tea selection was divine.  I really wanted to go for anyone of the artisan teas.  However, with a soon to be full belly and my second nature of ordering iced tea, prevented any further beverages.  With that in mind, I wanted something light.  So the Coconut Two Ways, was the first and only pick for me.  Veronica on the other hand, was battling between which types of coffee and dessert she wanted.  Ultimately, she went with the Chocolate Cake with Banana and a decaf coffee with creme.  Both desserts were wonderful.  But on any given day, when I see the words panna cotta and mango, theres no need to look further.  This was a flawless dessert in form and function.  By form, the panna cotta was a thin sheet as opposed to the usual mold of an inverted cup, ramekin or at times a martini glass.  The chunks of sorbet like textured mangos were absolutely refreshing and the coconut chips on top of coconut sorbet serves as a reminder for me to come back.

To sum things up, our dining experience was top flight.  Theres no need to yelp Cafe Atlantico y’all.  I believe everyone should put this restaurant on their to-do list.  Next stop, Minibar.

One last note, our waitress, Aileen is AWESOME!  Just like my knee jerk reaction with ordering iced tea everywhere, Veronica loves beverages sans ice.  During a refill of Coke, Aileen had started to scoop up some ice and then remembered Veronica doesn’t do ice.  Sometimes it’s the small things that leave a restaurant experience quite memorable and she tickled Veronica pink with her accent and impeccable memory.

405 8th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-0812

Tags: Cafe Atlantico, Jaleo, JOSE ANDRES THINKFOOD GROUP, Minibar, Oyamel, restaurant week, Yelp, Zaytinya