Unforgettable Dining

Unforgettable Dining

There are good meals, and there are great meals. But dinner at minibar by José andrés falls in the category of meals you'll remember for a lifetime.

"These days, the most daring and innovative restaurant in Washington, D.C., only has six seats.

The brainchild of Spanish-born chef José Andrés, minibar is tucked in a corner on the second floor of local favorite Café Atlántico. A host escorts diners to their seats. There's no menu, only a wine list. Three talented chefs work together in an efficient ballet to prepare and present a series of 36 small courses, some no more than a single bite.

Be Surprised

José divides the repast into three parts-Snacks, Flavors & Textures, and Sweet End. The foods may arrive on a stick or in a cappuccino cup. Our meal opens with the house mojito. Instead of a cocktail, each guest receives a small pewter spoon cradling what appears to be a plump green grape. But when I slide it onto my tongue, the tiny orb explodes with the flavors of a mojit lime, rum, and sugarcane.

Little Bites, Big Flavor

Snacks come one right after the other. There's a petite tumbleweed made of beets, a bag of pork rinds with a maple syrup glaze, and an edible envelope that tastes of buttered popcorn.

We move to Flavors & Textures, and the pace settles into an easy rhythm. We linger over conch fritters, foie gras soup, and a tiny Philly cheese steak sandwich.

Desserts arrive, and we savor baby peaches with yogurt, apples in red wine, and saffron gumdrops. The meal takes almost three hours. That's nothing compared to the wait for reservations.

Minibar pushes the envelope when it comes to fine dining. "We have the smallest space but the highest level of cooking," José declares. "It's not happening in New York It's happening here in D.C." -CASSANDRA M. VANHOOSER

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Feb 2007
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