Last night eight of us headed to TICO (www.ticodc.com) at 14th & T Sts, NW for the first time in its close to three years of being a major attraction in the neighborhood. We chose it largely for its variety, but also because of the large vegetarian optons for Samuel, and this was indeed a vegetarian's dream meal, especially if you like a lot of spice in your food. It was hard to decide as there were so many options, but our congenial server Dom suggested we try the multi-course tasting menu, which while everyone has to take it, he could tweak to allow vegetarian, non-shellfish and more dietary requirements, such as no red peppers!
There were three options:
Kind of Hungry for $35 per person
Kind of Hungry for $35 per person
Forgot to Eat Lunch for $55 each
Full On Tico Experience for $75.
Dom warned that there was lots of food, so we stuck with the $35 option, and he said we could always order more afterwards, which was never in or minds as we got about halfway through the virtually 10 courses.
They all came tapas style with a small plate for every two people (except for the special diets) and we ended up taking home about 8 or more different things in multiples!
An aromatic Finca Sophenia 2013 Viognier Reserve from Mendoza started us off and while we loved the wine, we wanted something else to move on to and ultimately chose a Martino 2011 Pedro Ximenez also from Mendoza which was a super dry wine but with lots of minerality to complement the spices. Our third and final wine was so good, we ordered a second bottle of the Genium Cellars 2007 Garncaha Blend from Priorat in Spain full of jammy flavors and a hint of sour dark cherries. There are many wines from latin countries at very reasonable prices as well and a lot of American and non-Latin options, but we figures, let's stay with the theme, and it worked.
First came a Shredded Cabbage Slaw with Salsa Verde, Asparagus and Toasted Almonds that had a mild kick from the salas that we all adored and could not resist (photos as always on FB).
It was odd to find eight people who all love Brussels Sprouts, but we all oohed and ahhed when they arrived in a divine aj-limo honey with pickled curried onions and toasted peanuts. This is a recipe I must learn to duplicate somehow.
Chicken Empanadas arrived with huacaina, plaintain chips and an aji-gallina sauce to dip that I loved.
Another vegetarian dish that I need to get a recipe for was the Crispy Roasted Cauliflower with Chipotle Mayo(none for the red pepper allergy), Cotija Cheese & Crunchy Favas
On the side was a plate chock full of Shishito Peppers roasted with Crispy Shallots, Lime Zest & Sea Salt. The lime made them very different from just the basic roasting we do at home; next time.
Lamb meatballs arrived with Ricotta Salata in a hoyo tomato sauce with cumin & pine nuts, while our resident vegetarian enjoyed Mozzarella Sticks (one of his fave dishes on earth)
A novel and different dish which was more American than Latin was the Roasted Turnips in Huckleberry Sauce with Roasted Peanuts and Sliced Jalapenos. I liked it because it reminded me of Venison with Huckleberry sauce which would have been the perfect meat to pair it with!
Mac & Cheese is served with Serrano Ham, Manchego and a tasty crunchy bread crumb topping and the vegetarian gets the same without the meat; another super hit here.
We had requested the Nopal Con Queso which is a nopal cactus (which we loved in Mexico) flown in from south of the border, seared and served with Oaxaca cheese in a tortilla. I think the tortilla takes away from the flavor of the cactus and is too much; it was indeed the only dish we all really didn't adore.
Edamame Tacos are also served on the delicious soft tortillas and are seasoned with harissa yogurt with falafel as well. The combination of the falafel with the edamame again was too much inside the tortilla, but the flavors were superb. Even Sam, who does not like yogurt on most things, loved this combination.
This was thankfully our last savory dish as we were all way more than stuffed, but not enough to resist three fabulous desserts that ensued:
Tres Leches with Mango Sorbet, almond crust, strawberry and blueberry
Churros Con Dulce were super churros and a deadly Dulce de Leche Espuma Dipping Sauce with Dark Chocolate Pearls
Chocolate Devil Cake was a spectacular semi-frozen cake with Caramel Crunch & Gelato.
We all loved virtually every bite and it was a wonderful experience for all of us knowing we will return again (if only for the Duck Tacos!).
