I often don't get to new places in DC for ages and then regret my decisions, but at last year's March of Dimes Signature Chefs Chef Paco Moncayo of the Michelin starred CRANES in downtown DC wowed me with his dish at the event and I had to buy his tasting dinner that night. We decided to head over this past Wednesday for Will's birthday and had an immensely spectacular meal which they also did a vegetarian tasting for Sam and even he was mightily impressed.
The setting is very nice with comfy tables and very earthy color tones, although I must note that some of the chairs are way more comfortable than others and mine was not so great. Realized this much later and simply should have changed chairs! The sound levels are okay, but the music was a tad too loud for me at times; I am old and prefer a wonderfully quiet setting when enjoying food.
Ondaree Cava was poured by our charming server Carolyn on arrival, was there at every turn to make sure we were happy and inform us of what was on our plates. We sat right opposite the open kitchen and had a great view of all the plates as they came out!
Chef Paco, who came over to chat with us midway through the meal and is indeed an impressive restauranteur and chef, was at the helm, but also moving around the room to check on everything. He hails from Barcelona but comes by way of Singapore and other places giving his cuisine a unique Spanish/Asian spin that was delightful, different and super tasty.
Three amuses arrived on the first plate (all photos on my FB page) starting with a nori tostada chip with edamame cream, then a superb crabcake with a to die for sauce that was reminiscent of XO with a kick and an artichoke stuffed with chicken (Sam got eggplant). Each course was paired with wine or sake, and our glasses were always full and Sam chose to drink beer.
Crescent Moon sake came next with a Bluefin Tuna Tartare, avocado creme, dried olives, squid ink tuile which was rich as well as spicy while Sam's was a tomato-based tartare. Another sake arrived Nanbu Bijin which was Junmai and creamier (I love that) and came with a Sofrito Rice cake that was simply perfection and had an amazing crunch with mushroom, romesco, lobster sauce, shrimp and edamame that may very well have been my favorite dish of the night, although it is hard to choose.
Vina Otanto Viura was a very fruit forward white served with Grilled Halibut a la Plancha (many of the dishes use this grill), red wine glaze, miso broth and an amazing tempura maitake mushroom with onion puree that was also out of this world. Another superb white I loved was the unoaked Castilla y Leon old vines which was 100% Prieto Picudo(another new varietal to me!) made by Valdevimdre. Carolyn described this as "grippy" and indeed it did beg for the food pairing. It was served with the ideal dish: Wagyu Grilled Flank Steak a la Plancha with veal jus, Camisu Sauce, Spring Onion, Garlic Tapioca Chip and a Sanchu Pepper "compote" that was very green pepper in its flavor, so not my favorite (I prefer yellow, orange or red!). The steak was as tender as it gets and cooked to perfection. Sam was wowed by has Grilled Napa Cabbage in a Cava Beurre Blanc Sauce.
Grape Sorbet with shiso, Coconut foam and ginger jelly was a palate cleanser and then we fell in love with our first ever Spanish ice wine called Dulce Enero made by Rosalina Molina which even Sam had a healthy serving of as he does adore good dessert wine. It was paired with Mushroom Chocolate Cremieux, which is a novelty in itself that had a slight funkiness but was really delish. Chanterelle Ice Cream (yes!), Miso Caramel, Toasted Marshmallows and Crushed Hazelnuts made this dish really different, special and so tasty.
Mignardises arrived in the form of Gojuchang, Kiwi filled Mochi (which even I liked and I do not care for mochi) and Jellys made with Pepper. sugar and Cocoa. And of course, there was a slice of Black Sesame Basque Cheesecake with a candle for Will's birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY and it was indeed VERY HAPPY! Bravo to the entire amazing team.
I cannot wait to see what Chef Pepe makes at March of Dimes later this month!
