Join us for a fabulous Vegetable Experience at one of the newest restaurants to be added to Michelin's DC Guide!
From The Washington Post:
Whether you spring for five courses ($75) or seven courses ($95) or upgrade to a tasting menu that stretches to more than a dozen courses ($150), you start with an eye-opener: a smoke-filled clay vessel whose surface holds what looks like a caramel wrapped in cellophane. The single bite is presented as if it were a bauble on a pedestal; diners are coached to “eat the whole thing.” Wrapper, too? “Wrapper, too,” says a server, who reassures us. “It’s made with rice paper.” We pop the snack in our mouths, which flood with the taste of mango, tamarind and dried chiles — “an element of surprise to start our journey,” Guerra tells me in a later phone conversation.
The initial shock and awe is just the start of an evening you won’t soon forget.
I should state upfront, tasting menus that go on and on like the Lord of the Rings trilogy aren’t my thing. If you feel as I do, five courses is sufficient. And if you just want a sample, the bar menu lets you graze a la carte.
Whatever your journey, you want to fit in arepas. A staple in Venezuela, the snacks are among Mita’s opening acts on the longer menus and are available separately for $21 for 10 tastes. The chefs trot out more than the traditional corn cakes: wheat, plantain, yuca and smoked potato versions are along for the ride from kitchen to table, trailed by three dips for mixing and matching. Herbed avocado and orange-colored peach palm are lovely, but first among equals is the tangy whip of hearts of palm, cashews and chile oil. Guerra says people ask to buy the last spread by the jar, and I can taste why. (Do like the chef and plunge the arepas in all three dips.)
Mita is in part a lesson in ingredients you might not have sampled. Arracacha is a starchy root vegetable with a flavor that hovers between carrot and celery. It’s also a childhood memory for Mora, whose grandmother welcomed her into her home with a soup made from arracacha and topped with sweet plantain. Mita serves an elevated version of the soup using arracacha and parsnip to create a froth over sauteed fava beans and fried sweet plantains. A thin black stripe of onion ash on the surface and dashi poured tableside add depth.
Mita is also an example of unexpected marriages. Watermelon and carrots? They make music when the fruit is cooked in soy sauce and passion fruit, the vegetable is fermented with miso, and they’re arranged as a crudo in a pool of cucumber juice with bright dots of cilantro oil. The sail atop the goodness is clever: wild rice “chicharrón.” Another dish on the five-course menu brings together pearl barley cooked in sofrito and sweetened with charred banana puree, a thick base for fleshy maitake mushrooms, verdant pea tendrils and crisp thin shallots. Mora says dishes are created with the five senses in mind. The chefs also seem partial to sweet notes in their concerts.
Check out the menus here:
https://www.mitadc.com/menu
Full Washington Post Review here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/05/10/mita-restaurant-review-dc/
We ask that ALL folks honor their RSVP. If you are unable to attend after sending in a YES, please update your status so that others may join us. In the event our group incurs a fee for no-shows / late cancellations, your ability to RSVP for future events will be restricted. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
To enhance the opportunity for great conversation, we would like to keep the group small. Please feel free to sign-up to meet us along with up to 1 friend.
In the future, we will vary the days of the week and the types of restaurants so that we can attract many different types of diners.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED TO GO WHEN YOU RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. Feel free to make suggestions for future meet locations. All diners will have their own tab to avoid any confusion.
If you are unable to join us in August we hope you'll stay interested and join us for a meal in the future. Looking forward to catching up with you for dinner at Mita!
