Mio Restaurant - review - Washington, D.C.

Mio Restaurant

Midtown Washington, D.C.

1110 Vermont Avenue, N.W.

Washington D.C. 20005

Near the corner of Vermont & L

202-955-0075

contact@miorestaurant.com

http://www.miorestaurant.com/

$10 valet parking, but parking is easy

Nearest subway is McPherson Square (orange and blue lines)

It’s Friday night, and I want to go eat nice. Another criteria is wine. Sure, I can go online and see what the buzz is, but I contacted some friends for first hand experiences. Mio Restaurant was highly recommended from one particular friend amongst other places. I looked at reviews for the different places, and I noticed there weren’t too many for Mio. As I explored further, I discovered the place is new having just opened in April seven months earlier. Not only that, it was directly on the opposite side of the building I used to work at in downtown D.C. Anyway, I decided to go there, so I can be one of “the first kids on the block” and somehow add my review to the search engines out there.

Warning: this is long, but I have to share my whole experience. If you want the final reviews and opinion, scroll down to the menu items, and read from there. So here is my Mio story -

It was Friday afternoon, and I made a reservation for 7:30. I found the place, which is easy simply because next door is a place that has a freaky new sign that has blue LEDs that are probably visible to astronauts in the Shuttle. I noticed the $10 valet parking sign and the anxious guys next to it, but I decided to drive around the block a couple times. Good call, since I found a spot on the street about ½ a block away. Those $10 can go for another drink. That saying, parking is easy to find, even if it is downtown. This is more of the “business district;” midtown, if you will. I arrived with 5 minutes to spare, but the place was about half full, so I walked around snapping pictures. Most people were at the bar wrapping up happy hour, I’m assuming. At least it looked like the typical happy hour crowd. D.C. sure loves their happy hours, so it’s no surprise to be somewhere, even a nightclub, and note the people in business casual to business attire equipped with their attaché cases and so on. You also note the characters: the boss who’s buying, the person’s last day, November birthdays and so on.
I continued exploring the restaurant. I’m making it sound cavernous, but it’s not too big in size. I like the deco, from the outside to the way it flows through to the back, and even to the restrooms. The color scheme is brown and blue, and they go well together. The kitchen is open and exposed for diners to look into. It is done in blue and the requisite stainless steel. Wine cellars throughout add to the decor letting you know they know their wine. The browns flows through and works well with the wood accents, wood “splints” reminiscent of bamboo in front of the restaurant, and what looks to be a boat hanging from the ceiling. (It may sound odd, but trust me, it belongs.)

I read that the Pisco Sour is recommended, so I took my spot at the bar and ordered one as I waited for the rest of my party. My guess, at the time, is that it may be one of Mio’s signature drinks, because the bartender took great care in making mine. He shook it up, and poured it into a martini glass. He places several drops on the foam, and then spread them out to create a flower. Nice touch. I brought it back to my table, and I waited. The waiter approached me with menus, and I told him I was waiting. He offered to bring me anything, but I told him I’ll start with the drink. What I like is how he started talking about it. He was telling me to drink it somewhat fast, because it’s made with egg white and it won’t be the same if it sits. I asked him what the drops were, and he told me they were bitters. Soon, they will add cinnamon to the bitters to give it a more holiday flavor. So I took his advice, downed it quicker than normal, and that one drink did give me somewhat of a good feeling. Another patron saw me drinking it, and she commented how good they are. I never had one, so I didn’t have a benchmark, but how did I like it? I didn’t so much. It’s not that it was made badly; it just isn’t my kind of drink. Apparently, this it originates in Chil and Peru (depending on who you ask).

My party called and stated they’re running late, but that’s okay. The waiter came back and offered me another Pisco Sour. I asked him for his recommendation, and he suggested a Mojito “Mio.” Now, my kind of drink. I’ve had puh-lenty of these and know what to look for. I do remember a few comments online about this drink. He returns, and I noticed something missing. Something key for me. Something that just adds to the drink, and it’s not for the flavor. There was no sugar cane. Already I had a negative notion. It did, however, have a mint leaf coated in sugar peering from the top of the drink. Meh... it's just garnish. I stirred my drink to get all the muddled flavors from the mint to coincide with everything else. I took a taste, and my gosh… what a refreshing and delicious mojito! This seriously was the best mojito I’ve had in D.C. No, it was the best one, dare I say… ever. Yum. I downed that glass pretty quick. The manager, Manny Flores, came by and asked how I was doing. I, very happily, told him I was doing great but just waiting around and studying the menu. Since I was alone, he stayed with me a bit. I told him the mojito rocked. Like the waiter, he started explaining what they use, how it’s different, and offered me another. I really liked how the staff is educated on their own products. He left and returned with another mojito. I asked him about the sugar cane. He stated they wanted to be different, so they use the candied mint leaf. I took it out of the glass and bit into it. Oh yeah, very tasty. In fact, I ate the rest of the leaf.

We were talking about different things, and I asked him about the owner. He pointed behind me and upstairs where the banquet room is, and indicated that was him. Just as I looked up, he looked down at me and smiled. Most of the staff there was Latino, so I asked Manny where the owner was from, and he answered Puerto Rico. Ah ha! This must be why everyone is friendly. And when I say friendly, I almost thought something was amiss. I would normally expect some type of snootiness from a trendy place like this, but everyone, from the hostess to the cooks in the (exposed) kitchen to the manager, were so accommodating. Like they knew I was alone and to keep me company. That was very representative of Puerto Rico. That country was the friendliest place I’ve been to in my life. I was telling that to Manny the manager, and the owner was nearby, so I told him I loved his country. He thanked me over the crowd and later on came over to my table. We started a conversation, and he kept me company for a while. He introduced himself as Manuel Iguina. It was nice of him to stop by and hang out with me and for as long as he did. He gave me his card and asked for my contact information stating they have private parties, including dancing. I told him if it’s anything like the dancing was in Puerto Rico then be sure to invite me. I told him that I read about him working with such chefs as Jose Andres and how I enjoy his restaurant, Jaleo. I think he was surprised to see that I knew of him, so he told me how he likes to get his hands dirty, go into the kitchen, and not simply open a restaurant and not do anything. I really respected that. He also told me his staff are people he has worked with and kept in touch with. This, to me, explains why the service there is impeccable. I really enjoyed Manuel, and I really hope he does well.

So back to my mojito. I noticed that this second one didn’t taste as good as the first. In fact, I was quite disappointed. Could it be because I ate the candied mint leaf? Did it really make that much of a difference? When the waiter st0pped by again, I told him I had a strange request and that was to have another candied mint leaf. Like the manager, he stated that’s where the mojito is different. He returned with two of them on a plate. I stuck one in the drink, stirred it a bit, and sure enough, it made all the difference in the world. Incredible how one leaf could change it all. I ate the other leaf.

A little over an hour later, and the rest of the party arrived. When she was settling in, Manuel, the owner, returned to the table, and I introduced them to each other. They began talking about Puerto Rico, and he was proud to hear more positive reactions to his country. He offered her anything, and she asked for a specific wine, but he offered something else to her, so he left and came back with a glass and a bottle. It was nice watching him open the bottle as if he did this 20 times earlier that day. He pulled the cork out, and poured it into the glass. He told us what it was, and she did like it.

I knew what I wanted, but I allowed time for her to view the menu. For starters, I went with my friend’s suggestion of the short ribs. It was also mentioned online. For her, she went with the waiter’s recommendation of monkfish, which is a new dish for them. I ordered the veal cheeks. While I was waiting, I noticed other tables received bread, so I asked the waiter for some. He brought over a basket of warm bread, which tasted and felt fresh and good. Since I was there for an hour drinking (on mojito #3 by this time), I was quite hungry. I forgot to order a vegetable side, so I asked the waiter for okra. The dishes came out, and we dug in. I did have to remind the waiter about the side, and by the time he brought it out, we were about 2/3 finished with the meal. He did apologize, and it was quite alright.

Next up was dessert. We had Indian chai rice pudding and warm chocolate-banana cake with vanilla ice cream accompanied by a coffee. By the end of the meal, we were quite satisfied. It wasn’t the food that only satisfied us, but the staff, which helps a lot. Prompt friendly service with decent food is what won me over. Would I go again? In a heartbeat. Since my visit, I’ve recommended it to more people. I am waiting to hear how others like it. It’s too bad Mio wasn’t there before I quit my last job. Upon exiting, Manuel bid us farewell and shook my hand. I told him about this flog, and he seemed generally interested. He did say reviews thus far have been fair, which is good, because the only couple negatives were so minor, I debated whether to mention them or not. But hey, it’s a review, right?

Listed were copied & pasted from Mio’s website:

Mojito 'Mio'

White rum with muddled mint, limes & sugar with a candied mint

$8
Delicious. Best mojito I’ve had

Pisco Sour

Pisco, house made lime sour & bitters

$8
Others say it’s good, but it’s not my style of drink.

2005 El Primavera (Rioja, Spain)

$9
This wine was enjoyed and all throughout the meal. The thought of getting a bottle to bring home crossed my mind.

Five chili braised short rib with chimichurri (Good to share)

$11
This was fascinating. I only wish the quantity was larger, because the quality was so good. Knife? What knife? The meat was insanely tender. The bone stayed on the plate, and the meat lifted up off of it with no effort. The flavor was almost good enough to tempt me to order 5 more of these and make it my meal. The description says “Good to share,” but I wanted it all to myself. It wasn’t only due to the flavor and texture, however, the serving was small.

Pan fried okra in cornmeal

$5
I like the taste and texture to the okra. The cornmeal gave it an extra crunch, and the frying added extra flavor. This was a generous proportion and suitable for two people, even a third. It was a bit on the oily side, perhaps because they were rushing to prepare it to get it to my table? Still, it was liked by all.

Seared Monkfish with Serrano ham and lentil stew drizzled with black olive tapanade

$24
This was an interesting combination and never thought of pairing monkfish – or any fish – with lentil. I didn’t read the description, but the manager stated there is finely chopped Serrano ham in the lentil, but I couldn’t see, taste, or feel any of it. I’m glad I got this dish, but I wouldn’t get it again.

Braised veal cheeks with potato purée & seasonal mushroom sauce

$25
This dish was the winner of the night. Again, the theme of meat that would put a knife out work and make it change its career to a plastic spork. That’s really all you needed to cut through this. And the flavor was outstanding. I enjoyed everything about this dish. The potato purée & seasonal mushroom sauce was definitely a good combination to the veal cheeks. It was like a creamy mashed potato that the meat rested on. The dish also came with two pieces of asparagus and one carrot. I was glad there was bread left, since I used it to soak up what was left on the plate. It’s probably something you don’t do at a restaurant like this, but you also don’t get this flavor at places you can do this at. Again, it’s too bad I don’t work near there any more, since this would attract me too much. Then again, maybe it is a good thing.

Indian Chai rice pudding with candied orange zest, blood orange segments & cardamom madeleines

$8
I like the presentation of this dessert. The cookies, excuse me… the madeleines weren’t flavorful, but I’m not sure if they were meant to be, so I dipped them into the rice pudding. The rice pudding, on the other hand, was definitely flavorful. It wasn’t very rich, but just right. I liked this one better than the other dessert. I would get this again.

Warm chocolate-banana cake with vanilla ice cream

$8
Again, the presentation is pretty. A lot of times, desserts are shared, and we almost did. I was glad we ended up ordering separate desserts, since I would have wanted more of this, because 1.) it tasted good, but 2.) it was small. Who doesn’t like the warm/cold combination? Putting the ice cream in a little cookie-cup is a good idea, too, so it doesn’t melt and drip away while sitting on the warm cake. I liked this dessert, but I would try a different one the next time I go.

Coffee

?$
Just added this since it was part of what we ordered. It was, ummm... coffee.

To reiterate, the deco is very tastefully done. The staff is knowledgeable and extremely friendly. The Mojitos “Mio” with the candied mint leaf is the best I’ve ever had. The veal cheeks were fantastic. This is a place you can bring out-of-towners to or even have a happy hour at. The final bill was about $150 for two people, but there were plenty of drinks so it is a fair price and is expected of what one would pay for a place like Mio Restaurant. I will go back to Mio and continue to spread the word.

Be sure to click on the slideshow below one time to see captions.