Cafe Atlantico

Review by mishy999 on January 1, 2009

I was not extremely impressed with this restaurant.
The food was good, but not great. The drinks (mango) were the best part of the night.
The ambiance was just okay not amazing.

Review by littlesaraho on October 8, 2007

The dim sum tasting menu for brunch is the best value at this restuarant. It appeared that you could go for dinner and spend twice as much for the same amount of food, and the ambience is rather lacking for leisurely evening dinner.

Review by techfoodie on May 18, 2007

Outstanding food--high quality and creative preparation. The early dinner special is an excellent bargain. Portion size is perfect--enough to be filling, but not overly so. (The dishes could do with a few more vegetables, or some vegetable sides, however.) A minor glitch on service: my companion and I were waiting for each other in separate parts of the restaurant for 15 minutes. But that problems was not serious enough to harm the overall meal.

Review by monkeywlu on July 26, 2006

The mojitos, conch fritters, various 'raviolis,' and tres leches cake are some of my favorite things to eat in this city. Service is friendly and unpretentious and decor is hip but not oppressive. I'm not sure what it is but I feel really at home here.

Review by mcclive on July 31, 2005

The food at Café Atlántico seems to be a must-eat, judging from the buzz, and so far it lives up to the hype. Asking nearby diners about their food produced uniform responses of “Wonderful”. Everything seems elegant and enjoyable. José Andrès, Bon Appétit magazine’s “Chef of the Year” last year, seems to have meshed with the current trend of Hispanic food, but he treats it as an underspecified proposal. The dishes at his other restaurants such as Oyamel and Jaleo already deviate from the canon, but Atlantico veers sideways; the dishes aren’t recognizable as Hispanic anymore though they are labeled “Nuevo Latino”. Atlantico has an open space, decorated like your cool friend’s loft in SoHo, but the tables are jammed close together and you will get to know your neighbors. The staff is very friendly and helpful, but still has the attitude of people well aware they are working in a hot, happening joint. The menu is limited; many items appear at all meals. Furthermore, some dishes turn up on both the appetizer and the entrée list. Sauces are also repetitive: a mélange of olives, capers, and onions appears with lobster and with red snapper. The chef has certain flavors and ingredients to be used tirelessly, like coconut, lime, vanilla, pumpkin seeds, and passion fruit. The default garnish is tortilla chips, which seems strange with, say, lobster. The appetizer of choice seems to be the ten-dollar guacamole, made somehow distinguished by it being created tableside. Everyone was ordering it. The entrée of choice seemed to be the coconut rice topped with huge, nicely browned scallops. Tables to either side of us gave it thumbs-up. We were ordering from the early-bird, I mean pre-theatre, menu, which at $25 a person is a nice deal. The sweet potato soup tasted of just that and little else for the first three spoonfuls, but slowly another strong flavor exerted itself. (Cumin? Ancho chili?) The peanuts accent is welcome, and the half-spoonful of cream smacks of a Euro-trained chef back in the kitchen unable to resist a dictum. Another appetizer is more playful: shrimp with pumpkin seeds, pumpkin puree, and “lime air” (foam). Tasty and fun to eat, though the side acts steal the show from the unprominent shrimp. The lobster entrée gives you half the crustacean with that olives and capers mélange. Perfectly cooked, but the components add up to a somewhat overly salty result. A better choice was a salmon piece on top of diced cauliflower, quinoa, and buttery papaya, though again the accompaniments stole the show, perhaps a common occurrence here. At dessert, the sorbet of the day (coconut) was easily upstaged by another choice that includes cake, flan, banana-lime salade, and espuma of banana. The chocolate cake was more like a soufflé, firm outside and runny inside, the flan was more like a mousse, the salad was all taste, no form, and the whole lot was superb. Ending a meal this way is like watching a gymnast stick the landing.

Review by elcuerpo on March 8, 2005

In a town full of imitators, Cafe Atlantico remains the archetype of the Latin fusion set. A trend-setting spot admired almost as much for its modern look -- the cascading, three-tiered dining area allows top floor patrons to soak in the entire restaurant, while the fledgling Minibar provides papparazi-weary partiers with clausterphobia-free privacy -- as its nouveau cuisine, Cafe Atlantico blends seemingly effortless fun with cutting-edge functionality. Diners can venture around the globe in just a few delicious bites, stopping by Carnival in Rio for a Feijia Teijeiro (a piecemeal Brazilian stew combining tender, grilled chicken, savory black beans with pork, white rice, shredded collared greens, sweet, sun-ripened orange wedges, and a light dusting of farofa, served with a striking mango hot sauce), heading north into Aztec country for a hearty Mexican torta (a healthy serving of chopped steak, dressed with black beans, avocado, a fried egg, cheese, and a dollop of Mexican crema, all accompanied by razor-thin, fried jicama chips), jetting over to Japan for a new-wave Caesar salad (crisp romaine slices bordered by sushi-style romaine heart pinwheels drizzled with a delectable anchovy dressing and grated reggianito), and then breezing back to the Carribean for a refreshing Sopa de Mango (chilled mango dessert infused with mint, lime and meringue). Lunch-goers are also encouraged to leave the familiarity of the fountain drink behind and instead sample any of the seductive in-house cocktails (a citrusy Dominican iced tea unites lemonade, grapefruit juice, and other fruits into a potent punch, while a mint lime-ade tickles the gumline like a real mint julep, sans the bourbon). A weekend visit doubles the adventure quotient, since patrons can then avail themselves of the unique dishes on the Latino Dim Sum menu, an assortment of breath-taking finger-foods ranging from the unforgettable Salmon-pina Ravioli to the challenging Scallops in Orange Oil.

Review by eguertin on September 24, 2004

I read a raving review of the guacamole made at table-side, and I have to agree that it's great.

The 3-level design, and the open kitchen make for a terrific restaurant setting. And the service was perfect.

The food was very good. Especially the pheasant. I had the mushrooms, and they were also delicious, but the pheasant w/ bacon was something to rave about.

Review by buddysorrel on August 6, 2004

I deducted big time points for surly waiters. The help seemed to experience a transference from a high-strung dining room manager. It is the only time in my life I can remember being put off by waiters and their manager and it was for no apparent reason. I got the impression these guys might project the same jerky personalities away from the job. Very bad business practice. This place deserves to be called on the carpet for customer mistreatment. Get your act together boys 'cause at this rate you'll soon be outta business.

Review by noahmeyerson on July 9, 2004

Everything was great, but the tomato-watermelon soup is a revelation, and beautifully presented, down to what appear to be seeds in the watermelon, but turn out to be drops of balsamic vinegar. The $22 3-course early-bird (technically "pre-theater") is among the great fine dining bargains in DC.

Review by dfeld on June 25, 2004

The restaurant's feel and look was great. We sat upstairs where the atmoshpere was more cozy and relaxed rather then downstairs by the bar. The gaucomole was great, as they made it right at our table. The food overall was great, portions were on the small size but had great appearance.
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for something good and different.

Review by katycrum on May 29, 2004

Review by KathyM on May 10, 2004

I love the decor and ambiance at Cafe Atlantico, but each time I remember that the entrees leave a little to be desired. I often walk away unsatisfied. Stick with the appetizers, especially the guacamole prepared table side, and you won't be disappointed.

Review by timothyanne on May 5, 2004

Review by gkraczko on April 25, 2004

My family's craze for Nuevo Latino all started back home in the Greater Hartford Area in Connecticut. Due to a very high latino population in our area, a variety of South American, Puerto Rican and Spanish ethnic "dive" restaurants became a hit with the more mainstream, middle-upper class crowds. Seeing a niche for up-scale Nuevo Latino in the vicinity, a few independent restaurant owners kicked off their restaurants to rave reviews and mobs beating down their doors to get a tast of what was hot in town.

Now, I have spent quite a bit of time in metro areas where their Nuevo Latino is done right. Those aforementioned resturants in the Hartford were good...but not great. Not like the Miami or Key West scene. Cafe Atlantico, simply put, is great. From the fresh tomato guacamole prepared by your server AT the table, to the wide variety of apps, or tapas to share with family and friends, it is hard to go wrong here. The highlight of my night, besides the table next to me filled with four drop-dead gorgeous women, was the avocado-blue fin tuna tartar covered in a tangy-spicy crust. Although the dim light obscured the view of the plates, each was original and masterfully prepared by a huge kitchen staff that really knew what they were doing. I spoke with a few of the prep cooks (the second floor kitchen is open) and despite the language barrier, I got the sense that they were passionate about their jobs and the tasty products they delivered.
We were too stuffed to have dessert, but settled for a cup of funky tea that came from a wonderful selection. This restuarant brings legitimate Nuevo Latino to the District and is certainly a must (if you have the dough).

Review by lisarite on February 18, 2004

The service was excellent. Ambiance superb. Guacamole (medium) fantastic! The restaurant was full of energy and the décor attractive. My friends and I had a three-course meal complete with wine and dessert. The main course was bought out rather quickly. I ordered salmon and could tell it had been sitting for a bit. The presentation was great and overall it was good. The Tres Leches con Tres Piñas dessert was spectacular. The moist cake soaked in milk simply melted in you mouth. Overall the restaurant was great and the food good.