1.03.2006

Restaurant Review: Mini Bar at Cafe Atlantico


Wow. Wow. Wow! That is all I can say about Mini Bar in Cafe Atlantico (and you may note that the web developer of all of Jose Andres websites designed my new work site as well! Fine Dining Solutions). If you are a true 'foodie' and you love experimenting with food and trying new and different things and you HAVEN'T been to Mini-Bar - you are missing out.

Mini Bar is small set of 6 stools, behind a small bar of 2 line cooks. These guys do this 'show' every Friday and Saturday night at 6pm and 9pm, sadly the show is the same at both times and the restaurant only changes out 1 or 2 courses every 3 months or so, therefore it makes it difficult to come back and visit often (I guess a visit every 3 years or so will make it a new experience?) but 1 time is enough for a while and it really gives you the 'umf' that makes interesting and 'chemical' cooking really interesting. As you read on....you'll know what I mean.....

Do make your reservations asap - I've heard they only take 6 weeks of reservations at a time; then you give a non-refundable deposit; sign a contract you have to fax back to them promising you have no food allergies and that you will come....But IT IS WORTH IT...

32 'mini-courses' - all good - and most very interesting....Here are few highlights:

A Cesear salad - completely deconstructed and piled into sushi rolls.

A small bite of foie gras wrapped in cotton candy - sweet and delicious!

A lobster bite - They asked you put the whole piece of lobster tail in your mouth with the end of the plastic squeeze thing - then squeeze the roe end and you were injected with wonderful rowe while you chewed and swallowed a butter-poached piece of lobster tail.This was beyond cool - first they puree'd the peas and ran them through a chinois, then put them in syringe, where they make dropplettes of 'pea juice' into a calcium liquid mixture that naturally created a chemical reaction that creates a very light coating around the pea liquid, literally creating pea 'droplettes' or new peas -or what they called the dish: Pea Caviar.


This was my husbands favorite: Philly Cheesesteak. Thinly sliced Japanese Mishima beef on top of a pita, fried and in the shape of a cornacopia, that is filled with vermont cheddar-truffled pastry creme. This - did not suck.

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