DC Restaurant Week 2008

I try and make a point of visiting at least one new restaurant in the DC area during the semi-annual restaurant week. For those of you unfamilar, Restaurant Week is sponsored by the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and partner restaurants provide a price fixed menu during lunch and dinner during the week. For $20.08 at lunch and $30.08 at dinner you can try some of the best restaurants in the city’s appetizers, entree, and desserts. It is perfect time to get together with friends or family and have an amazing meal at a new or fun restaurant.

For lunch this year, a group of friends and I visited Ceiba, a Latin/Caribbean restaurant located on 14th and G St. The food and service were very good and I highly recommend it for those looking for a great place for lunch or dinner with friends. They are able to easily and quickly serve groups (there were 6 in our party and several more groups in the restaurant) so it is perfect for large gatherings and special occasions.

For appetizers we tasted the Cuban Black Bean Soup, The West Indies Conch Chowder and the Shrimp Cocktail Ceviche. We were unimpressed with the ceviche as the tomato based cocktail sauce overpowered the ceviche. The soups though were great! The West Indies Conch Chowder comes with two small shots of Sherry and Rum to add to the soup. When added it kicks up the spice and flavor in the soup. Both soups were thick and creamy providing an amazing food experience.

For entrees we had the following:

Grilled Jamaican Jerk Salmon. This perfectly seasoned salmon filet is lightly glazed with a jerk sauce that is more tangy than spicy. It is served with a side of rice and beans and rum glazed plantains. This dish was delicious and a great choice for salmon lovers.

Pumpkin Seed Crusted Tilapia. I was uncertain about a pumpkin seed crust but paired with the FuFu Mash (A yam/sweet potato puree) this is a little bit of perfection. The lightness of the Tilapia makes this a lighter fish choice than the Salmon but the pumpkin seed crust makes what could be a rather boring dish more exciting.

Florida Keys Style Mahi-Mahi Sandwich. The Mahi-Mahi filet is too large for the bun but it is seasoned so perfectly you can eat it by itself. It is paired with sweet potato fries that are crisp and tasty.

Grilled Skirt Steak Churrasco. This thinly sliced steak is paired with the Argentinean Chimichurri sauce and piled with two large onion rings. The flavor of the steak is so strong that it creates anticipation before you even take one bite.

The one dish that we do not recommend was our only vegetarian choice the Roasted Butternut Squash Tamales which were paired with a medley of sautéed vegetables. The person who ordered this meal remarked that it was “weird” not extremely flavorful or even particularly tasty. Vegetarians may find it hard to have a great lunch at Ceiba as all the other entrees are meat dishes and even the black bean soup has ham in it.

The desserts left a lot to be desired though someone who has eaten here before says the churros are amazing. They were not offered as part of restaurant week so I can’t say whether that is true or not. The choices for us included the Brazilian Carrot Cake which was missing the best part, sour cream frosting. The Guava Cake was dry and not particularly appetizing but luckily it was paired with a panna cotta.

They have an extensive cocktail list but since this was lunch in the middle of the day we decide to skip them during this trip. I will definitely return for their appetizers or dinner and hopefully can try the cocktails (including two types of mojitos) on my next visit.

Ceiba
701 14th Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20005
202-393-3983
www.ceibarestaurant.com