mini-bar
July 26, 2010
Guacamole
We recently had dinner at Mini-Bar, which is located on the second floor of Café Atlantico. The concept is based on the idea that you can change food at a molecular level to create amazing new recipes once you understand the science behind flavor and texture. Mini-bar only has 6 seats and is set up like a sushi bar where the guests sit and watch their food being prepared.
Bagels & Lox
It was sort of like chemistry class. but with food. The first container the 3 chefs opened was full of liquid nitrogen which oozed smoke all over the place! They plated a frozen (-350 degrees) sangria mixture and placed it next to a perfectly square watermelon cube. What made this interesting was the EXTREME cold of the sangria… which actually made the wine and everything else taste warm in comparison. The food was artfully and purposely prepared using tools you wouldn’t expect to find in a “kitchen”. There were tweezers, hypodermic needles, aerosol containers, aerators, sprayers, blowers and other cool “chemistry” type things.
Cotton Candy Eel
Most things were bite-sized, but some came with special utensils. There were even several courses that came topped with flavored air. This was a cloud of air that had no physical structure but had intense flavor. Each of the next 26 courses had familiar names (guacamole, bagels and lox, clam chowder, bloody mary, corn on the cob, etc) but was never exactly what you would expect. The red beet tumbleweed tasted exactly like a potato chip! Each plate had an amazing visual presentation, bursted with flavor, and always was a textural delight!
Zucchini
Dessert started with strawberries and tomatoes and finished with a bacon and chocolate bar… which might have been one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. Totally unexpected and delicious beyond words. Great wine, amazing food, fantastic company and 3 chefs who not only entertained with their food presentations, but were also informative and witty…. a PERFECT night!
-Don and Nate
S'mores
