Last Tuesday I went out to dinner with my friend Suzanne in Washington, DC to Mio. Definitely a not to miss experience. The creative food and great service are enhanced by a passion for food that seems to permeate everyone who works at Mio.We sat at the two seats that are part of the open kitchen. If it's just two people don't miss the opportunity to sit here and be in the middle of the fun, including getting a chance to talk with Stefano Frigerio, the executive chef. Stefano is really friendly and down to earth and seemed to enjoy all of our questions about incredients and preparation. As a bonus, Stefano, and his sous chef, are really easy on the eyes.
We had the chef's tasting menu. Stefano was happy to create a vegetarian version for me. Dinner started with a small salad of assorted cherry sized tomatos that had been skinned and tossed with a light dressing. It was accompanied by a pesto moose. It seemed like he had taken a very smooth pesto and pushed it through a whip cream maker.
For the second course I had a chilled beet soup and Suzanne had a ceviche that she raved about. My soup also came with deep fried zucchini flowers, which were the only disappointment of the meal. The taste of oil totally overwhelmed the flowers and the tempura, a minor transgression.
Next we had a basil pesto risotto. Suzanne's had a king prawn with a delicious string bean and pine nut salad on top, I just had the salad. It was presented in this great white china bowl with a lid for the "reveal" moment.
For the last major course Suzanne was treated to a trio of suckling pig - a stuffed loin, 3 small ribs and a piece of deep fried head cheese. I had a huge, peeled tomato stuffed with goat and manchego cheeses on a bed of really delicious tomato sauce.
For every course, including dessert Stefano personally explained what he was serving. I think he liked us, because for dessert we were treated to a trio of full sized desserts: an incredible pana cotta with a latin flair using almonds and black sesame seeds to give it a great flavor and a luxurious bluish-purple color; a chewy brownie with cinnamon ice cream; and carmelized topped rice pudding atop a layer of peach salad.
We did the wine pairings which was fun as always for me because I drink things I don't usually try. Even though I drink it all the time, the Pinot Noir that was served with the second course was excellent.
Manuel Iguina the owner also took time to talk with us at length, telling us about the restaurant and his passions for food and service. I look forward to going back.
