Bar + Bistro
Plantain Chips with Tomatillo Salsa
Tostone Bites – Olive Oil Double Fried Plantain Sandwiches, Black Forest Ham, Roasted Pork, Gruyere, Pickles, Mojo Mayo, Citrus Garlic Sauce
Little Pollo – Flour Herbed Chicken Pieces
Donut Churros with Mexican Hot Chocolate
Brioche Flan French Toast – Powdered Sugar, Warm Lemon Agave Syrup, Whipped Cream
B+B Pancakes – Sweet Cinnamon Sugar, Roasted Plantains, Warm Maple Syrup, Whipped Cream
Cangrejo Benedict Mofongo – lump crabmeat, plantain garlic mash, Romesco butter, quail egg
Located in the Arts Factory amidst a number of interesting galleries and stores Bar + Bistro had been on my radar for just under a year when my mother suggested she wanted something ‘different’ for lunch and with a decidedly unique fusion brunch menu taking notes from Peruvian and Mexican cuisine I couldn’t think of a better place…at least until we were seated next to a sixtop of 20-somethings drinking bottomless mimosas and behaving in manners that only served to strengthen my belief that society’s best days are long past. Certainly not one to fault a restaurant based on its clientele despite being subjected to a lengthy delay (and a lack of bread pudding which had sold out the night prior) it should be noted that service was mostly spot on with water and coffee refilled repeatedly as we waited and with a gift of plantain chips as an apology for the wait the meal progressed nicely from there, a half-dozen selections both sweet and savory serving notice to Chef Beni Velazquez’s unique talents. With selections ranging from straight forward fried chicken to impressive savory plantain sandwiches and a truly inspired presentation of crabcakes atop fried, smashed plantains topped with a runny quail egg highlighting the savories it would be difficult to decide which item to order if limited to one but moving on to sweets that decision became far less difficult because as good as the crispy donuts with spicy cinnamon chocolate and supple plantain pancakes were neither could hold a candle to the stack of buttery brioche soaked in custard and cooked till crystalized, a light citrus syrup and fresh blueberries gilding the lily and representing one of the best French Toast preparations in a city…and a strong impetus to return sometime for the bread pudding.
