Minibar
405 8th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-0812
http://www.cafeatlantico.com/miniBar/miniBar.htm
I said it in the Cafe Atlantico post, I would return. I did and it was a whole lot better than the first time.
Ahh minibar. When visiting cafe atlantico on the second floor sits a small counter with just six stools. Many without knowing think it is just a small bar sitting area for the one tops, but no, the lucky few that get to sit at those six seats each night are the luckiest people in the restaurant.
With just six seats and two servings each night it is hard to get just one of those hallowed seats. But how do you get a seat at minibar? My only answer is to call, call a lot. Reservations for minibar open up every day when the restaurant opens. But remember when you call you are calling for a reservation exactly one month from the day that you call. So if I call today March 30th, it would be for a reservation on April 30th. Sounds easy right? Nope. One more caviat. They start taking reservations at 10 am and are regularly booked by 10:01 am.
So what are a few tips for snagging a reservation.
- Speed dial
- Redial
- Start calling at 9:55
It is just like trying to get through to a radio station. Although none of those tips have actually worked for me with a radio station. But, then again I don’t review radio stations. Oh, and I also got a reservation at minibar.
The food is spectacular to look at and quite tasty too. We started with a few appetizers including fresh potato chips, and olive oil bon bons. But then, we had cotton candy foie gras. Sounds odd, sweetness of pure sugar with the savory creamy foie gras. It was amazing. I would recommend the tasting just for that one single taste.
As soon as they had us going they handed us dragons breath popcorn. What is it youmight ask, well it is a popcorn flavored bite frozen with the help of a little liquid nitrogen. When you bite into it, your breath is instantly chilled and you appear to have smoke blowing out of your nose.
Overall the experience was great. The atmosphere was fun and social. Although, there was a lot of ambient noise we could easily talk to the other four lucky individuals. While the food was at best a 3, the atmosphere and show involved were a 5. Jose Andreas has definitely out done himself. So tomorrow morning I would recommend getting on the phone at 9:55 and start calling.
