Washington Times - Ceviche Brings Novo Andino to Glover Park

Ceviche brings Novo Andino to Glover Park
October 25, 2007
Corinna Lothar

Ceviche is the newest addition to the Glover Park restaurant strip on Wisconsin Avenue, just above Georgetown, the second Ceviche owned by entrepreneur Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld in the area; the first is in Silver Spring.

In the space formerly occupied by Austin Grill, Ceviche is a delightful neighborhood restaurant specializing in Novo Andino cuisine. That means basically Peruvian with a smattering of other Latin American dishes. Executive chef Javier Angeles-Beron's menu features fresh seafood, Andean grains and occasionally an exotic fruit.

The decor is much as it was in the days of Austin Grill: a bar at the entrance with two large TV screens for sports fans, a narrow dining room with tables along one side facing a banquette, and smaller, high tables along the other side. There's a second floor when the first floor draws a crowd. Color it red, from the walls to the banquette to the candles on the tables. If you're lucky, the background music will be a Latin beat rather than a banging beat that sounds like something from a machine shop.

The decor is simple, but the food is not. Everything we tasted was not only of high quality, but delicious and usually an interesting combination of ingredients. Portions are large; appetizers can easily be shared and usually are large enough to serve as a main course. Main courses are large enough for sharing.

Ceviche, the South American dish of marinated raw fish, is outstanding, made with truly fresh fruits of the sea. Try the classic ceviche de pescado, a delicious mix of rockfish cubes, marinated in lime juice, onions, peppers and cilantro. Fine tuna ceviche is influenced by Asian flavors, a combination of fish, ginger, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Raw tuna is served as sashimi with a light rocotto pepper cream sauce.

Three fried cornmeal fritters stuffed with a mild, creamy cheese are a pleasant complement to one of the restaurant's specialty cocktails, such as the excellent mojito, which comes in several versions. Empanadas are made to be shared, too. These are stuffed either with chicken and pimento or with ground beef, onions and a tiny dice of potatoes, in good flaky pastry. The beef in the turnover is a little dry and could use more onions and potatoes.

Sauteed medium sized shrimp with whole pearl onions, shallots and roasted garlic are particularly good. The shrimp are tender and not overcooked, and they blend well with the slightly crisp onions and garlic.

A dish of steamed mussels with chorizo and chimichurri did not work quite as well. The little mussels are sweet and tender, but the chorizo is out of place. The cubes of sausage are salty without spice. The chimichurri, primarily of chopped onions scattered on the mussels, is not even a distant cousin to the olive oil, vinegar, parsley and garlic sauce the Argentines serve with grilled meats.

The chef prepares a variety of salads, such as an Inca salad of spinach, quinoa, carrots and potatoes in a roasted sweet potato dressing, and a Caesar with yuca croutons. Soups include a black lentil soup and a version of gazpacho. Black beans and rice are good; how can beans and rice not be?

Other appetizers include fried calamari in a ricotto pepper and tomato sauce; roasted potatoes with chorizo and garlic; and plantain turnovers filled with refried beans enhanced with a yuca-thyme vinaigrette.

Main courses are a mix of fish and meat: jumbo shrimp are baked in a sauce of cilantro and cheese; marinated chicken breast is cooked with cumin, beer and Latin spices; a crispy seasonal white fish is served over black lentil stew; and Andean paella combines quinoa, chorizo, calamari, shrimp and mussels.

A wonderful and very filling main course is aji de gallina. It's a subtle, mildly spicy dish combining pulled chicken and potatoes in a light, creamy pepper and Parmesan sauce. The meat surrounds a small mound of rice and is sprinkled with cilantro and roasted pecans. Unusual and delicious.

Lomo saltado is another South American classic. Strips of beef are sauteed with fried potatoes, tomatoes and red onion and served with rice. Grilled beef is served with vegetables and chimichurri sauce.

A rich flan with a topping of coconut stars on the dessert menu. It is smooth, creamy and not too sweet. A little richer is the Latin version of creme brulee.

The wine list has fewer than a dozen each reds and whites. All are available by the glass for about $8 and by the bottle for $33 to $40. They are primarily from Argentina, Chile and Spain and include several fine selections. During the restaurant's happy hour from 5 to 7:30 p.m. weekdays, a selection of wines is priced at $5 per glass. Several appetizers are priced from $3 to $5 at that time. On Wednesday nights, selected wines are half-price.

In keeping with its role as a neighborhood restaurant, Ceviche offers residents in the 20007 Zip code a 15 percent reduction on their entire bill on Sunday nights. That's a deal the neighbors can't refuse.

RESTAURANT: Ceviche, 2404 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202/333-3877

HOURS: Dinner 5 to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday and until midnight Friday, from 3 p.m. to midnight Saturday and until 11 p.m. Sunday; brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

PRICES: Appetizers $4 to $12; main courses $14 to $19; desserts $7

CREDIT CARDS: All major cards

PARKING: Street parking

ACCESS: Wheelchair accessible

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