El Cielo’s new menu from Michelen-starred chef Juan Manuel Barrientos proves that a little magic goes a long way.
The course known as Tree of Life is part of the new tasting menu at El Cielo.
I’ve never been into culinary theatrics. Smoke domes, powdered flavors, foams and edible scents distract from the main event: the food on the plate. But a few kitchen maestros do this like no one else. José Andrés is one (everyone should experience minibar at least once), and Juan Manuel Barrientos, the chef at El Cielo (@elcielowashington) at La Cosecha in Union Market District, is another.
Truffle buñuelo is a perfect amuse-bouche.
While exploring Barrientos’ exciting new 20-course tasting menu, guests will find plenty of smoke (liquid nitrogen) and even hand-washing with melted and warm white chocolate and Columbian coffee grounds. But at no point will you think the extracurriculars are silly sideshows. Instead, they are part of the powerful magic. The menu is a hit from the opening act to the finale.
Each course is a culinary work of art from the kitchen team.
El Cielo, with outposts in Miami and Bogota, was the first Colombian restaurant to earn a Michelin star. Barrientos was also the first Colombian chef to receive the esteemed gourmet nod. The sleek dining room, framed by wood with white ceramic flooring and anchored by an impressive bar, is buzzy but not overwhelmed by elevated decibel levels. The restaurant’s tranquility is a backdrop for the excitement unfolding at the table.
Barrientos’ opening foray speaks to the season and sets the pace for the evening and each course in the lineup. Guests receive a small glass dubbed Aguardiente. It’s a creamy and warm passionfruit toddy with a kick of cinnamon, apple and anise infused with coffee. The waitstaff offers the followup, truffle buñuelo, atop a pedestal glazed with black garlic emulsion. My server explains that the nugget is a Christmas treat in Colombia. “Pop it in your mouth and enjoy,” he says. The savory bite, amped with cornflower and truffle cream, is the year’s best amuse-bouche.
Michelin-starrred chef Juan Manuel Barrientos.
Pacing is a critical element during this experience. It’s seamless. There is no rush to turn over tables, so give yourself more than two hours. The staff, equipped with Secret Service-like earpieces to communicate with the efficient kitchen, descends on the table shortly after I’ve completed a dish and delivers the next one just when I begin to ponder the follow-up. Impressive.
Standout dishes in the new Barrientos arsenal include Tuna, Peanut and Yuzu, presented as a miniature clothesline (with tiny clothespins) holding fish-shaped arepas. Dip the arepa in the peanut and yuzu sauce, place the thinly sliced tuna (seasoned with achiote oil and cilantro stems) atop the creation, savor, and repeat.
The tasting menu highlights exceptional Colombian cuisine.
The best two dishes, offered in quick succession because of their palate-pleasing marriage, are Chocotherapy (salted caramel sauces) and Tree of Life. The latter is a yuca (cassava) bread enhanced with cheese, basil and paprika. Copper wire forms a 4-inch “tree” and holds the bread like the prize that it is—the only dish the staff doesn’t clear for several more courses, lest patrons riot.
Barrientos stops by my table to ask how things are going. He wonders what I think of the Colombian coffee presentation unlike any other in Washington (think Rube Goldberg machine meets Broadway). He’s gracious and humble, half-grinning. I think he already knows the answer. It’s show time.
Photography by: COURTESY OF BRANDS
