Rumberos Latinamerican Cuisine, Art, Bar, Washington, D.C.

After Mass yesterday, Laurent and I Metroed up to Tivoli Square, where he took me to a surprisingly delicious brunch at Rumberos Latinamerican Cuisine, Art, Bar. That mouthful of a name is what the restaurant calls itself. They have a lot of different Latin American art, from the serious to the folk to the social commentary to the religious all over the place, and they play Latin music on the sound system. It's a pretty and relaxing space, with wall colors in complementary darker hues of reds, oranges, and yellows.

The brunch menus were moderately priced; I didn't get a chance to look at a regular lunch or dinner menu.

Laurent and I both started with bloody Marys. I liked their bloody mix, though those who prefer hot and spicy might need a bit more fire. I was particularly happy to see them serving their drinks with the traditional celery stick, something that's often missing in D.C.

Food choices were interesting. Laurent picked the omelet rumba. In the typical Latin fashion, the egg isn't fluffy or puffy, but very flat like a tortilla made from egg. That egg wrapped and encased an unusual mixture of black beans, sausage, plantain, onions, peppers, and cheese. A small serving of home fries and a thin slice of melon completed the dish. Laurent liked it, though he (as usual) would have liked to have had more sausage in the meal.



I had the chivito Uruguayo, an interesting sandwich with steak, ham, egg, and cheese, and I certainly made up for Laurent's perceived sparcity of meat. I also got a small serving of potatoes, but no fruit with my sandwich. I found it quite filling and full of flavor.



Laurent wanted dessert. He ordered the peras al vino tinto, pears poached in port wine with vanilla ice cream and a scattering of chopped walnuts, and shared half with me. It was delicious! The chilled pear halves had a wonderful deep ruby coloring and the wine was delicately flavored with lemon and just a hint of cinnamon. This qualifies as the most interesting dessert I've had thus far in 2008.



We're very much looking forward to another trip to eat at Rumbero's.