Mio, Vermont & L Streets, McPherson Square - With GM Manuel Iguina, Chef Roberto Hernandez Replaces Giovanna Huyke - Closed Dec 31, 2015

[tcarman]

Some news we just posted on the CP blog about Jaleo executive chef JohnPaul Damato. It's really about Damato's new restaurant, Mio, so I don't know if this deserves a new topic. Rocks?

[DonRocks]

It's really about Damato's new restaurant, Mio, so I don't know if this deserves a new topic. Rocks?

[Yep!]

(I see you heard from Amber Pfau today also.)

[Mark Slater]

Some news we just posted on the CP blog about Jaleo executive chef JohnPaul Damato. It's really about Damato's new restaurant, Mio, so I don't know if this deserves a new topic. Rocks?

Not to be confused with Mia's in Bethesda.

[jdl]

So ... I guess this place has opened. Never mind that the front door still seems to be closed and papered, and that I haven't actually seen anybody coming in or out on my daily walk to/from work. It's open, people! Says so right here in Washington Flyer magazine's The Dish:

"Chef JohnPaul Damato (who formerly presided over the kitchens of all three Jaleo restaurants) is confidently at the helm of mio (1110 Vermont Ave., NW; 202/955-0075; www.miorestaurant.com), which features American cuisine with global influences. Choose the dining room, with rich, earth-toned walls and exposed brick, or relax in the 'pit stop' area. Either way, pleasurable tastes and inventive dishes abound, such as baked pom pom mushroom stuffed with parsnip purée or the West Coast, rope-cultured oysters that are totally 'to dive for.'"

Either this place actually did open, and I simply missed it (as did everybody else here, since there hasn't been a single post on it), or, well ... you do the math.

I'm really looking forward to Mio's arrival as it's a block from my office and three blocks from home -- and really, it's all about my needs. But the area really does need a good restaurant, and Mio looks promising on paper --- and online: Unlike its neighbor, Il Mulino, Mio already has a useful Web site that includes a lunch and dinner menu with prices and a wine list, too.

ETA: Mio's managing partner says the restaurant has a tentative opening date of April 24.

[Mr.Joel]

GM Manny Flores says they should be open Tuesday (5/1), with dry runs Saturday, Sunday or Monday.

[TinDC]

Hmmm, my friend is thinking of having her birthday dinner here next week. The menu online does look interesting. I am wondering about the lack of buzz here [crickets].

[jdl]

Seems the crickets/lack of buzz were due to the fact that Mio didn't actually open its doors until last night. Liquor-license issues, I believe.

Anyway, dropped in on the way to the Arcade Fire show and had a few glasses of wine (Zwiesel stems and the glasses are available in half-pours as well -- a nice touch), a shared app of broiled herb-crusted sea scallops and baked littleneck clams (enjoyable though the clams were a little bit stubborn coming out of their shells) and a couple of entrees:

- roasted herb poussin with white bean puree and shallot cloves: quality of the bird was good, technique/execution were good w/moist meat and a nicely crisped skin, also loved that they quartered the in the kitchen before serving...

- and, for ldl, sauteed mushrooms (bluefoot, beech, shitake) with rapini over creamy polenta and olive-caper tapenade: took a small bite of this, loved the blend of earthy/bitter/salty flavors.

We also had a couple of sides:

- pan fried okra in cornmeal, which had a nice dash of sleeper heat and was served over two tomato slices that were strangely ripe and flavorful for this time of the year. (i nibbled and one just to see if it tasted like anything and was shocked to discover that it was actually delicious)

- caramelized Jerusalem artichokes, which were Craft-like in their preperation. so simple, letting that great sunchoke flavor star.

The rolls they're serving are have an absolutely delightful crust. Not sure where they're being sourced, but I don't think it's Breadline. Not the same crust, and they looked and tasted different. They're also pouring a very nice Spanish olive oil that reminded me I need to order my 2006 earls from Tuscany. (Actually, from Rare Wine Co in Sonoma...but whatever.)

We had to skip dessert because of the show.

Service was friendly and helpful with nary a problem to report. In fact, our server recommended that we order a starter after we'd placed our order, since it was going to take 20 minutes for the poussin to roast. Glad she told us that. (And the bird came out in exactly 20 minutes, too.) Was pleasantly surprised things ran so smoothly given that it was the first night.

Will be back to investigate the menu further.

[DonRocks]

The rolls they're serving are have an absolutely delightful crust. Not sure where they're being sourced, but I don't think it's Breadline. Not the same crust, and they looked and tasted different.

My source tells me Lyon Bakery.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[TinDC]

I think it is exactly the same bread that is served at Chef Geoff's, no? If there is one thing I like at Chef Geoff's, it is the bread.

Thanks for the report, jdl. I am going this week for a birthday dinner so I appreciate the initial scoop. I will report back after our dinner there.

I had a good salad at Mio this week: spinach, pea shoots, crispy serrano ham, roasted red peppers and blue cheese. It was lightly dressed and a nice combination of flavors. I particularly liked the crispy ham

[jdl]

Things that do not seem to bode well for Mio's future: Nobody on DR.com aside from TinDC and I have had anything whatsoever to say about the food there (has anybody else even been?) ... the restaurant already lost its original chef, according to Tom ... and, though you can't see it online, the photo that accompanied today's "First Bite" column shows a whole lot of empty tables in the background. (Of course, that could just be a function of the time of day the photo was taken; but ....)

As they say in the old country: Ruh-roh!

[tcarman]

If you want to read more about the situation at Mio, you can read my take on it, which was, ahem, published two weeks earlier than the Post's.

[synaesthesia]

Well I've found it interesting that for a location that would be ripe for expense account lunches - BLT Steak, Il Mulino - Mio doesn't (I think the lunch has changed though) have a menu suited for those kind of meals. The prices fall in between every day lunch and expensed meal prices. Taking that middle ground seems to make it a little less appealing.

There also seems to be some degree of confusion about identity... the idea that it's a small plates restaurant, yet serves regularly-sized plates for lunch, doesn't inspire me to head over there despite having multiple opportunities.

That location is a killer. There are rarely people walking past, except to go to Starbucks or maybe to head to CVS.

[synaesthesia]

I went to Mio for lunch. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I wasn't incredibly optimistic for some reason. But I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was very good, and was surprised this came out of the kitchen of young Ryan Wheeler (I know. I know. I'm not that much older than him). I had the short ribs with chimichurri sauce and garlic mashed potatoes. The ribs were a little irregularly seasoned, but I was happy that it was not in the direction of overpowering. The meat was so tender you didn't need a knife. The garlic mashed potatoes were very good.

I also enjoyed the bread, but was sad to see that it was brought out only after we had ordered (and we had been sitting there waiting for one of our party for about 20 minutes by that point).

Mint Limeade was good, but I think the mint leaves were perhaps a little overmacerated. So I kept getting bits of mint leaves all over. They were trying to mimic a mojito, but would have done better with some mint simple syrup.

I'm going to assume they have a pastry chef, but whoever it is did an amazing job. A special of mango souffle with caramelized pineapple on the bottom was airy and yummy. It was a cute presentation with ice cream on the spoon, which was used to punch into the souffle. The ball of ice cream was then released inside and a vanilla sauce poured inside. The other folks in my party had the profiteroles with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry sauce and a caramelized banana split with vanilla and chocolate fleur de sel ice creams.

I enjoyed it enough for me to want to go for a return trip, and the price point is about right that I can do so without having to be to nervous about my wallet.

[JLK]

I love short ribs, but isn't it odd to be serving them in June, in this heat?

[wahoooob]

Update from metrocurean - apparently Mio's kitchen is now being headed by Stefano Frigerio (previously of Maestro's). Anyone have more details? Not my neck of the woods, but might be worth a looksee.

[synaesthesia]

Update from metrocurean - apparently Mio's kitchen is now being headed by Stefano Frigerio (previously of Maestro's). Anyone have more details? Not my neck of the woods, but might be worth a looksee.

Hopefully this means really good things, since it's near my office. I'll probably try and go there next week. Before the food had an issue of being chronically underseasoned - and with no salt or pepper on the tables. So oppressive!

[DonRocks]

Update from metrocurean - apparently Mio's kitchen is now being headed by Stefano Frigerio (previously of Maestro's). Anyone have more details? Not my neck of the woods, but might be worth a looksee.

Yes, these are excerpts from a note I got yesterday. NOW I'll say that after my previous meal at Mio, a couple of months ago, I felt sorry enough for the place where I didn't write anything about it. (I wasn't regularly writing at that time, and saw no point in kicking a restaurant when it was down). I'm glad Mio is getting a second life - I've always liked GM Manuel Iguina. This note is somewhat biased / PR-ish in tone, but the basic facts are here also:

Stefano has now taken over the kitchen at Mio as the restaurant’s new Executive Chef. He has spent the past month training the kitchen in his style of cooking and his methods of using whole animals (and literally using almost every part) and respectfully cultivated products in his cuisine. He is fervent in his technique and has put a lot of work into getting the kitchen to the point that his cuisine can be successfully executed.

Stefano Frigerio held the #2 spot at Maestro for 5 years after opening two restaurants with Fabio Trabocchi in London. His menus at Mio reflect American cuisine with Mediterranean influences and I have pasted some dish samples below. Mio has had a rough time since opening 5 months ago and losing a chef within a week. Stefano has come to the restaurant with a new direction on food and some excellent menus. The cuisine is approachable, but unique and consistently excellent.

[Walrus]

I'd be really interested to hear how the new chef is doing -- we had an amazing meal at Maestro before it closed, and that experience alone makes Mio tempting...

[ASL]

Mio has an extended RW menu, so we decided to give it a go. Having been to Maestro several times, I thought this would be a good opportunity to try Stefano's cooking in a less formal setting.

First, this is a beautiful restaurant - the decor is contemporary, but striking, including the signage outside. We had a 7 pm reservation, and when we arrived the place was vitually empty, causing me to worry slightly, but I was optimistic. Happy hour is from 4-7 including Saturdays, so by arriving 10 minutes early, we were rewarded with $5 cocktails at the bar.

The food was quite good. I had the rabbit terrine, the polenta filled with braised beef, and the chocolate banana cake from the RW menu. The polenta filled with beef was presented as small dumplings that were quite tasty. Others at the table has the scallops (which was actually a single large scallop) sea bass, semolina gratin, and the key lime pie. The sea bass was well cooked and came with a light fennel salad, and the semolina dish included slices of polenta layered with a mushroom ragout. The cake was like a brownie with subtle banana flavor, and the key lime pie was reported as not too tart or sweet, with a cheesecake-like consistency.

One general comment: the portions were too small (for example, I think the sea bass was 3 oz.). While I think this is okay in a Maestro-like setting where you're eating 5-7 courses interspersed with amuses (sp?), a few more bites of each dish probably would have done the trick here. Plating was beautiful, but again, a little too precious for the setting. Maybe I'm overreaching here, I believe Stefano needs to adjust slightly to the diners' expectations, which I suspect are different here at Mio than they were at Maestro.

Service was great without being overbearing. After dinner, the manager introduced us to the chef and took us on a tour of the kitchen. This is clearly a lovely place that is trying hard.

An hour later we found ourselves at the bar at Tosca sharing a half order of the tagliatelle with swiss chard and potatoes. That is one fantastic dish!

[synaesthesia]

Stopped by today for lunch. I had the duo of lamb sirloin and leg of lamb with crushed potatoes and rosemary au jus. The sirloin was moist and juicy. I didn't even need a steak knife to cut it, it wasn't intensely flavored. But this merely served as a nice contrast to the leg of lamb slices that were plated on top of the potatoes. They were juicy, succulent with a salty seared crust. I dragged it through all the great juices.

Unfortunately, a companion ordered the fried catfish. His words were, "I've had better fish from Mrs. Paul's." It looked quite dried out from my point of view.

So it seems like it may still be a little hit or miss, at least at lunch time. They are currently offering a fixed price lunch menu for 22.50 with some decent sounding choices.

[ScotteeM]

As soon as I read the news on the Washingtonian website about Stefano Frigerio and Nick Stefanelli taking over the kitchen at Mio, I made a reservation. These two were sous chefs under Fabio Trabocchi, and I knew they must be very talented in their own right. I was not disappointed last night.

The space is beautiful, pulled together by the long slender metal sculptured screens and a hanging piece that evokes the image of a boat. I'm glad, though, that we prefer to dine early, because with little to absorb sound I can see this room getting very noisy when it is at capacity.

At $70 for five courses, the Chef's Tasting Menu is a great deal. It demonstrated the chefs' deftness with fish, fowl, and meat. Seared Hamachi with lemon sorbet in olive oil was perfectly rare fish, preserving all of its richness and flavor. Foie gras Ballotine with corn meal crisps and huckleberry sauce was rich and unctious as it should be, with a little pile of fleur de sel on the plate to add crunch and contrast. We hadn't known that dish was coming, so didn't have a sweet wine at hand, but Manuel Inguina arrived unexpectedly at the table and offered us a splash of Dulce Moscatel 2005 by Silvano Garcio (Murcia, Spain), which was the perfect accompaniment.

Sage risotto with pan-roasted quail was earthy and rich, with complementary flavors, a comforting dish for a winter evening (ok, it was a balmy night, but it is February). Butternut squash/quinoa "risotto" provided a bright flavored light textured backdrop to rich roasted monkfish, with tissue-thin crisps of Seranno ham added crunch and salt, and a red wine reduction tied it all together. Duo of roasted rack and leg of lamb was beautifully rare and tender, with a nicely seasoned crisp crust, over smoked mashed potatoes seasoned with thyme. We finished off the evening with a lovely light dessert of mascarpone semi-freddo and poached pear slices.

Manuel looked very happy when we mentioned Stefano and Nick, saying how excited he is to have them in the kitchen. Both men have clearly been influenced by Fabio Trabocchi--how could they have spent so much time in his kitchens and not have been? But this is no Maestro clone. This is a good restaurant in its own right, sharing with Maestro the use of locally produced ingredients, all parts of animals, and cooking that takes skill, time, and attention. This is not a specifically Italian restaurant, but more generally contemporary Mediterranean in style.

The wine list is varied and reasonably priced, including at least 15 bottles for $35 or less. We started with a glass each of Verdello (Castelo de Medina?), and then shared a bottle of Terrasola 2004.

The staff were all extremely friendly and helpful, the service was attentive but not intrusive, and we were happy to say hi to two familiar faces in the kitchen. We can't wait to go back.

ETA: Don't miss playing with the sculpture outside the restaurant: Put your hands on the lighted rings and enjoy the music!

[hmmboy]

I'd be really interested to hear how the new chef is doing -- we had an amazing meal at Maestro before it closed, and that experience alone makes Mio tempting...

He is doing quite well.

2.5 stars from Tom S.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...ies=Restaurants

[DPop]

The Beef Carpaccio here is really superb. I never had it at Maestro (or at least not like this), but I loved the parmesan crisp as well as the thick quail egg perched on top of the middle slice of this wonderful meat. When I go back, it will be hard not to order 2 of these, because I thought some of the other dishes lacked the polish that this one had. I thought that the Spicy Shrimp with Fried Spinach was a nice idea that showed up too salty and underwhelming, especially in comparison to the Carpaccio. The Duo of Lamb tasted fine apart from the fact that it tasted more like beef than a gamier piece of lamb, which was what I was loooking for out of the dish. The Gnocchi with Goat Ragout was also good, but the ragout was a little too soupy for my taste, which made the gnocchi that was sitting in it get so saturated that it lost any sense of firmness and shape. I had no problem eating the gnocchi soup, but again, it was not what I was looking for out of the dish.

The only true complaints of the night were the service, which was uninterested, and the marscapone nougat, which I thought should have been outside of the refridgerator for about 15 more minutes before being served and came with a pear that had been overpoached to the point that it was near impossible to cut. Even with these complaints, the space and the people in it on Saturday were gorgeous, and if the kitchen can settle in and finish everything it puts out just a bit better, this one will definitely become part of the rotation.

[youngfood]

Anyone else been here recently? Lots of favorable press since the chef settled in, but surprisingly little chatter here.

[youngfood]

I'm smitten with Mio. I think they are providing an outstanding product at a price point that is underserved in the Washington market. Most of Mio small plates are a hair over $10 a piece, while many entrees are between $20-25. It's not a cheap night out, but it is a good value and a pretty reasonable price for some interesting and delicious eats.

Having read up on the spot, I was excited to try the venison that the WP featured, the swordfish that TK raved about, and the goat gnocchi & chop duo that Melissa McCart mentioned. Low and behold, the chef offered a new menu on Saturday night and had removed the first two of those options. A pretty bold move for a new chef...

Anyway, the space here is nice and comfortable. As you enter, the first quarter of the restaurant the bar is the left and a lounge space is on the right. The main dining area is split into third with the left side housing a raised dining area for mid to large sized private events, the center are having a great view into the open kitchen where the chef roams front and center in a way his mentor did at Maestro, and the right third partially cordoned off into a semi private room with warm wooden paneling. It isn't too chic, but it is very comfortable, attractive, and, at least when they aren't totally full, pleasantly quiet.

Servers and bartenders come across as very well trained. I don't get the sense that Mio has been able to hire folks with many years of fine dining experience, but the folks I met on my two visits were thoroughly professional, well versed, and unobtrusive. They did lots of little things so well here, from serving warm bread, to bringing additional bread half way through the meal without being asked, to splitting an entree that was to be shared without asking, to replenishing flatware and side dishes to accompany each round of the minitasting menu we organized on Saturday night. I really expected a lot less, but was pleasantly surprised to find that we were very well attended to.

But the food was the reason for the initial visit and the reason for the return. Almost all of it was fantastic and showed the chef's pedigree well.

A duo of hamachi - tartar and quick grilled chop w/ lemon sorbet was nice. The chop was almost seared rare and very nice. The chef seems to have taken TS's quibble about the overuse of salt to heart and instead allows a small springling of salt on the side for self-serving. Like TK, I was impressed that the chef didn't hesitate to serve fish a tad shy of medium rare. The tartar was the more striking of the duo though. I thought there might have been green pepper though the menu said jalapeno. It wasn't a spicy dish, but the fish was glistening pristinely and the pepper provided a lovely crunch and bite to counteract its sweetness. And the sorbet was a lovely palate cleanser.

The Beef carpaccio del 'Maestro,' quail eggs, preserved mushrooms is pretty well as it was at Maestro. Three little bites of tender beef wrapped around little tofu bites with a quail egg sitting atop. A really neat little dish and, while its been a while since I had the original, Mio's substitution of tenderloin for kobe didn't hurt in my estimation. You don't see dishes with this kind of artistry available a la carte for under $12 often!

It's hard to pick a favorite, but the Grilled Escolar with carrot-lemongrass puree, spicy molasses sauce (and topped with radicchio). This seems to have replaced the swordfish that TK was so enamored with. I wasn't certain about ordering this as I'd only had escolar a couple of times and my standards for it were quite high based on fond memories of Komi's speck wrapped 'white tuna' of a couple years back. Moreover, grilling it just seemed a little odd given the rich oily texture of escolar and I really wasn't sure how an only slightly cooked piece of it would come out. I decided that the chef deserved a little leeway based on his pedigree and I'm glad I took the risk. The slightly deconstructed mix of flavors with this dish really mesh together well. The carrot lemongrass puree is a delightful slurp of spring and its sweetness meshes well with the molasses while the radicchio provides a lovely cruchy bittery counterpoint. The Escolar itself had nice smoky grill marks, but was comfortably medium rare. Sounds odd, but it really worked.

The Sweetbreads were HUGE and moist and the hazelnuts were a neat textural and flavor addition.

The Foie Ballotine honey-huckleberry sauce, corn bread was my one disappointment. I think I prefer foie other than ballotine style, but it was colder and firmer than I wanted. The huckleberry sauce was good and the corn bread was a sweet, almost a wafer thin toast, but the slab of foie itself didn't do it for me.

The Goat Ragout (w/ Goat Stock) Smoked Potato Gnocchi with Goat Chop is a heckuva dish. The gnocchi is definitely in more of a soup than you will be used to, but if you like goat, or haven't been able to try it because you haven't been to Komi lately, this a great chance to do so. The goat ragout has a real concentrated rich goat flavor that is just great. The chop is a nice addition and given the relative paucity of opportunities to try goat is a fun chance to try it another way.

The wine list offers many options under $35 and a handful more under $40 with an emphasis on Spanish wines. This makes eating here all the more affordable as it is far to easy to double the cost of a decent meal with a bottle of wine at a nice restaurant. I tried a few of their lighter reds the clear winner of which was the 2004 Izadi Crianza (Rioja, Spain) $9/glass or $38/bottle. Our waitress described as more of an old world style and I thought that was pretty spot on.

Anyway, pardon my gushing, but I'm really thrilled to have discovered this place and I'm sure others will find it worth a try as well. For me, Mio is the new Corduroy or Restaurant Kolumbia in that they are offering great food at a reasonable price in a comfortable atmosphere and could probably charge more if they were next to the Verizon Center or Georgetown. No, they aren't in the best location and this isn't the hottest area to see and be seen, but if you are looking for great food and care less about some of that stuff or if you don't want to try to book Proof or Central 2-3 weeks ahead of time, Mio is there for you. It also fills a void for those who want some of the creative culinary excitement that comes from the top restaurants in town, but don't want to pony up for a $100 5-course meal. In that way, Mio has a touch of Komi back when they still did a la carte a few nights a week. Folks often talk about wanting to support local talent and small businesses, over DC outposts of celebrity chefs. Mio is a great chance to do that.

[Anna Blume]

As soon as I read the news on the Washingtonian website about Stefano Frigerio and Nick Stefanelli taking over the kitchen at Mio, I made a reservation. These two were sous chefs under Fabio Trabocchi, and I knew they must be very talented in their own right. I was not disappointed last night.

Has anyone here reported that Nick Stefanelli is moving on to his own restaurant?

In any respect, he dropped by at Dupont Circle's farmer's market this past Sunday to support his colleague and friend since Stefano Frigerio led the Chef Demo for the week. I remembered the chef from his appearance as one of Trabocchi's team a couple of years ago (he had a thing for Mark Toigo's fresh chestnuts), a great guy whose youngest son refused to put on his shoes.

With a nod to spring, Frigerio spoke about green garlic first and passed around shots of a thin, bright green puréed soup, served cold with a garnish of tiny little clams that his eldest son placed into each plastic cup.

The best part was the abbacchio (spring lamb) served as ragu over gnocchi especially on such a cool, wet day. Ummm.... Delicious, flavored with mirepoix, white wine, butter, thyme, pancetta and stock. Recipe to appear on the web site of FreshFarm Markets one of these days. What interested me was Stefano Frigerio's response to the difficulty Zora and I experienced last year in trying to find spring lamb. Chefs have quite a few options. While I did not write down the name of the distributor mentioned, I might be able to get it later, especially since I found a missing piece of his son's toy lying in the wet grass when we were disassembling the tent.

[giant shrimp]

Snatched vaguely from the breakfast table, the toast foam is what drew me to the butterscotch pudding but it didn't have enough air to keep it from collapsing into a loose mousse that, nevertheless, was an intriguingly salty sauce for the dessert but not something you would want to eat much of by itself.

Before evanescing, a buttery spume rising out of littleneck clam broth and a spoonful or two of finely chopped baby carrot, cauliflower and another vegetable or two washes up briefly against a hunk-thick cut of pearly rockfish crusted with skin. The flesh hasn't spent enough time in the pan to thoroughly cook through, its sautéing warming up the fish but preserving a luscious texture that's meaty but light, with a pronounced freshness.

Beneath a sear that establishes their flavor, veal sweetbreads are soft as but firmer than custard and they provide a clean, faint taste of real cow. Filberts impart their distinct nuttiness. The sunchokes in the small dish, like many other items throughout the menu, are allowed to reveal two sides of their disposition: they are venomous looking when roasted into fibrous chips that are a bit tough to chew and a comforting food when pureed.

Judging from a fortifying Mexican-styled tequila cosmo juxtaposing the sweetness of triple sec with tart cranberry juice, the house drink menu is worth exploring, as are the wines.

Overall, this is a good, friendly, moderately expensive place to come for a well-cooked meal with a few gentle shocks of the new. Although I wasn't promising a manager anything when replying to him that we would return, the next time I do I'm coming when it's dark, which I believe will add to the enjoyment of this place. (Has anybody noticed the bizarre hotel laden with austere white furniture displayed in every window that has just appeared out of nowhere on Thomas circle across from the morris lapidus building with the cvs on the ground floor? At least, that's what I think it is. I want to see that at night, too.)

[DPop]

(Has anybody noticed the bizarre hotel laden with austere white furniture displayed in every window that has just appeared out of nowhere on Thomas circle across from the morris lapidus building with the cvs on the ground floor? At least, that's what I think it is. I want to see that at night, too.)

It took me walking past this 4 or 5 times to figure out just what is going on. It's called the Donovan House, and it's basically a modern, upscale place that does a nice job of breaking up a little of the monotonous, old-school feel to the rest of the hotels in the Circle. I looked in a room the other day and it has a bit of Ian Schrager in it, which I personally like but I could see how some would find it a bit excessive for its purpose.

To stay somewhat on topic, the Caipirinha I had at Mio the other night was the first good rendition of the drink I have ever had. Neither sweet nor painfully alcoholic, which is how I'm used to getting it, this cocktail had me thinking about the warm weather months that are right around the corner.

[ScotteeM]

Mio Saturday night. Not even a spilled glass of wine marred our dinner. Menu is transitioning from winter to spring, and Chef Frigiero was lamenting the late arrival of local spring produce. Nonetheless, he managed to put out a spectacular dinner for us.

[ScotteeM]

Although we eat dinner later at home, when we go out we like to have an early seating, before the kitchen and waitstaff shift into high gear. Saturday night we were the first patrons in the restaurant at 5:30, and were warmly greeted with "Welcome Back" by managing partner Manuel Iguina and all of the staff, even though it was only our second visit. Chef Frigerio stepped out of the open kitchen to greet us and chat for a few minutes.

Saturday night's menu was a bridge between winter and spring. The venison has been replaced by spring lamb, and suckling pig has taken over from the double pork chop. Fennel is giving way to baby spinach and Swiss chard. Chef Frigerio told us that next week there will be even more signs of spring on the menu.

One of those signs was a lovely little starter, a special that night: a raft of blanched asparagus spears supporting a beautifully poached duck egg dressed with a tiny bit of preserved truffle. As I know from the farm co-op I've joined, duck eggs are seasonal, and are available now. When we broke open the egg, it created a lovely sauce over the asparagus. Plate-licking good! (Don't worry, we used bread.)

Spicy Shrimp With Crispy Spinach combined grilled jumbo shrimp with baby spinach tempura, set on a plate scattered with mildly salty capers. Said Mr. M: "This was a terrific combination of flavors. I don't know what I expected really as 'spicy shrimp' sounds so basic, but this was a star."

Seared Sweetbreads were slightly crispy on the outside and soft as butter on the inside. Sunchoke puree, provided a background that showcased the light flavor of the sweetbreads, while toasted hazelnuts and thin-sliced fried sunchoke chips added a nice crunch and counterpoint. Our wines for this course were, respectively, Albarina by Algareiro (Spain) and a Chardonnay from Argentina.

Mr. M's main course was another special: seared squab on a cherry sauce. He loved every bite, and I got none to sample. My suckling pig was perfect: a double rib chop, some boned rolled leg (ham), and a disk of sausage that was crisp on the outside and creamy inside. We both had glasses of a Pinot Noir from Oregon that the sommelier described as "great but with a funky label": Wine by Joe.

To finish the night off, we had little bowls of butterscotch pot de creme with toast foam. Again, we wanted to lick the bowl! The saltiness of the "foam" topping provided a contrast that showcased the butterscotch. Then Mr. M had Mascarpone semi-freddo with a caramelized pear, and I had "Pineapple Carpacchio." The latter was a plate artfully arranged with grapefruit sorbet, and then little stacks of grapefruit gelee under fresh grapefruit sections topped with very thin slices of pineapple. It was a refreshing end to a rich, lush meal.

Stefano Frigerio is proving himself to be an outstanding chef committed to cooking with the seasons. His skills at using all parts of the pig, for example, give diners new experiences that aren't available on every street corner.

Have you been to Mio yet? If not, why not? I can't wait to go back!

[food.fiend]

Went to Mio last night with a friend to catch-up. We had planned to just stop in for drinks at the bar, which we did, but of course ended up getting a table after that as well!

Neither of us were that hungry, so we just split a first course, and a middle course, or some such labeling. The first course was a delicious burrata cheese, with blanched asparagus, preserved truffles, and a drizzle of olive oil... delicious. My friend had *gasp* never had burrata before, and was in heaven. Next, we just split their rabbit dish. If I recall correctly, it was rabbit-filled wontons, along with slices of perfectly cooked roasted rabbit rack and loin on the side, with some sort of rabbit stock reduction... and I loved it. It was nice to have all different cuts/methods of prep of the rabbit in one dish, and the sauce was so falvorful that I was using the bread to sop it all up.

I left feeling like I couldn't wait to get back, and just wish it had been more busy! I think the whole time we were there (bar and time at the table combined), there were only 3-4 tables full. Total. Not just continuously, but over the course of 2.5 hours. With such good food, I can't help but wonder why. I hadn't been since the fall, before the change in the kitchen, and while I thoroughly enjoyed it then, it is much, much better now!

[ryant68]

With such good food, I can't help but wonder why.

I went a couple weeks ago for the first, on a Friday night. The meal was great, the service charming and the place was about half empty. I fear the location is not ideal and the rough patch getting things started denied them early buzz. I hope the place manages to pick up (or has huge lunchtime business to compensate).

I had the squab in cherry sauce, which was a little crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside and the cherry sauce worked very well with it.

My friend had a slew of small plates, tuna hamachi (the sorbet is divine), the scallop (good but the sauce is a little heavy) and a salad I don't remember, but which she seemed to enjoy.

Dessert was the marscapone nougat, which was subtle and sweet. The server warned us that it comes out hard from the freezer but it didn't seem like that much of a challenge.

One minor complaint. I ordered two rounds of wine from the by the glass list. One white and one red. In both cases they were out of my first choice. I understand places can run out, but it made me wonder how much of the list isn't in stock. And whether the thin crowd has forced them to cut down on overhead.

[DanielK]

... the place was about half empty. ... I hope the place manages to pick up (or has huge lunchtime business to compensate).

They are packed at lunch. Prime location for a place like that.

[youngfood]

tuna hamachi (the sorbet is divine)

Do you mean the duo of hamachi or is that plate now both tuna and yellowtail? Hamachi is young yellowtail, not a form of tuna; yellowfin is a form of tuna.

[EdSz]

Had a great lunch at Mio this week after some minor confusion with menus. The shrimp in the appetizer was perfectly cooked and flavorful while the crispy spinach was fun. The grilled escolar again had deep and interesting flavors. The butterscotch pot du creme was incredably creamy and the salty toast foam and nice contrast. Others in the party had the $22 lunch special; it looked like a really good deal. Be forewarned that it does get noisy.

-Ed

[youngfood]

Mio seems to have become a hot spot for happy hour. Last night the bar area was overcrowded. Tragically, almost no one there for happy hour was eating anything from the kitchen and the restaurant's tables remained less than 25% full at peak Thursday night times. Ah well.

My third visit didn't quite measure up to my first two. Prices seem to have risen slightly and many apps are now around $15, though entrees and the wine list remain better bargains.

The Pan seared soft shell crab, confit red peppers, flat parsley sauce 16.0 was meaty and well crisped yet still juicy, but its accompaniments failed to shine. The red peppers were a tad heavy, while the parsley sauce was overwhelmed by its partners.

Oven baked suckling pig, finely mashed potatoes, sherry shallot sauce 26.0 offered tender pig three ways - I'm guessing here, but I think we had frenched rib chops, a cut of the loin or belly, and some sort of fritter like thing that our server referred to as a ravioli, but was closer to a crab cake in appearance. I thought the dish could use a touch more salt, but otherwise very much enjoyed the various parts of the pig. The menu now contains a note from the chef about how he purchases entire animals and uses all parts and this dish was a fine example of that philosophy.

The menu has some other new additions that I'll be back to try soon - in particular a spring lamb with favas that sounds great. And while appetizer prices are up and the bar was too crowded to eat there last night, the wine list here makes it pretty easy to get in and out for around $100/2 if you aren't ordering three courses a piece.

[lackadaisi]

I don't understand that good reviews that this place is getting. My experience this afternoon was shockingly bad in so many ways.

A few weeks ago, I went with a friend and everything that we had was off. The carrot puree tasted solely of olive oil; some food was undersalted, some oversalted, and some just didn't work. But, we had heard such praise that I didn't want to write it off after just one experience, and we both decided to refrain from commenting here until we had another try.

Today, when I was asked where we should go on our first summer lunch, I immediately thought of Mio, because I really wanted to believe that my prior meal was a one-off. It was not. This one was much worse.

I ordered much differently than I had previously, in hopes of avoiding a repeat. I started with the crispy prawns. The flavors were good, and the tempura spinach was actually excellent. The prawns themselves had a bit of an odd texture, as if the portion towards the head was a bit undercooked (although I am not sure that was actually the problem). I still had high hopes.

For my main, I had the Duo of Roasted loin and thin sliced legs of lamb, crushed potato, thyme roasting jus. It was inedible. Literally. After I placed the first bite in my mouth, I realized my mistake. I kept chewing and chewing but there was absolutely no way to break down this terrible piece of tendony fatness. I couldn't communicate with the others at my business lunch, and they started to notice that I was still chewing. I was trapped. It was too big of a bite to put on my plate, so in the end I had to spit it out into the cloth napkin. Gross. And, so awkward. But, I don't know what else I could have done. Then we all looked at my plate and realized that at least 2/3 of my meat was of this quality. To be fair, there was another third that looked fine, but I had lost my appetite. And, my potatoes had the distinct hint of burntness, even though they did not appear burnt in the slightest, almost as if they had been removed from a pan where other burnt food had been cooked - the others at my table tried them as well and agreed.

So, just a minute into the dish, I set down my fork. We thought that someone would ask how things were, but they did not. Ever. The man who had taken my order and delivered my food never returned to the table, except to deliver the check. The food was finally cleared, but still nobody asked. Each time someone came to our table, they avoided our eye contact, so we started talking about how inedible the food was while they were there, but still no response.

As we left, I asked the hostess to speak to a manager, and I was told that "he is very busy." I left quickly, fairly appalled, telling her that I would communicate with him in some other way.

When I returned to my office, I had a voicemail from the person who had served our food - it is still unclear to me if he was the manager. I returned the call, and he tried to explain basically that it wasn't his job to ask because he was the manager and not the server, who I guess was the guy who was bussing. And, the hostess must have thought that I meant the owner and not the manager, even though I had clearly asked for the manager and her response was pretty odd. I turned down the belated offer to make it up to me if I were to return.

So, anyway, if the owner/manager is reading, I had a bad meal, and I wish I could have discussed it at the time.

[DPop]

Negative experience

It's funny, I was just thinking the other day about how, while I like Mio, I couldn't understand why so many people were jumping on board so quickly. The experiences I have had there have been good, but nothing that would make me tell someone "you have to go to Mio ASAP, they are doing amazing things". I think this might follow the corollary where something that was underrated (as Mio was 4 months ago) gets so much talk about them being underrated and gets hyped up to the point that it almost becomes overrated. Don't get me wrong, I like this place and hope that it gets better, but right now I do not feel like it is nearly as good as some of the things I have read about it.

[monsterriffs]

It's funny, I was just thinking the other day about how, while I like Mio, I couldn't understand why so many people were jumping on board so quickly. The experiences I have had there have been good, but nothing that would make me tell someone "you have to go to Mio ASAP, they are doing amazing things". I think this might follow the corollary where something that was underrated (as Mio was 4 months ago) gets so much talk about them being underrated and gets hyped up to the point that it almost becomes overrated. Don't get me wrong, I like this place and hope that it gets better, but right now I do not feel like it is nearly as good as some of the things I have read about it.

aka the "Hip Eclipse" - someone/thing that is doing something very well and has a small fanbase and is "hip" eventually becomes eclipsed by its growing popularity via word of mouth/praise and eventually finds itself the subject of derision and cries of "overrated."

[brian]

aka the "Hip Eclipse" - someone/thing that is doing something very well and has a small fanbase and is "hip" eventually becomes eclipsed by its growing popularity via word of mouth/praise and eventually finds itself the subject of derision and cries of "overrated."

Could be nothing having to do with its growing popularity - I've eaten there three times in the past two months and had one meal I raved about, one that was just bad and one that was perfectly fine but nowhere close to the best one. Since I can relate to the posts singing its praises and the ones that walk away scratching their heads I think it's just inconsistent.

[ScotteeM]

I don't understand that good reviews that this place is getting. My experience this afternoon was shockingly bad in so many ways.

Lackadaisi, I've been to Mio three times since Chef Frigerio took over the kitchen, and reading your review, I wouldn't have believed it was the same place. But I appreciate your detailed descriptions of what went wrong, and if I had been served the food that you received, I would have been extremely unhappy.

I am one of those who has been raving about Mio. I've only been for dinner, albeit three times since February, and only for the very earliest reservation time on a Saturday night. So I recognize that I've caught the kitchen and FOH staff when they're fresh and on their game, before the place gets busy. That's exactly why I dine so early when I eat out.

I do think that the food is quite good for the price-point--at least, the food I've eaten was. Chef Frigerio is committed to "slow food"--to purchasing as much of his ingredients locally and directly from the source as possible. His food requires a lot of prep--making of stocks and sauces, braising of meats, etc. They aren't pulling chicken breasts out of the freezer or using canned stocks.

But I also think that the FOH, as gracious as they have been to me and my husband on our visits, still needs a little work. On our first and second visits, we had very nice wine pairings with our courses. This past Saturday, we asked for pairings and apparently the young man who had overseen them on our April visit was absent, and the managing partner, Manuel Iguina, was not out front much at all. Whoever selected our wines by the glass seemed to be thinking "white wine for fish" without considering the type of fish, cooking method, or saucing. My delicious rockfish with Manila clams and ramps would have been better accompanied by, IMO, a light red. Likewise, my sweetbreads with morels was not done any favors by the white wine that accompanied it (I didn't take notes this time). The conversation that you describe with the hostess, Lackadaisi, and the one that was related in Kliman's Washingtonian review ("We're not Italian") suggest that some staff may need coaching on how to say things to customers.

Chef Frigerio and Mr. Aguina seem committed to providing a great dining experience, and I hope that they will take the criticisms as well as the compliments as constructive feedback to keep moving forward.

[Tujague]

After reading lackadaisi's account of a bad experience at Mio, I wondered if I should second-guess my selecting it as my birthday dinner restaurant. So many new places I want to try, so many old favorites I want to revisit, and I only get the birthday splurge once a year. Would it be worth it?

I'm glad to give a resounding yes to that question. Mio may not be the best dinner I've had in Washington, but Chef Frigerio gave Bob and me a memorable evening that holds its own with some of the most pleasurable meals I've had in the past few years.

We started out with really tasty Pisco Sours, as we pondered whether to stick with the regular meal or take a chance on the chef's tasting menu ($70 for 5 courses, $100 with pairings, not shown on the Web site menu). Our server assured us that the chef would assemble a meal of unique dishes that don't appear on the regular meal, and I figured, why not go for a birthday surprise? Bring it on!

Well, the server wasn't totally telling the truth about "unique" dishes, as our first course was the asparagus with burrata and truffle--a dish I had thought about otherwise ordering. First experience with burrata--wow! Deeply buttery, offset nicely with the preserved truffles. And what's better than perfectly cooked spring asparagus? The 2007 Las Perdices Viognier paired nicely.

Next, we were poured a 2006 Santa Digna Sauvignon as an "interlude," not knowing that it would be shortly paired with five fresh anchovies on paper-thin grilled potato slices, enhanced with lemon and fresh oregano. The big flavors of the wine held up well against the strong anchovies. Another hit.

Round 3: A small tureen of cuttlefish stew with English peas, cooked in a shellfish stock--deep and smoky flavored, with crisp toasts--again, a regular menu item. This time a lovely Chenin Blanc (2004 Domaine Jo Pithon) was brought to accompany it.

On to the main courses! I was a bit nervous about the small but perfectly cooked escolar, knowing what its after-effects can be, but the manila clams, artichoke puree and red wine sauce were irresistable. This time we were offered a full and fruity Oregon Pinot Noir from Wine by Joe. This was the tastiest red of the night.

For the final course before dessert, another regular menu item--plancha grilled squab with braised endive and cherry sauce, plus a dab of cardamon/juniper pesto. The latter was extremely intense on its own--like a really herbacious gin reduced to a solid--but mellowed nicely when paired with the squab and cherries. The 2004 Aljibes blend from Spain was mellow--not a stand-out, but a good compliment to the other strong flavors.

Surprisingly, the server then offered us a few slices of cheese with quince paste as we waited for dessert--a goat camembert and a wonderful Tallegio-like cheese from Virginia. For the closing act, chocolate four ways: dark chocolate sorbet, and a silky milk chocolate/white chocolate mousse topped with chocolate crunchies. A sweet, but not cloying, red dessert wine wrapped up the package nicely.

In the end, I think the only real disappointment were the toasty dinner rolls that started things out--otherwise, it was one hit after another. Promised four courses and dessert, we actually had seven courses and six wines. Our server had a few awkward moments, but was personable and helpful.

Here's the deal: Over my past three birthdays, I've been to Komi, Restaurant Eve's Tasting Room, and Mio. This may shock DR purists, but I'd push Mio to second place on that list over Eve (Komi is still my all-star). My dinner there last year was good, but not as transporting as the cost would suggest it should be (I remember the amuses more than the primary courses!)--or particularly relaxing. I won't say that Mio is a better restaurant than either Komi or Eve--certainly not as subtle or finessed--but, last night at least, it was in many ways more enjoyable, maybe for not carrying the burden of the high expectations that those other stars must bear, and thus able to shine on other considerable merits. Thank you, Chef Frigerio (and your server), for a wonderful birthday meal!

[Anna Blume]

Heads Up for Mio fans:

Stefano Frigerio will be featured as Chef at Market at Penn Quarter this Thursday, June 12, at approximately 5 PM.

[jiveturk21]

This place is pretty damn good, so I was sad to see one other table seated when we sat down at 7:00 on Saturday night. And, when we left around 9:00 or so, it hadn't gotten much better, maybe 20 people in the entire place.

Personally, it makes no sense to me. The inside is cool, very comfortable, very good looking. Our service was spot on, knowledgable and helpful without being overbearing. The wine list was diverse enough for us with some good values. And, the food, above all, was solid, bordering on great in some cases.

The winner of the night was a half order of the cavatelli to start with a wild boar ragu (my dining partner insists it was a duck ragu, but hopefully she is the crazy one). Either way, it was a perfect dish all the way around. The sweetbreads with morels and madeira sauce were a strong showing as well, even if the madeira took a bit away from the earthiness of the mushrooms. For our entrees the rockfish had a potato hash on the bottom and a plethora of herbs on top (dill and a bunch of other stuff), it was very refreshing and a good contrast to the roast suckling pig that we had. The shoulder had the best taste on that plate, but the boneless leg stuffed with sausage wasn't far behind. For dessert we settled on a caramel pot de creme, good balance, not too sweet, very satisfying.

When it comes down to it, I was very impressed by Mio, but as I said before, saddened at the same time. Did their struggles early in their existence turn people off? Does their location prohibit people from stopping by? Is the restaurant scene just THAT competitive that they are faltering? I don't know the answer, but I can tell you that people should put all of that behind them and just go, now, it is well worth it.

[beachgirl54]

I had a great lunch there a few weeks ago, and it was fairly busy - almost every table taken. Maybe it's the location? But I'd definitely travel for that food.

[DonRocks]

In what has amounted to a shooting star, Stefano Frigerio's brief tenure at Mio is coming to a close: His last day will be August 1st.

[youngfood]

In what has amounted to a shooting star, Stefano Frigerio's brief tenure at Mio is coming to a close: His last day will be August 1st.

Boo! Some slightly fuzzy details from the post online

FOOD FIGHT: After a mere seven months in the kitchen at Mio (1110 Vermont Ave. NW), Stefano Frigerio said Friday he's leaving the modern American restaurant following disagreements about service and operations with managing partner Manuel Iguina.

"I would love to stay in D.C.," said the 35-year-old chef, who came to Mio from the acclaimed Maestro in Tysons Corner.

"I'm doing everything possible to keep him," said Iguina, who calls their dispute "workable" and has enlisted the aid of a mediator to work out their differences. Despite positive reviews, the restaurant has not performed as well as he hoped, the restaurateur added.

Frigerio, on paternity leave until Monday, plans to remain at Mio for two weeks. Iguina said he hopes to change his chef's mind when he returns. That may be too late.

"I'm looking for a job today," said Frigerio.

[ScotteeM]

I'm so sorry to see this happen! I'm glad that I already had a reservation for 7/26, but I will surely call to confirm that Stefano will be there before we drive all the way into DC.

I wonder where he'll land next, and how plans for Nick's new restaurant are coming along.

[youngfood]

I'm so sorry to see this happen! I'm glad that I already had a reservation for 7/26, but I will surely call to confirm that Stefano will be there before we drive all the way into DC.

I wonder where he'll land next, and how plans for Nick's new restaurant are coming along.

Go, go, go! He's there through 8/1. The place was tragically almost empty tonight, but our short meal was outstanding and one of the top few meals I've had this year. It is well worth making a visit to Mio before Chef Frigerio moves on.

Duo of Cuttlefish Stew, English Peas, Toasted Bread - amazing, deep rich broth of crawfish based stock (I thought it might have been veal?) with many different cut/bites of tender cuttlefish. This dish was a great balance of rich earthy broth with light seafood and the texture of the cuttlefish was just right.

Grilled Escolar, Spring Garlic, Manila Clams, Clam Sauce - I hesitated to order this dish because I had a hard time seeing clams with escolar, but my fond memories of the Chef's past use of Escolar convinced me that it was worth a shot. The serving size was hearty and the escolar comes beautifully off the grill with perfect grill marks, while remaining moist. The manila clams produced a rich clam sauce and weren't the least bit chewy or overcooked. I wish more restaurants were serving Escolar and I wish more restaurants weren't afraid to serve fish well shy of medium. The fish was salted with a red sea salt from Hawaii that the chef says is great with fish.

Ricotta Cheese Cavatelli, Young Goat Ragu - the Cavatelli was light and tender, the goat ragu earthy and delightful. Where else can you get goat besides Mio and Komi? And Chef Frigerio's insistence on purchasing whole animals means you can end up seeing a variety of goat parts in this dish - ours had some goat prosciutto on top and I think he was doing a rack of goat for folks ordering the tasting menu last night.

Mio may not be a perfect restaurant - the location is blah, the wine list doesn't pair quite right with the cuisine, and the front of house has never impressed me the way the food does - but there is some great food coming out of that kitchen and I can't think of anywhere that is doing what Chef Frigerio is offering that doesn't require a tasting menu. I hope his next spot offers the same opportunity.

[Rhone1998]

Any thoughts on how Mio has fared since the change of chefs? We were considering trying it for restaurant week...is it still worth checking out?