A Latin American Gem Lands in Dupont — Here’s a First Look | Eater DC
"A surprise newcomer tucked on the second floor of late-night favorite Mayflower Club will start serving Central and South American classics, like Peruvian chicken and continent-spanning ceviches, and playful takes on internationally beloved dishes, like patatas bravas made with crispy bites of yuca, on Friday, July 18. The Spanish word for “jungle” inspired the same verdant green interior of its namesake, and the space—designed by Naii Vegas of Creative Buildr Studio—is intimate and lush, full of hanging plants and jewel-toned couches. Executive chef Giovanni Orellana, who fondly remembers starting as “a salad boy” at Lima Restaurant and Lounge and later rising to executive chef there for six years, draws on memories from Peru, Central America, and his birthplace of El Salvador, where he grew up on a farm and whose family now operate fish farms; Karagounis pushed Orellana to develop the concept after tastings for Rewind that continuously blew him away and calls it “his project, basically.” “The cooking is definitely his memories from Lima and the recipes from there,” says Karagounis. The menu stitches Spanish and Italian influences into Latin foundations: appetizers include spicy lamb meatballs, tequila-steamed mussels with spicy chorizo, crispy chicken croquetas, and a spicy gazpacho poured in a chilled martini glass filled with rich Maryland crab (Orellana jokes that Spanish diners might disavow the spicy take), plus bacalao fritters with a zesty tartar sauce and potato empanadas made with a melt-in-your-mouth corn dough stuffed with crab. Seafood is a central obsession—“I am obsessed with ceviches … there’s nothing better the next day when you have a hangover and that completely brings you back to life,” he says—and five ceviches document that obsession, from a ceviche del chef with shrimp and clams plus plenty of sliced radish and a dash of Worchestshire sauce to a Japanese-influenced tuna nikkei with ginger and tobiko and a traditional Peruvian ceviche de mariscos with sweet potato and choclo. Larger plates show the Lima influence with arroz chaufa and Peruvian chicken flavored with ají amarillo and rocoto, while one standout is a super-rare wagyu flat-iron served with chimichurri and cilantro rice. The extensive cocktail program from bartender Dennis Garcia (also from Rewind) plays with Latin flavors—passionfruit and mezcal sours, a coconut spritz made with his own coconut water concentrate, and a signature Coco Loco served as a fresh coconut with a shot of your choosing—and he can lead flights of tequila and American-continent spirits (Colombian aguardiente, Peruvian pisco, and Central American rum), drawing on three years working at Zacapa Rum in Guatemala under master blender Lorena Vasquez; he also hopes to add late-night, “low-key bottle service” so friends can split a bottle of tequila and chat above the booming music below in the club." - Emily Venezky
