Lia M.
Yelp
I was a fan of Don Berto's pop-up, and was thrilled when they opened a full service, sit-down restaurant. I love Haitian cuisine and it's hard to find in this area.
The space is pretty. The small bar is beautifully tiled, and Haitian art embellishes the colored walls. It's a bit dim inside, but still warm and inviting, and the music adds to the ambiance.
I understand what others have mentioned about the service. I think I had the same server. She is perfunctory, and polite, but not friendly at all, hence the four stars. I don't think I saw her smile once, which put a damper on the experience. If I had been unfamiliar with the cuisine, I would have walked out. Another server helped near the end, and I believe either Don Berto himself came by or another manager, just to see how everything was, and I appreciated that. The other server and the manager were very friendly and helpful.
I started with a drink, the Wap Konn Joj, which is Rhum Barbancourt, ginger beer, ginger syrup, and lime. It was strong and gingery, which I loved. If you like Moscow Mules, try this. Some may think the drink prices are high, however, Rhum Barbancourt is not a cheap rum. If they were using a lower tier product, then I would agree, but they are not. Plus, they do offer happy hour for drinks, which I love.
I ordered the marinad (seasoned fried dough) and the griyo kodenn (fried turkey) with bannann peze (fried green plantains/similar to tostones), pikliz (vinegared slaw/similar to curtido), and duri blan avec sos nwa (white rice and black beans), and salad kay la (house salad). The house salad is gorgeous, with incredibly fresh vegetables and a light vinaigrette. I'm a fan of the mixed greens instead of iceberg or romaine. I'd never had marinad before, but it is delicious. It's like eating seasoned fry bread or savory fried dough. I don't like onions, so I skipped the sauce.
My entree was delicious. One bite of that rice and beans and I knew I was eating Haitian food. Everyone does their rice and beans a bit differently, and this was unmistakably Haitian. I think I cried a bit. If I hadn't known I was eating turkey, I would have thought it was pork griyo--that's how great the turkey was. The red pepper sauce is addictive. The pikliz were fresh and crunchy. Plantains were perfectly fried. I was too full for rhum cake, but if it's anything like the pop-up version, you are in for a treat. I wish they offered pate, but there probably isn't a bakery in this area (I don't know of any). I thought the portion was great, and I had leftovers. Also, Don Berto's sources locally, leaves out the MSG (and possibly the Maggi--sacrilege), and makes everything in-house. If you are only familiar with takeout type places, this will blow your mind.
All I can say is mesi, chef, mesi.