Imperfecto

Imperfecto is a new restaurant by Enrique Limardo and the team behind Seven Reasons. The restaurant is inspired in the intersection between the Mediterranean & Latin American Cultures, and sustained in Enrique Limardo's bold culinary approach.  At Imperfecto, they believe that human beings are not perfect; rather far from perfect or imperfect. And it's imperfection what moves us forward and shows us how to improve. Closest Metro is Foggy Bottom.

We went for an early Christmas dinner celebration.  We were seated near the entrance, without any food menus only cocktail menus.  Unknowing what we'd be eating, I was unsure what to order to drink.  We inquired on food menus and were told there were none.  Keith then asked if there was a chef's tasting instead, and they said yes for $150 per person, there were 4 courses with the main being a Paella with rabbit.  Since I do not eat meat, I was hesitant and the server noticed and said he would talk to the chef to see if any substitution could be made.  A few moments later, he returned and said they could substitute the paella dish for fish instead.  Since there did not seem to be an a la carte option, we agreed to the chef's tasting.  (It must be noted that the table next to us were given regular a la carte menus.)  We inquired if there was a wine pairing, and at $125 per person we decided to pass.  We ordered a bottle of 2019 Jermann, Vintage Tunina - a white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Ribolla, and Gialla from Friuli on the Northeastern coast of Italy.  It was nice and dry with slight effervescence that paired expertly with our meal.

To start, we had an amuse of mushroom soup.  Served in a little cocktail glass, it was full of flavor and very tasty.

Next we shared Falafel with loads of micro cilantro, sumac, and cardamom served with Latin tahini.  These little fritters were very flavorful and had a great crunchy texture.  

One of my favorite dishes of the night was the Tuna Tartare made with Bluefin tuna, latin toum, shishito purée, finger lime, topped with trout caviar and served over salsa macha.  The acid and spice worked well with the fish.

The Cauliflower Parmigiana served with marinara and a dollop of 24 month aged parmigiano reggiano cream with sour mango pureé in the middle.  A sprinkle of za’atar-fried basil was on the side.  While the cauliflower was plentiful and had a nice light texture, the dish overall was my least favorite.  The mango sauce was too sweet and contrasted with the traditional tomato and basil flavors.

Another strangely mashup of flavors was in the Truffle Tagliolini.  With a sauce of sweet corn cream, asparagus, pecorino, and black summer truffle, the pasta was good but reminded me of something you'd order in an European (non-Italian) hotel restaurant.  

Lastly for our main course we ate Lubina - wild-caught Branzino served with celery root purée, green peas, bacon, chives and vanilla oil.  The fish had an extra crispy skin, but the meat itself underneath was very mushy and almost undercooked.  I did not like this dish at all, and deeply regretted that I made Keith miss out on the paella to accommodate my meat aversion.

Before dessert, we had a palate cleanser of raspberry sorbet.  It was very custard-like and not overly sweet.  

Dessert was a large poached pear served with vanilla ice cream.  The pear was super tender and a nice light end to the meal.

Overall, the ambience was nice but the confusion with the menus at the start left us very flustered and almost forced to do the pricey chef's tasting.  However, service was timed expertly and the sommelier was very attentive and knowledgeable with her wine suggestions. We were sent home with some housemade chocolates, which was a nice treat.

Total Rating: 3.8

Food: 4, Price: 2.5, Service: 4.5, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5