Down In The Amazon

 This review is a bit special for me for a two reasons: it was one of our first dates last year in mid-September and this specific visit was for the celebration of a new job. We wanted to do something special, and considering the transitionary period we're going through at the moment, Amazonia could be quite restrictive in price. Either way, we had many reasons to celebrate, and after a long summer of turmoil, excitement, changes, and growth, we wanted to finish our summer strong. Luckily for us, the week we decided to go out, Amazonia was one of many restaurants that was participating in Restaurant Week. Coursed meals were priced reasonably and we knew we had to indulge in a favorite of ours.

amazonia has a beautiful leatherbound menu held up by my lovely tasting partner

There's an argument my girl and I constantly have when we go to a Hispanic restaurant; the constant battle of Peruvian vs. Mexican food, to which my retort is almost always that Peruvian is excellent, despite being the second best Latin American cuisine. Naturally, as a Mexican-American born millennial from California, I can be quite defensive about Mexican foods' place in the world of gastronomy. Most high-end restaurants have a bastardized "artistic" take on Mexican food, over-complicating dishes that were meant to be enjoyed fast and messy, or in a family affair with many other finger foods (or antojitos) but that's a discussion for another restaurant. Today was about Amazonia, a Peruvian lounge sitting on top of Causa, recently earning its first Michelin star for its coursed gastronomic experience. Unfortunately, it's difficult for me to visit Causa considering they don't modify meals for my unfortunate shellfish allergy which can be a bit restrictive at times. Amazonia is a great auxiliary to the same kitchen, offering a variety of cocktails, wines, a massive offering of piscos and other liquors, a la carte entrees, and small plates.

If you have never visited the DC area, one thing is certain at almost any time of day: traffic is horrendous, and parking is even worse still. Amazonia is located in Blagden alley, making it a rather difficult area to find parking at, and being an Angeleno, I tend to give myself much too much time to travel to a particular location. Luckily, I was able to find street parking just behind the alley itself and showed up for our reservation about fifteen minutes early. We were fortunate enough to be seated quickly and get our cocktail order in just as quick. I wanted to explore something new, while my fiancé asked for a tried-and-true Peruvian staple. 

chilcano (tall glass) & pisco sour de la amazonia (short glass)

A "chilcano" is simply pisco, ginger ale, and lime, and it seems most Peruvian places follow a similar recipe, but each tends to be unique. Amazonia makes a simple and wonderful one with just the right amount of sweetness without drowning the taste of Amazonia's propriety liquor, which I have to assume is a pisco. The drink was garnished with a candied lemon rind, we think, making it a presentable drink. (9/10) As for the pisco sour that I ordered, it had hints of eucalyptus, muña (an Andean mint) and some bitters. While my fiance wasn't too much of a fan as I was, the eucalyptus was just a tad too strong, even for those of us who like strong aromatics, but overall, it was a smooth and wonderfully presented drink garnished with a small flower over the foam of the sour. (8/10)

Now, being the greedy man that I can be, with the starters, I wanted to do something meat heavy, and as any red-blooded American would, nothing gets me going like some ribs so of course, I had to go with the Pork Rib 'Cecina' (seh-see-na). The Pork Ribs we perfectly glazed in a rich honey, served along-side some yuca. The issue with the starter was the yucca, lacking any flavor on its own and rather dry in texture, but this was quickly mitigated with a different dish. (8/10)

pork rip 'cecina'

My lovely fiancé ordered the Ensalada de Chonta. If you're unfamiliar with chonta as I was, it's palm heart, and it was a wonderful, refreshing bite with each forkful. It was served in a sweet vinaigrette with plantain chips and avocado (which I stole a bit more than my fair share), making it an amazing starter salad that was crunchy, fresh, and melodious. (9/10)

ensalada de chonta

The next thing in our course was the anticuchos, small, grilled meat skewers, and we defaulted to two we have had before: salmon belly and corazon de rez (beef heart). The salmon belly paired perfectly with the huacatay (or black mint) sauce while the beef heart fired up our tongues with the rocoto sauce. What I love about the salmon belly is how soft and warm it is, while maintaining its texture, allowing the aji to blend perfectly on the tongue (10/10), while the beef heart bites with tough on the bite, but tender on the tongue, perfectly marinated and flavorful to the last bit. (10/10)

salmon belly and beef heart anticucho with huacatay (yellow) and rocoto sauce (red)

If you've never had Peruvian food, chaufa is a fried rice dish, usually topped or mixed with a protein. Naturally, I ordered the chaufa "Putumayo." It was a pork shoulder cecina and chorizo blend mixed with plantain, scallions and soy sauce, but there in lay a hiccup: it was an oyster sauce. This was something I shared with our waiter from the get-go, but in placing the order, there was a miscommunication between our waiter and the kitchen. Luckily, the manager was quick to fix the issue, remaking the dish without the oyster-soy sauce. It was a great dish without it, so I can only imagine how much better it could have been with the sauce. My fiance was a great help by looking at me while eating my dish and saying how great it was while I waited for my entree to be remade. 

chaufa "putumayo"

I didn't have to wait long to receive my entree, sans the oyster sauce, and while lovely, it was lacking. That extra oomf that I'm sure the oyster sauce would add. A quick note on my review: I can't speak for the rating, since I couldn't have the entree as the chef's intended, but with the plate that I was served, it's a solid 8/10. 

chaufa "putumayo" sans soy sauce

The same experience can't be said for my fiance. She had ordered, the Patarshca. Seeing this plate served took me home, as my families way to make tamales is with banana leaves rather than corn husk. Now, this isn't a tamal, it's halibut in a mishkina blend (I'm not too sure which spices are used, other than tumeric and an assortment of herbs) with culantro (a Peruvian herb), served alongside patacones. I know I'm throwing a lot of words out there, but patacones are simply fried unripened plantains. They're tough to the bite, but soaked in the sauce that the halibut came in was a wonderful idea. It was a very fishy, very rich sauce, but the strength of the fish or herbs was far more than I was anticipating. The fish was soft, and juicy, and to be fair, halibut is one of favorite fish. While a wonderful plate, if you're not fond of fish, this might be too strong for most. (7/10)

patarashca

As for the service, they were kind, and quick to attend to us, especially after the oyster fiasco. We felt good about being sat earlier than they anticipated us to arrive, and by the time we had reached the last course, we decided against another round of drinks, mostly due to the fact that I had a decent distance to drive. The host was kind, our waiter was attentive, and the manager, despite our interaction short, was quick to attend to our issues and very quick to give us a solution to the debacle before it was even a problem. 

As they cleared our table, our deserts came up, and there were "extra" charges for more premiere options in different sections, I highly regret not doing so with the deserts. I had ordered the "Suspiro" which was a coffee custard served alongside a passionfruit merengue, while my fiance ordered the "Combinado" (combined) which was an awesome arroz con leche with mazamorra morada (purple corn custard). I felt the Suspiro was good (7/10), but no where near as great as the arroz con leche on the Combinado (9/10). 

combinado (rear) & suspiro (front)

This whole experience was brought on by several things: the end of our summer lull, new jobs, several accomplishments, but also to bring on the times ahead, to take a break, to enjoy each others' company, and while not being able to be in Peru itself, to transport us there by the culinary arts of the Causa/Amazonia kitchen. It's true that in finer dining, which Amazonia does not claim itself to be, the portions are smaller, almost leaving us hungry for far more, but it's something that Amazonia seems to do well. Yes, I still wanted more, but I wasn't hungry. I was thoroughly satisfied, and my whole drive home, I was left with an awe of the food we had, reminiscing each bite. 

We are luckier than most to be able to experience some of DC's finer establishments from time to time, and Restaurant Week was a wonderful way to revisit a past favorite. While there are many other Peruvian restaurants around the DMV that we enjoy, Amazonia is on the top of our list, and one day, if the menu is done without any shellfish elements, I'll be the first to sign up and visit Causa, which I'm sure is an experience far beyond anything I have ever tried in the world of gastronomy. 

For now, Amazonia goes far beyond satisfying my Peruvian cravings, and I dream of the anticuchos often. The atmosphere, the music, the paintings on the walls. It's a wonderful restaurant to visit, and I think that despite the stumbles we might have had, it's one I can easily recommend to a friend, or take my fiancé to for a great time. I can not wait to go back soon, and I hope that I can visit again sooner rather than later.

Amazonia
920 Blagden Alley NW
Washington, DC 20001

Final Score: 7.7/10
Personal Rating: 8.5/10 - Strong flavors for the unfamiliar, but a wonderful culinary experience. Highly recommend.