Landing on its Feet
At Mio, the search for a chef segues from predicament to opportunity

 

By Tom Sietsema
The Washington Post Magazine
Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008

 

Poor Mio. No sooner did its doors open last May than its chef had a change of heart, leaving owner Manuel Iguina in the lurch. He had little choice but to put his No. 2 guy in the top kitchen post, which the sous-chef didn't want, while looking for a replacement. Diners who dropped by Mio in its youth found a coolly attractive dining room and a menu that could soar or dip, depending on the day and who was at the helm; at one point, Iguina brought in a guest chef from Spain, who subsequently returned home. As recently as October, the forecast for Mio looked bleak.

Then something unexpected and wonderful happened. Stefano Frigerio had said arrivederci last spring to the four-star Maestro in Tysons Corner to pursue the dream of his own kitchen in Baltimore. But he says he discovered that the people who hired him to cook Italian there wanted "spaghetti and meatballs" rather than the haute cuisine he had learned to make during nine years as sous-chef under Fabio Trabocchi (Maestro's masterful chef, now at Fiamma in New York).

Six months into the gig in Charm City, Frigerio resigned.

The same week Frigerio quit, Iguina called.

Since January, when Frigerio came onboard, Mio has been serving the kind of food that finds you sitting up a little higher in your seat, eager to eat.

Some dishes -- a catfish sandwich at lunch -- are simple. Other recipes -- "beef carpaccio del Maestro" -- are complex. What the plates at the revived Mio all share is a high level of craftsmanship from a thoughtful artist.

If you never made it to Maestro before the dining room in the Ritz-Carlton closed in August, Mio is your chance to taste what some of the fuss was about. Frigerio reprises a few of his former employer's indulgences, tweaking the presentations to conform to his new environment. Thus, prime beef tenderloin stands in for Kobe beef in his carpaccio. Otherwise, the appetizer bears a striking resemblance to what was served at Maestro. Ruddy slices of rare meat are wrapped around marinated tofu and placed upright on their plate, each tiny tower capped with minced mushrooms and a Parmesan wafer or a sunny quail egg.

Another dish that suggests sophisticated origins is a dramatic "duo of hamachi," staged as dewy ceviche turbocharged with minced jalapeno and a "chop" from the loin of the fish, which is lightly grilled and arrives with a fine white bone protruding from it. Invigorating the scene is a bracing lemon sorbet, a snowlike scoop ringed with fruity olive oil.

Frigerio isn't overloading patrons with flights of fancy. Wisely, he keeps his menu short. Mio is a restaurant that refrains from using tablecloths but has every intention of impressing you. Too many restaurants feel compelled to serve chicken; this one bothers to offer pheasant, too, moist as can be and decked out with squiggly wands of fried parsnip. Venison is commonplace this season, but nowhere has it been better displayed than at Mio, where scarlet slices of juniper-marinated meat are interspersed with sheer coins of barely cooked cauliflower -- humble ingredients given a promotion. Luscious as the centerpiece is, it's bested on the china by dainty lengths of pasta filled with braised venison and rich foie gras. (Too bad there are only two pieces per plate.) Lamb is served two ways: as a roseate rack flecked with fresh thyme and as shaved leg meat over "crushed" potatoes laced with olive oil. Both are so appealing that you'll be glad they're offered together as a main course.

Mio's flaws are few. Occasionally, a dish delivers less than you want. (Beef croquettes, a lunch starter, have been bland.) The kitchen also needs to use its saltshaker with less abandon. The first time I tried Mio's sauteed shrimp, sprinkled with capers and accompanied by a pretty stack of fried spinach leaves, I couldn't eat more than two bites. Salt overwhelmed the assembly. On a second, less-seasoned encounter, I discovered the starter's potential. The spinach, each leaf encased in a light golden batter, is particularly delicious, although it needs to be eaten as soon as it comes to the table, while it's hot and crisp.

During Restaurant Week last month, Mio served a three-course menu, with several choices per course, that was a role model for participating establishments. If I close my eyes and think back, I can recall every detail of my $30.08 dinner, which began with smoked potato soup punctuated with tiny pillows of gnocchi and decorated with a froth of cream and Parmesan. The pleasure continued with a lovely piece of sea bass set off with a crisp square of skin; sharing the plate was a dill-flecked salad of shaved fennel and juicy citrus segments, plus a splash of blood orange sauce. A tangy round of Key lime pie signaled the end of the meal, which did exactly what it was supposed to do: encourage diners to return.

That's easy to consider, and not just because of what's on the plate. If you enjoy your liquids as much as your solids, Mio has you covered, with exceptional cocktails -- make mine a tangy margarita if it's dinner, a booze-free but refreshing mojito if it's lunch -- and an inviting wine program. It's a treat to see a number of wines by the glass sold for under two digits; the option of half-glasses; and small, respected producers from all over, especially Spain, Chile and Argentina. The restaurant also reminds us that you can drink well for $30 or so a bottle.

Mio is one of those rare dining rooms that engages patrons with its good bones but doesn't allow its looks to deflect attention from the food. The two-level space opens with an airy bar and lounge, where a piano is sometimes put to use by the owner's friend (Wednesday has become "Bohemian Night"), then spreads into three intimate dining areas separated by branchlike slats of dark wood that create see-through dividers. The light and dark blues of the servers' shirts are repeated in Mio's walls and open kitchen, a little stage that lets the cooks look out and the customers look in. If you're hunting for a place that buzzes with energy but won't wear out your ears, Mio is it (Spanish guitar music and Tony Bennett aid the cause).

Downtown Washington's restaurants are stocked with pretty hostesses and servers who can efficiently transport food from Point A to Point B. Maybe that's why I like the staff at Mio so much: They do more than just go through the motions. Iguina has worked in upscale restaurants for almost three decades, and he knows the difference between mannequins and people who can make you feel at home. The recent addition of a former lead server from Maestro could only add more polish.

It took him awhile, but Iguina also knows how to pick chefs. Frigerio makes a happy ending, but really, Mio's story has just begun.

 

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... Stefano Frigerio's ambition is considerable; the Mio (1110 Vermont Ave., NW; 202-955-0075) chef, the third in less than a year, wants to show that he's capable of dazzling diners every plate out with intricate arrangements and unexpected combinations of ingredients -- to show, in other words, that he's earned the right to run the show. Sometimes, as with a duo of hamachi with a cup of lemon sorbet, he gets cutesy; sometimes, he exhibits a weakness for odd flourishes, like edible flowers in a dish that hardly needs the embellishment. And he'd do well to understand that Mio is not Maestro, that he's no longer tasked with turning out elaborate, prix fixe tasting menus in which each course is judiciously (some might say preciously) portioned. I'm not one to say that size matters, but a plate of venison with only three slices of meat on it? That's an insult.

The fried catfish, with a mound of vinegared slaw, would put a Southern roadhouse to shame (such crunch!), while the wine-braised beef cheeks, which are almost as rich and unctuous as the potato puree they're served on, could make a Yankee pot roast jealous. A parmesan soup is remarkable for what it's not: it's not heavy, it's not even cheesy; it's topped off with a parmesan foam that accentuates the lightness of the broth; a handful of elegantly fashioned gnocchi, as light as you could hope for, bob in the liquid. As for that ballotine of foie gras -- it's surely one of the most sinful and satisfying things you can find on an area menu at the moment. Forget the edible flowers -- forget, even, the sweet corn toasts: instead, focus on the intensity and mouth-coating creaminess of the foie gras, which needs only its modest accent of coarse salt and a quick swipe through its drizzle of huckleberry sauce. ...

 

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For Immediate Release

Contact: Manny Flores 202.955.0075 manny@miorestaurant.com


Mio Restaurant Presents:

                                                                    ‘Taste of Malibu’


Washington, D.C., (October  11, 2007)—Proprietor Manuel Iguina welcomes guest speaker Laurence Vuelta of Malibu Family Wines for a five course wine pairing dinner alongside Mio’s very own Head Chef Roger Lemus.


‘Call it Southern California in a bottle. Semler Family is the new generation of Malibu Vintners who own the exquisite 1,000-acre Saddlerock Ranch estate. Nestled deep in Malibu’s Santa Monica Mountains, visitors may recognize the vineyard and unusual rock formations from over 100 movies, commercials and television shows filmed there. Perfectly positioned at the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains and within Saddle Rock-Malibu AVA, the vineyards are indeed special.  With the high altitude and separation from the coast, along with an ideal blend of weather conditions and rocky soil it’s the perfect environment for growing premium wine grapes. Enjoy each varietal’s inviting fruit-forward, new world essence.’
 

For more information, contact the Mio Restaurant at 1110 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC (202.955.0075) or visit the Website, www.miorestaurant.com.

 

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2003 Semler Cabernet Sauvignon

Roasted boneless quail stuffed with spinach, pine nuts, feta & served with seasonal mushrooms and red wine sauce

 

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2004 Semler Syrah

Braised veal cheeks with potato purée and seasonal mushroom sauce

 

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2004 Semler Merlot

Roasted medallions of venison with eggplant purée and

juniper berries

 

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Special Dessert Selection

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Washington, D.C. (May 14, 2007) – Beginning Wednesday, May 16th, Mio, the newest addition to Midtown D.C.’s burgeoning dining scene, will begin mid-week lunch service. Available Monday through Friday from 11:30AM to 2:30PM, Mio will feature a range of options, including salads, sandwiches, oven-roasted meats and seafood entrees to appeal to Midtown’s varied community of corporate and residential inhabitants. The full lunch menu is available below. Mio is located at 1110 Vermont Avenue, NW in the heart of Washington’s “Midtown” neighborhood, just two blocks from the McPherson Square metro accessed by the Orange and Blue lines.

 

For more information, please call the restaurant at 202-955-0075 or visit the website at www.miorestaurant.com. Mio Lunch Menu Soup of the day $8 Spinach, pea shoot and frisée with crispy Serrano ham, red pepper and blue cheese $10 Baby greens and warm goat cheese with roasted beets and grapefruit $10 Mackerel Nicoise on a large crouton, topped with sliced, boiled egg, pickled red onion and mini gold potato-green bean salad $13 Grilled salmon and roasted pineapple with citrus salad, frisée and radishes $14 Blue corn oyster po’ boy on a soft roll with spicy aioli, marinated tomato and chopped lettuce $12 Bowl of wild mushrooms and roasted garlic cloves with creamy polenta, tomato and escarole $13 Plate of thinly sliced cured meats and sharp cheese with tomato bread, spring mixed greens and sherry dressing $12 (Build your own sandwich…or not…)

 

You’re all about global influences. In fact, you’re the poster child, head to toe: Gucci trapeze dress (Italy), Balenciaga bag (France), Issey Miyake perfume (Japan). So your globe-trotting ways will be right at home at Mio. The new restaurant has chef John Paul Damato (of Jaleo fame) at the helm, and the menu has inspiration from as far as Northern Africa (check out the slow-roasted lamb with harissa broth) and as near as D.C.’s own backyard (don’t miss the locally foraged wild mushrooms with roasted garlic and polenta). Even the wine list reflects an international mindset: You’ll find boutique wineries from Chile, Australia, and Argentina alongside European selections. And with most entrees priced under $28 and appetizers under $15, dinner’s gotta be cheaper than feeding your global designer fetish. Then again, you will need something fabulous to be seen in. Mio, 1110 Vermont Avenue NW, at L Street (202-955-0075).