It’s a rare thing when a restaurant serves up a nearly perfect meal, but the chic and newly relocated Latin Bites Cafe managed to do just that at a recent dinner. Chef Roberto Castre’s Peruvian-inspired tiradito-style sashimi dishes and ceviches practically quivered with their subtle combinations of sparkling seafood and chiles tossed variously with fruit, sweet potato or choclo (oversized corn kernels). Just as worthy were the cooked dishes, some of them in remarkable Easter egg colors.
But is it worth it? Indeed, this is a case of “you get what you pay for,” so polish up your credit card and go whole hog for a special occasion. Latin Bites is serving exceptional food and has some of the best ceviche in town. It now ranks alongside my other favorite for ceviche, Samba Grille (along with Concepción, chef Jonathan Jones’ new place at the former Oceans restaurant, which is just now getting up and running). There were 14 different kinds of ceviche on the Latin Bites menu, so there is simply no excuse for not ordering one if you love pristine seafood.
Latin Bites is new to the Tanglewood area. It began life on Nance Street in the warehouse district northeast of downtown in the odd little corner that once was Dharma Cafe and is now Oxheart. Back in its early days, it really was a “bite-sized” cafe. Today it’s a large and bustling dining room at the east end of an upscale strip center. The room is often packed with well-dressed Latin Americans from all over the city, though the neighborhood has also quickly adopted Latin Bites as its own.
The restaurant interior is light and airy, with white upholstery and muted gray and green accent colors. A jovial bar area occupies a back corner, and a private dining room is available. The bar produced a mighty fine pisco sour for us, and we followed up on it with a modest and pleasing Argentinean Pinot Noir. (Cocktail and wine prices are reasonable: Pisco sours are $8 each and the wine $11 per glass.)
The causitas (potatoes “for the cause,” a name that references Peruvian war history) are a must-order dish here. Three perfect rounds are distinctly and delicately flavored and each is topped with a different delicious accoutrement. They look like pastel bonbons, almost too pretty too eat though we managed to do just that. The golden “bonbon” was flavored with aji amarillo, a yellow, fruity chile and topped with shrimp escabeche (lightly pickled shrimp). The orange one has aji rocoto chile and is topped with a chicken salad that would make your Mom reconsider her recipe. The light green version is flavored with spinach and basil and topped with roasted piquillo peppers and black olive mayonnaise.
My one bit of disappointment was with the anticuchos. These were thin slices of marinated beef heart, which meant they had the opportunity to dry out on the grill. By contrast, Piqueo serves antichuhos that have been diced into large cubes, which allow them to remain moist. Also, for $16, the portion of a few thin slices on skewers seemed meager.
Lomo saltado is the Peruvian answer to steak frites (steak and French fries), and Latin Bites serves an outstanding version. The outside has beautiful char and perfect grill marks. The flavor has the slightest tartness from the marinade that sets off the beef flavor nicely. You can sense the Asian influence in this dish with its faint flavors of oyster sauce and soy sauce. It’s served with both fried potatoes and rice.
Seco de cordero is a lamb stew ramped up with cilantro. The flavors were great, though the portion seemed smaller than expected for a stew. I anticipated a bowl of it, American-style, but instead a modest portion is spooned over yucca fries. Tacu tacu, the famous Peruvian rice and beans dish, is also served alongside. Overall, it was quite pleasing and unusual, but I confess that I preferred the lomo saltado in its lush bath of wine sauce.
Picarones, Peruvian-style doughnuts, served with fig syrup and chirimoya gelato, were a perfect finish to the meal. Chirimoyas are often referred to as “custard apples” because the green fruit has a creamy interior that tastes like mixed fruit. Some even compare the flavor to bubble gum. Either way, it made for a delicious gelato ingredient.
It’s difficult to see Latin Bites when you’re driving down Woodway, so just trust the address and turn into the shopping center at 5709 Woodway. It’s in the far back corner. Also, be warned that Google maps still believes it to be in the old Nance Street location. Find your way there sooner rather than later. You won’t regret it.
LATIN BITES CAFE, 5709 Woodway bet. Chimney Rock &t Bering, 713-229-8369, latinbitescafe.com