Hot Tamale Rating: 3(1=worst, 5=best)
"Frou-frou" doesn't begin to express the inherent pretentiousness of what, without modern art, iconic photographs, antique kitsch, and strategic mood lighting, could easily be imagined as just another hole-in-the wall joint. The exorbitant prices also helped to separate this "Latin" establishment from other Mexican/El Salvadorian restaurants on the block. But the fanciness didn't end with the upscale appearances and prices; the "presentation" of the food in addition to taste is also an important marker at Rumberos. That is, if your food ever arrives...
Our culinary adventure started off promisingly enough. As the Tex-Mex-Trio and friends arrived, our compadres gathered at the bar to take advantage of the happy hour specials on a variety of beers from Latin America, as well as on mixed drinks and mojitos. Yum! Jason treated himself to an Argentine Quilmes beer, which, even with runaway Argentinean-style inflation, probably didn't cost anywhere near four dollar happy hour "special" price to produce, but regardless, it was smooth, refreshing, and all together worth it.
Leaving the bar, we were seated at a corner table with a prime, people-watching view of the street. Our dining experience began to unravel early, when we learned that the happy hour specials were only good at the bar. Bad play Rumberos. Glancing at the menu as the waiter delivered rustic white bread with olive oil to our table -- in place of the standard chips and salsa -- it became clear that this wasn't just a run of the mill Mexican restaurant with a face-lift, but a whole other beast.
The best way to understand Rumberos is by analogy, comparing Rumberos to Italian restaurants of today. Forty or fifty years ago, Italian restaurants were the hole-in-the-wall places that many other Mexican restaurants are today; places where you went for good food, in great quantities, without consideration for appearances. A generation later, however, Italian restaurants have gentrified, as the children and grandchildren of immigrants have prospered and become more affluent. Rumberos sets the trend of Mexican restaurant evolution, that we are likely to witness as Latino communities achieve greater prosperity over time, as Italian communities did in the last half of the 20th century. End societal culinary history lesson.
But more than just a fancy version of common Mexican restaurants in the area, Rumberos is also an amalgamation of the South American dishes into a unified Latin cuisine, much like Indian restaurants blend southern Indian, Kashmir, and Punjab flavors into what is labeled as "Indian."
Reviewing the menu, Alice and Jason decided to order and share several appetizers for their dinner. However, for service strike one – the appetizers arrived in advance of everyone else's meal, in spite of specifying that their set of appetizers was going to be their dinner.
Of the selections, Jason most enjoyed the Platano Relleno, baked plantain stuffed with mozzarella cheese, Venezuelan Zuleano style, and the Yuca frita with mojo sauce. The yucca was quite tender and moist with a hint of lemon, while the plantains smothered with cheese were sweet and savory. The Camarones Caribenos al ron, sautéed spicy shrimp with lemon, fresh herbs and flamed with dark rum, were very tasty. To round out their selection, Jason and Alice also sampled the Patacon Rumba, grilled flank steak with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and mashed green plantains. The steak was incredibly flavorful and tender. Without a doubt, the food was tasty, but the portions were decidedly small, even for appetizers.
Service strike two – Jaime, who actually ordered an appetizer as an appetizer, didn’t get his food until about 15 minutes later. He started with the Arepa de Aguacate, a grilled corn cake filled with avocado, red pepper, onion, tomato, white cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise. The roasted corn flavor of the arepa, a South American treat, stood up well to the creamy, fatty flavors of the stuffing, but the size of the appetizer left something to be desired. For an entrée, he had the Ropa Vieja, a Cuban stew of shredded beef served with black beans, white rice and a fried yellow plantain. The dish was a great blend of savory, sweet and starchy and the perfect pick for a cold night. (Would I have it again? Definitely.) Jaime washed it all down with a couple of Negro Modelos.
And Anna's dinner? It never came…
What’s that you say? Anna’s dinner never came? Was she sick? Was she sticking with ice water and Mexican lemon wedges in order to watch her girlish figure? Sadly, no. Anna ordered dinner, in fact, she even asked the waiter for his advice. She had narrowed the choices down to Ropa Vieja (an old favorite) and something a little more upscale to go along with the ambience – Camarones y Langosta al Ajillo (Per the menu since she never actually got to taste it: “Jumbo shrimp and lobster tail in garlic, parsley, white whine, and lemon juice sauce).
The waiter recommended the Shrimp and Lobster, so Anna said, “that sounds great – I’ll have the Camarones” (while pointing at it under the Entrée section of the menu). But , the shrimp never came. The lobster never came. What the waiter did bring for Anna was an appetizer order of Calamari. Not a big deal, Anna can understand that mistakes happen and she waited patiently for her meal.
However, after waiting and waiting, and watching everyone – Alice, Jason, Jaime, friends Dave and Cortney, finish their delicious looking meals, Anna finally canceled her order. After 2.5 hours in Rumberos, Anna had neither eaten nor received any sort of apology from the waiter or management. She came for a relaxing evening with good friends and good food, but she ended up going home stressed and hungry. Stressed AND hungry!
And, to top it all off, service strike number four – we had to send the bill back twice for corrections. And that’s after they refused to split the check when Alice and Jason had to leave early.
Taken together, Rumberos offered a cozy, elegant atmosphere with tantalizing appetizers and delicious main courses. The portions, value, and above all service (or utter lack of it) will leave you wanting, though.
- Location and Atmosphere: 4.5
- Service: 0
- Cost and Value: 2
- La Comida: 4
Rating:
Close to metro, great mood lighting, cool stuff on walls.
Why did you charge me for two meals when mine never came!
See the nickel-filet comparison above.
Quite impressive and delicious.
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1 comment:
I have a dissenting opinion here. Given the fact that I was given no food - NO FOOD!! - I think this place only deserves 1 Hot Tamale. And that 1 is only because I liked the ambiance. The ambiance, not the service. Definitely NOT the service.
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