Monday, December 19, 2011

Dining Out: Destino for Sunday Brunch

On Sunday, we finally made it out to Destino for brunch. (Lately most mornings I'm feeling too tired to leave the apartment, so cubes brings food to me.) In short, great flavor and healthy portions at reasonable prices. If you love Latin American flavors, add Destino to your list of must go to stops.
Dining Out: Brunch at Destino

Destino's brunch menu starts with favorites from their dinner menu - Ceviches, Lomo Saltado, and more - and adds traditional breakfast favorites such as Eggs Benedict, Huevos Rancheros, and Omelets. They also offer a three-course prix fixe for $24. (I ordered the prix fixe, expecting that the portions would be smaller than if I ordered the selections a la carte. I was wrong - the portions were the same!)

For my brunch, I chose the 3-course prix fixe as I couldn't decide between a couple of items. I had Triple Chocolate Chile Bunuelos (top right in the collage), Tacos de Pescado (bottom right in the collage), and Arepas con Ropa Vieja (top left in the collage). cubes went old school and ordered Eggs Benedict (bottom left in the collage). The bunuelos - chocolate fritters, cinnamon sugar, salted caramel, and vanilla bean creme anglaise - came out first. They were light and fluffy and melted in your mouth, with no hint of oil. The cinnamon sugar was applied with a light touch, balancing the chocolate nicely.

Next to come out was the Eggs Benedict that cubes ordered and the Arepas con Ropa Vieja. (The Arepas con Ropa Vieja is one of the items from their dinner menu. I fell in love with Ropa Vieja when we traveled to Puerto Rico on our honeymoon and am excited it's now available just around the corner.) The Ropa Vieja (braised pork shoulder with pineapple salsa) tops a Venezuelan cornmeal biscuit that is stuffed with Fontina cheese. The biscuit has a nice crust with no soggy or doughy spots. The ratio of biscuit to cheese was just right, both flavors come across in each bite. I didn't have one bite that was just biscuit. (I'm going to eat as many of these as I can while pregnant as the biscuits will be off limits when my dairy allergy returns.)

The last dish to arrive at our table was the Tacos de Pescado (again another one of the items from their dinner menu). Right now I love anything with Mango and this dish - Jerked Red Snapper with Serrano-Tomatillo Salsa - came topped with Brazilian Mango. This dish wasn't at the same level as the other two; the fish was unevenly cooked. I'd forgotten to ask for the fish cooked through (a requirement when pregnant) but luckily two of the tacos were cooked through. One of the tacos - luckily the one cubes grabbed - had the snapper cooked perfectly. With freshly squeezed lime juice, the flavors were similar to one of their ceviches (something I can't have at the moment and am craving intensely). I'll definitely be having more of these tacos.

If you're in a hurry to get your drinks or food, brunch at Destino might not be for you. We waited awhile for my orange juice to come to the table. (Waters were filled quickly, as was cubes' coffee which is made fresh and not your typical restaurant fare.) Once the food started arriving at the table, the pacing was good, but again there was a noticeable delay between when we ordered and when the food arrived. We'll definitely be back, but we'll make sure we have our iPhones so that we can Sanfransocialize. I definitely recommend giving Destino a try for brunch.

Bon Apetit!
Eden
 
Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.