Last night, we were having fun in a Brazilian beach house. Well, not a beach house, per se. More of a
restaurant. And, technically, it wasn’t Brazil. It was the Warehouse District. But it was the
first night of chef John Manion’s long-awaited La Sirena Clandestina. Here are five important
things we learned.
There’s more to pisco than you thought: Sure, they have classic pisco sours, but... you’ll soon find yourself dabbling in pisco updates like Punch Drunk in Búzios, an homage to Brigitte Bardot, who bikinied her way through Brazil before you were born.
About that whole Brigitte Bardot thing: Picture Brazil in the 1960s. Sérgio Mendes. Bossa nova. Brigitte Bardot dressed as a mermaid. Now imagine that in restaurant form: warm lighting. Victorian banquettes. Poi Dog Pondering’s Frank Orrall curating the Latin-tinged mood music. That’s this.
You’re okay in jeans: Moto, Next and the Aviary may be across the street, but here the vibe is casual. All neckties should be appropriately loosened.
It’s mainly big South American flavor: Manion’s dishes remind you of pre-rumba dinner on a Rio beach (lobster tail with a squeeze of lime) or at that boisterous parrilla in Buenos Aires (steak with chimichurri).
But your Midwestern grandma will recognize it: There’s also brussels sprouts with manchego, and chicken thighs with chilies and rapini.
Unfortunately, they can’t reconnect Nana with Pelé.
There’s more to pisco than you thought: Sure, they have classic pisco sours, but... you’ll soon find yourself dabbling in pisco updates like Punch Drunk in Búzios, an homage to Brigitte Bardot, who bikinied her way through Brazil before you were born.
About that whole Brigitte Bardot thing: Picture Brazil in the 1960s. Sérgio Mendes. Bossa nova. Brigitte Bardot dressed as a mermaid. Now imagine that in restaurant form: warm lighting. Victorian banquettes. Poi Dog Pondering’s Frank Orrall curating the Latin-tinged mood music. That’s this.
You’re okay in jeans: Moto, Next and the Aviary may be across the street, but here the vibe is casual. All neckties should be appropriately loosened.
It’s mainly big South American flavor: Manion’s dishes remind you of pre-rumba dinner on a Rio beach (lobster tail with a squeeze of lime) or at that boisterous parrilla in Buenos Aires (steak with chimichurri).
But your Midwestern grandma will recognize it: There’s also brussels sprouts with manchego, and chicken thighs with chilies and rapini.
Unfortunately, they can’t reconnect Nana with Pelé.
