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Xiomara is one of those places that I have been aware of since it opened, but just never made my way over there. Well … that’s not entirely true. I made my way over there, but opted for the spectacular tasting menu at Providence instead.

But when I saw that they had created a menu for Dine Out 2006, it seemed the perfect opportunity to try it. For more details about what Dine Out is, check out eatdrinknbmerry’s post about the event.

The gist is, it’s a fundraiser for a good cause, and local restaurants offer a three-course prix fixe meal for $35 to encourage people to take part. How could I refuse such an offer?

Upon entering, I noticed that the atmosphere was elegant, yet cosy at the same time. The furnishings were elegant as befits a dining room, but the brick wallslit by many candles provided the cosiness. It was like dining in a nice Cuban hotel … or something. I’ve never actually been in a nice Cuban hotel.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. My favorite Cuban food in L.A. is Versailles and no fancy presentations have ever been able to make me forget that garlic chicken with a heaping side of soft plantains helping to soak up that garlic sauce. Would Xiomara be able to compete? Well, I have to say that Versailles still remains my Cubano numero uno but Xiomara did pretty well for itself.

One thing I loved, probably more than anything else, was that as soon as we were seated, we were offered mojitos. Well, yes, of course, I will take one, thanks. The mojitos were made with fresh squeezed sugar cane juice that came from a special machine called “King Cane.” I like to think that now that I know his name, his majesty and I are pals. The mojitos got served in some clever slanty glasses that caused me a brief moment of panic when first set down and, I think, could get VERY tricky the more mojitos you have. I am pretty sure I was talked into more than one and I never quite got used to the slanting.

We are provided with a basket of fried cheesy bread and flat breads with black bean dip. Fried? Cheesy? We went through two rounds of these. We were also brought an amuse bouche that was called a “Spanish tortilla” by our waiter. It was kind of like a tiny omelette with chorizo, potato, bell pepper and little mounds on the side of tapenade, garlic aioli and pickled peppers. It was very good, especially with the little sides.

For first course I chose an organic baby green salad with citrus-shallot vinaigrette. The salad was larger than I expected with maybe a bit too much dressing, but otherwise was good. I much preferred the other first course, which was a potato, yellow bell pepper and asparagus soup in a chicken stock. It was rich and warm and went perfectly with the atmosphere.

For main course, I had the “Nuevo Cubano Chicken Patacones,” which was a grilled chicken breast on saffron rice with twice-fried green plantain. On reflection, I probably should have ordered a different meat because I was courting disappointment getting chicken and without that garlic sauce, the chicken just couldn’t compare. But the chicken was cooked perfectly and the saffron rice was fluffy and flavorful. I was really disappointed in the plantains. They were nothing like warm, tender, mouth-watering plantains that you would get at Versailles. These were dry and not too flavorful. I am sure they were just the way they were supposed to be, but that was not what my mouth has come to expect when it comes to plantains.

We finished off with a trio of tropical fruit sorbets. Well, at least that’s what it was supposed to be. It turned out to be strawberry, which was fine with me. It was a cool, refreshing finish to our dinner.

I would love to go back and try Xiomara’s regular menu. Some of the dishes looked tres unique and interesting — more daring than what was available on the Dine Out menu, which is not surprising. And I want my new friend, his majesty King Cane to make me some more mojitos!

Xiomara - Pasadena
69 N. Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA. 91103
(626) 796-2520

Xiomara - Melrose
6101 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA. 90036
(323) 461-0601

http://www.xiomararestaurant.com/index.htm

By KT (see more of her posts). You can find more of KT's writing at her own website Gastronomy 101.