By DCist Contributor Nathan Wilkinson
El Centro, the popular Richard Sandoval Mexican restaurant with locations in Logan Circle (1819 14th Sreet NW) and Georgetown (1218 Wisconsin Avenue NW) is unveiling a new “destination menu” that runs from May 1st to September 30. The Destination: Guadalajara menu includes dishes that showcase bold flavors from the street markets and taco stands to the fine dining establishments of the Mexican city. DCist was on the scene at a recent media dinner and sampled selections from the new menu.
Twice a year, Sandoval and his corporate chefs travel to a region of Mexico to research the area’s culinary heritage and celebrated foods. This summer’s additions to the El Centro menu will be available for lunch and dinner service and marked with a “*” symbol to note that they are exclusive and limited-time options.
El Centro Georgetown Chef Eleftherios Terry Natas takes his inspiration for the shrimp cocktail and heirloom tomato salad (both available only for dinner) from Guadalajara’s vibrant markets. “There’s the most extravagant produce you’ll ever see,” says Natas, pointing to the tomato salad with pickled corn salsa, avocado, warm goat cheese croutons, cilantro, and charred tomato vinaigrette. Fresh produce is also a feature in the shrimp cocktail, with citrus-poached shrimp, cucumber, avocado, cilantro, serrano toreado pepper, red onion, and buffalo cocktail sauce.
The queso fresco-stuffed empanadas de platano stand out as the most memorable appetizer, and, according to Natas, the hardest to execute. “You have to select a really ripe plantain and broil it just right for stuffing it.” This one-of-a-kind dish comes with a rich plum mole sauce, crema fresca, and almonds.
Destination: Guadalajara also offers a wide selection of tacos inspired by the city’s street vendors: there’s the hanger steak taco with crispy cheese and salsa roja, the crispy shrimp taco, and a fried chicken taco with Mexican slaw, grilled pineapple salsa, and chipotle aioli. More unusual offerings include the spicy pork chicharron taco with guacamole, pickled onion, and habanero salsa; the beef cheek taco; and the vegetarian taco with mushroom, squash, grilled scallions and a crispy cheese. But Nantas says he is most proud of the lamb skirt steak taco with cilantro, onion, avocado, and salsa verde. “Not many people are doing lamb tacos,” he notes.
Other dinner options include a Mexican shrimp pizza, a bacon-wrapped shrimp skewer, and cilantro BBQ pork ribs. “Most people think of Mexican food as just tacos,” Nantas says. “The chefs of Guadalajara on the forefront of the food scene really take pride in their food.”
El Centro serves lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday dinner begins at 5 p.m. Lunch specials are priced between $7.75 and $14.75, and dinner specials are between $8.55 and $21.25.
