On the afternoon before its public opening, Imperfecto chef Enrique Limardo is in the kitchen, swiftly filleting John Dory for the evening’s service. Once cleaned, the delicate Australian fish will get pan-seared and served with green tomatoes, Parmesan foam, pine nuts, parsley oil jus, and potato puree. The dish is indicative of the new restaurant Limardo is opening with partner Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger, using ingredients that connect South American and Mediterranean cooking.
“In history, the Mediterranean transformed how South Americans prepared their food,” Limardo says. “I’m trying to find all those strings that connect South America with the Mediterranean and create new dishes.”
Limardo shares that these common threads are plentiful, be it tomatoes that migrated from the Americas into Italian cuisine or cumin, a dry spice native to the Mediterranean that’s Limardo notes has become popular in Venezuelan cooking. On Imperfecto’s debut menu, Old World foods like burrata and foie gras are paired with New World-inspired components like fried sourdough, plantain brioche, and soursop puree. Limardo wants each bite to be its own journey.
Imperfecto shares DNA with Seven Reasons, the vibrant, nationally acclaimed Latin American kitchen on 14th Street where Limardo is also executive chef and co-owner. The Venezuelan-born Limardo says he’s excited about fusing two distinct regions of the world through their history and food. The presentation is unapologetically refined, but the chef stops short of calling it fine dining, joking that he doesn’t like “boring restaurants.” There are no white tablecloths or overwhelming service here, and the music is kept upbeat.
Even the name Imperfecto is an acknowledgment that perfection is a utopia that can never be achieved. “The most important thing is the journey to try to pursue that,” he says.
A la carte appetizers are priced starting at $15, with entrees starting around $30 and optional truffle service at $45 an ounce. Soon, a chef’s table will offer six guests (eventually 12) a 10-course tasting menu for $140 a person. Cocktails command $15-$18 a piece and use everything from mezcal to cognac.
Limardo expects to change the menu frequently, leaning on what’s fresh and in season. Sustainability is also a guiding principle: Limardo repurposes food waste throughout the menu.
“All of the leftovers, we transform into something that we use in different dishes,” he says.
That transformation includes the John Dory carcasses, which get cooked down into a stock. Fruit and vegetable trimmings are burned and their ashes are folded into oil for marinating meat and other protein before grilling. Staff is also in conversation with building management to start up a rooftop herb garden.
The sunlit space, designed by OOAK Architects, is new construction that looks the part. The dining room and bar is accented with white arches and cyan blue walls and furnished with decor from around the world, including light fixtures from Sweden and floors made from custom-cut Italian marble. Further pops of color come from large art prints and natural greenery.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Imperfecto will offer indoor dining only at first, hoping to dial in that service before expanding out to its West End sidewalk sometime this spring. Takeout is also on hold.
“We want people first to experience the restaurant inside, because the vibe is so different from everything else,” says partner Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger.
It’s that energy and spirit of creativity that chef Limardo hopes will coax people out for an evening of sensory exploration, something that’s been hard find this past year.
“My goal is that people sit in the restaurant and travel, all the time” he says.
Imperfecto is located att 1124 23rd St. NW. Open Tuesday-Sunday 5 p.m.-11 p.m.
