Really enjoyed the small plates at Sitti. There were so many good things on the menu. The olives and pickled veggies really stood out. Well worth heading downtown for.
We went to Jibarra last night for an early dinner. Bottom line is it was extremely good, and possibly better, though a bit different, than when they were in N. Raleigh. Overall, the menu has more of a small plate focus than before with lower prices to match.
They brought out an amuse which looked like a shot of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. It was actually a white bean puree with a chili like bean mixture underneath. IMO, that exactly what an amuse should be - whimsical.
We ordered some guac and queso fundido, two go to dishes from the old location. Bothh were just as remembered that is to say excellent. The guac was very fresh tasting and clean. The queso fundido was had three topping on separate portions of the cheese, poblano peppers, some kind of pork, and mushrooms. Tasty, just like I remember.
Next we ordered three more appetizers: Carnitas, Cochinia Pibil and Salmon Cebiche. The Carnitas was the only dish that I thought was poorly executed, as it was baby back ribs cooked confit style. I just thought a different cut of pork would have provided more meat, but that’s really a quibble. Cochinita Pibil is one of my favorite dishes in Mexican cuisine. It’s akin to Carolina BBQ and served with a habanero sauce and pickled red onions. Very tasty indeed. The Salmon cebiche was smoked salmon served in a round on a layer of avocado with some onion. Again, very tasty.
We ordered two entrees for the table to split: Carne Asada tacos and beef cheek tacos. They didn’t come out as pre-prepared tacos, but the dish of “food” with tortillas on the side. The carne asada had a mashed potato mixture mixed in. I thought that the meat was tasty, but the potatoes meant that the meat wasn’t crispy which is what I expect from carne asada. I wouldn’t order this dish again, but I recognize that it may be included to serve as a dish for an un-adventurous diner. The beef cheek was braised and served on top of a bit of phyllo with some chopped onion and a bit of cilantro on the side. The cheek was excellent and among the best of the night.
For dessert, we took the recommendation of the waiter and we were well served. It was a Butter-cream bread custard with mildly sweet zest-pulp marmalade and a rustic chocolate-clove-cinnamon ice cream (from their website). This was a wonderful dish. It was gooey and sticky, with a very nice interplay between the flavors.
As far as drinks, my wife had a mango chipotle margarita. This was very nice with fruit flavor up front and a nice rising spiciness on the late flavor. Overall, great, not too sweet.
Service was very welcoming. The staff thanked us for coming several times. Our waiter was a bit shaky at times, likely due to inexperience and possibly nerves, but this was easily overlooked based on his sincere effort. With such a recent opening, I would be inclined to forgive sub-standard service and the service at Jibarra was above expectations.
We got out of there for $99.90 before tip. We felt it was an excellent value for an evening out with our two kids. This is in contrast to Zely and Ritz where we had a lot less food for $125. We’re glad to have another reason to go downtown. I hope Jibarra does well in their new location.
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