Tucked away on Third St. between Park and Willow is a café so small, that if you blink as you’re passing by, you’ll certainly miss it.
Having discovered the Latin kitchen Ultramarinos on a dreaded ice breaker scavenger hunt, the eclectic décor and promise of an owner that has cooked for President Obama, won a James Beard Award, and owns two successful nearby restaurants (Zafra and Cucharamama) made me assure myself that I would go back.
Dragging a friend along, I set out in hopes of finding an inexpensive and filling dinner that would still please the pickiest foodie.
Did I, you ask? The answer to that is (in short) no, but give me a chance to explain.
Walking in to find empty chairs surrounding intimate-looking tables, walls filled with Latin American décor, and a single clerk behind a counter piled with pastries, we were rather confused at the ghost-town like, straight-out-of-a-magazine appearance but were subsequently greeted, handed menus, and told to order at the counter when ready.
The best deal and most dinner appropriate meal on the menu seemed to be “La Completa” which consisted of a soup, quarter of a grilled chicken, a salad, and a rice dish all for $14, so trying to sample as much as possible, we figured we could split that (opting for the Peruvian white bean stew, quinoa salad with Peruvian asparagus and mushrooms, and white rice with black beans) and a Cuban tamale and still have room (and the budget) for dessert.
The tamale came out first, and holy tamale, it was larger than any I had ever seen and (even better,) fantastically flavored. In a single bite, this spin on a traditional Mesoamerican dish delivered a light and fluffy texture explosion of ham and spices that satisfied without overpowering the senses. Needless to say, I was very hopeful heading into the main course.
I was definitely pleased with the amount of food our waitress brought out next – the portions of each of the main course items were well-sized and enough for two people.
The warm quinoa salad was delicately flavored thanks to the mushrooms, and the asparagus offered a pleasant crunch, but from there the meal unfortunately went downhill.
The soup was bland and flavorless, as was the rice, and most disappointing of all – the chicken was incredibly dry (it’s bad when even my non-foodie, will-eat-anything of a friend points the dryness out). We attempted to resurrect the meal by pouring some of the soup onto the chicken, which made it edible and slightly more pleasing, but substandard nonetheless.
We ate until we were full, which wasn’t hard considering the amount of food, but were nonetheless left unsatisfied.
Hoping for more from dessert, I chose the tres leches (one of my absolute favorite desserts) and, disappointed yet again, this time by the lack of bread pudding advertised on the menu, my friend went with jam thumbprint cookies and Nutella macaroons.
The tres leches was overly sweet (this coming from someone with a nasty sweet tooth) with too much leches and not enough cake. The jam cookies were nothing particularly special. Fortunately, the macaroons saved dessert. With their beautifully developed, creamy and smooth Nutella flavor that left a wonderfully pleasant but not overly sweet aftertaste, these tiny desserts packed so much joy into a tiny light and airy package.
All in all, though prices fall within college student range (“La Completa” is the most expensive item on the menu and our total including tip came to only $33), Ultramarinos is definitely not the place to go for dinner. I am not writing it off completely, but I was definitely expecting more from a place owned by a chef with such a long and prestigious list of accomplishments. Perhaps this café is better left for the likes of coffee and a snack.
