After nearly a decade of trying to get my parents to try fine dining, I convinced them to let me take them to Mita for their 70th birthdays. My father is pescatarian and my mother is vegetarian so an all-veg restaurant was perfect for them. The short version of the story is that Mita delivered an incredible meal and an experience none of us will ever forget.
We were lucky enough to secure the four-person chef's counter (really a pastry counter) for our meal.
Courses:
The first two courses are served together and introduced as being the elements of fire, earth and water.
The first course (picture 3), a soft Guava candy covered in tajin and wrapped in an edible rice paper wrapper sits on an incense pot covered with a cactus paddle was a very fun start to the meal with a really lovely texture and strong guava flavor. The candy pairs incredibly well with the masa tart (picture 4) which was crisp and light.
I'll admit I was concerned for a second after eating the Buñuelos (picture 4) which was something like a luxury hushpuppy. The huitlacoche and thick dough were delicious, but it was overall incredibly rich and a bit decadent for so early in the meal. I shouldn't have been worried though as the acidity of the tomato soup (Picture 5) cut it perfectly.
At this point, my parents' concerns about this not being for them have already been assuaged. I explain that we have 10 courses to go and they looked pretty pleased about it.
The Arepas (picture 6) were a very cute start to the "Roots" section of the menu. Five different kinds of Arepas paired with an avocado/herb oil, vegan sour cream, and a chontaduro/pineapple spread. Honestly, I'd have loved 2-3 more of each arepa just to try all the combos.
The Picaron (Picture 7) made my mother cry it was so good. As a vegetarian for the past 54 years, she is used to being very disappointed by the offerings at various restaurants. Having something like this where vegetables were made to taste so good and she didn't even need to consider her dietary restrictions was an amazing experience for her. While I didn't start to cry, I agree that the dish was fantastic.
Parsnip soup (Picture 8) and watermelon "ceviche" (Picture 9) rounded out this part of the menu. Both delicious again, but not life changing.
"History" is the last savory section of the menu. As you might expect, these flavors felt more traditional.
The gnocchi (Picture 10) had a unique texture from the malanga used as their base that our party was split on (personally I found it really fun) but everyone agreed the malanga crisps on top were super fun to eat.
Rice with pigeon peas (arroz con gandules) (Picture 11) is a classic for a reason and the high quality of the peas and the sauce (aji amarillo based I think) really stood out.
Sadly, for me, the final savory (Picture 12) dish was a bit of a miss. The tamale, carrot and dehydrated topping were excellent, but I found the cashew foam a hair off in flavor and mushrooms to be overly salty. This was also the only dish from the kitchen where we saw any mistakes, with one member of our party not getting the herb oil at the top of the plate.
Mignardise is called the "Sweet Journey" and starts off with a hilariously tiny spoon (Picture 13) and a ceramic "egg" (Picture 14) filled with Soursop granita, candied fennel seed, pickled green strawberries and a yuzu gel. The flavor combination is incredible and was a personal favorite.
The main dessert (Picture 15) is one of the most unique I've had in a long time. The amazake was served as a custard which when eaten by itself was slightly odd but formed a delicious combination with the agave topper, yuzu gel and lemon/thyme pate de fruit. Another of my favorite sweet courses of the past year.
A simple pineapple/lime sorbet ( Picture 16) and a Cocada (Picture 17) (which was surprisingly similar to a Jewish macaroon) rounded out mignardise and the meal.
While the meal as a whole was great, dessert was made even more impressive when we discovered that Chef Nicolas, Mita's chef de patisserie, is only 21 and less than a few years out of culinary school. Crazy to see someone so junior in this role at a starred restaurant but extremely easy to understand having tasted his work. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does over the next few years.
Overall, Mita was fantastic and I'd highly recommend it. You can feel the influence from many of the staff having worked at El Cielo, but the Mita menu felt that it flowed together a tiny bit better than "the experience" at El Cielo in my opinion.
The numbers:
13 courses (12 on menu, one surprise)
$165/pp ($217 including service and tax)
2:05 from seating to final bites, pacing was excellent
by swindy92