Lime

Katie and I tested out Lime last night. Here’s the DL.

When I arrived, it was officially a “scene.” Happy hour from 4-6 brought all manner of folks looking for $5 drinks, and it was just winding down. I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a caipirinha as I waited for my sister. The bartender proceeded to dump two heaping tablespoons of raw turbinado sugar into a lowball, muddled a few slices of limes with it, and added crushed ice and cachaça, a liquor he described as falling between a rum and a tequila. It tasted pretty strong, but was a refreshing palate cleanser. I highly recommend this drink.

*Note: The second caipirinha I ordered, when at table, did not seem at all like the first. It did not have as many lime slices in it and was not mixed as well – tasted slightly watery. Hmph!

Katie arrived, and we were escorted to a banquette that overlooked the bar and open-air patio. We felt like we were in a prime spot and had great fun people-watching.

On to the food…

Ceviche: We’re ceviche noobs, so we ordered just one, the rather pedestrian shrimp and scallop with purple potatoes. It arrived as a tiny bite of food encircled with a plantain chip, with another chip for garnish. Neither of us was impressed, but being noobs, we’ll try it somewhere else before we offer our final verdict. Where's some good ceviche?

Chips and salsa: We ordered the sampler, with the salsa roja (rather mild tomato salsa with cilantro), guacamole (a bit “deconstructed” with chunks of avocado), and a fruit salsa (the my favorite and the spiciest of the bunch, with pineapple and strawberries). The corn chips were on the thick side, and they seemed stale-ish.

Empanada: This was my favorite bite of the evening. The empanada arrived piping hot atop a chili-barbeque sauce. When I cut into it, out oozed tender chicken and queso fresco. Mmmmm… taste memories…

Paella: Arrived piping hot in a cute little skillet. The mussels were “off," as in, not fresh. The rest of the ingredients were prepared well – creamy rice, chorizo, and other goodies. The single-size portion was perfect for my sis and me, who were gunning for dessert as usual.

For dessert, they were out of the Meyer-lemon custard, so we each got the chocolate tres leches cake topped with sour cream ice cream. The sour cream ice cream was perfect, but the brownie component was a bit dry, as if it had been frozen for too long. I’m especially familiar with this texture, as I only recently reached the end of my Guinness cupcakes.

As restaurants go, this one falls into the category of “glad we tried.” I would definitely return for an empanada and caipirinha at the bar after a long day at work, but probably not for dinner.