Like a good politician, Schlow is bonding with his new audience by playing up his links to the region. A round of tart margaritas (or better yet, margaritas flavored with hibiscus) evens things out. Octopus with pickled shallots and chickpeas is another so-so dish. The abundance of uneaten tuna seviche, which needs every drop of its lime wedge, is my unspoken response. “Is everything delicious?” a server wants to know. The mixed-media artist is responsible for the dining room’s distressed columns, edgy art and movable glass walls, which she painted using a turkey baster. For design help, Schlow turned to his wife, Adrienne. (Yue Wu/The Washington Post)Īnimating the stage set of a kitchen: executive chef George Rodrigues, late of the original Tico and a native of Brazil. Tico marks the local debut of owner Michael Schlow, a James Beard Foundation award winner based in Boston. Everyone’s remnants should go down so pleasingly. Schlow says he conceived the dish (“my attempt at a green salad”) one night at home from what he found in his refrigerator. Shredded cabbage, romano beans, asparagus, zucchini and crushed Marcona almonds, everything enlivened with a salsa verde vinaigrette, add up to a winning combination. I expect the cabbage salad, a beautiful study in green, to be the hit it is in Boston. Instead, patrons encounter tasty fried-fish tacos, chorizo risotto and tender lamb meatballs garnished with panes of ricotta salata and served in a robust tomato sauce. Schlow’s menu draws on his travels to Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, places where he says “there’s a zest for life and eating together.” The chef says he’s less concerned about serving food that’s authentic than about making sure it’s playful: “You’ll never see a paella,” for instance.

(A busy night isn’t exactly a hushed experience the shock absorbers above are best appreciated by those who are sitting rather than those who are standing.) Tico’s artful ceiling - pressed tin on one side, plum-colored panels on the other - is designed with soundproofing materials. Tico is 5,000 square feet dressed with 150 seats and a sea of bare wood tables. “Hearing,” he says of his maiden restaurant in the District, “is as important as tasting.”Īt first glance, it’s hard to believe the James Beard Foundation award winner. The “American restaurant with international influences” was built with all five senses in mind, says Michael Schlow, the decorated Boston-based chef with seven establishments around the country, including a Tico in Beantown. For all those diners weary of having to shout through a meal, some relief on 14th Street NW: Tico.

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