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Ceiba Celebrates Chile

May 22, 2009

Bienvenidos! The Toast and Host of Santiago, Chile
Chef Matias Palomo to Host Gastronomy Week at Ceiba, June 8-13, 2009

Chef Jeff Tunks and his team at Ceiba, a leading contemporary Latin American restaurant in the Mid-Atlantic, are excited to welcome Chef Matias Palomo as the host of Chilean Gastronomy week, June 8-13, 2009.

For his week-long residency, Chef Palomo has designed a five-course, prix fixe menu for $39 (with wines $59), that showcases the bounty of Chile as well his mastery of blending new and traditional techniques. For his amuse, Chef Palomo prepares his take on a classic Chilean street food: a Braised Beef Short Rib Sopaipilla. The first course, a Chilled Spicy Corn Soup incorporates the gentle heat of merken -- the national chili of Chile! – along with futuristic “popcorn powder.” The main course is a choice of contemporary “surf,” Chilean Sea Bass with Red Cabbage Gelatin, or classic “turf,” Beef Tenderloin with Potato Purée and Indigenous Mushrooms. The meal concludes with a Yoghurt and Chilean Olive Oil Mousse with basil-macerated berries, as well as a selection of Andean Cheeses and Wine Jelly.

Chef Matias Palomo is a lightening rod of culinary ambition and measured success in his adopted hometown: Santiago, Chile. His work in the kitchens of Juan Mari Arzak, Ferran Adrià, Daniel Boulud informed his mastery of classical techniques and molecular gastronomy. Palomo opened his restaurant Sukalde in the Chilean capital in 2006; and a late-night lounge, Raza in 2008. He received Chile’s highest culinary order in 2008 when he was elected Chef of the Year, at the tender age of 30. He is one to watch, and in May 2008, Food & Wine magazine agreed, naming Sukalde on their “Go” list of hottest global destinations.

If opting for wine, each course will be paired with a Chilean vintage that is outstanding in its field. Scott Clime, Wine & Beverage Director of Passion Food Hospitality selected vintages from the Colchagua, Curico and Maipo valleys. “Right now Chile is making great wines at very affordable prices, and the quality is going up,” says Clime. “I love the Sauvignon Blancs. They are very similar to those produced in an Old World Climate. Chile gets sunshine, cool nights and irrigation from the snow melts from the Andes. It’s a wine-makers paradise.”

Ceiba (701 14th Street NW, Washington, DC; 202.393.9383) is excited to introduce the nation’s capital to the talents of Chef Palomo and the bounty of Chile. A five-course prix fixe dinner will be available June 8-13. The cost is $39, with wines $59.

For more info on Ceiba follow Passion Food Hospitality on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/passionfoodhosp.