How is the exclusive Argentine restaurant that has a Michelin star

“I lost my voice from screaming and running around the restaurant. We hugged each other amongst all the workers and we didn’t stop jumping,” he says Ezequiel Vasquez GearA 35-year-old Argentinean and one of the owners of the restaurant incompletespecializes in Latin American cuisine, in Washington DC, United States. Last Wednesday he got a Michelin starTogether with others 23 institutions Taste the food.

to Enrique Limardo, a 46-year-old Venezuelan, Vázquez-Ger partner and chef of the venue, the award was unexpected. “I was at home lying watching a movie. I had already refused to give it to us, continuing to work so hard, when I saw the phone: Ezequiel sent me about 250 messages in a row, I called him and told me the news. I was thrilled and ran to the restaurant to celebrate with them,” says Limardo. Nation.

Vázquez-Ger, born in Buenos Aires City A graduate in economics from the Argentine Catholic University (UCA), he never imagined that he would end up in the field of gastronomy in the United States. He traveled to Washington, D.C. in 2010, and four years later, he met Limardo. “I never imagined having a restaurant. My wife and I were fascinated by Enrique’s food and started a process. During Eight months we went to more than 100 restaurantsanalyzing each of the variables: the number of chairs, the items on the menu, the average prices, the cocktails … We have an Excel program with all that data which allowed us to decide where we want to be and mitigate the risks from the start,” he explains in detail.

Vázquez-Ger Ezequiel is responsible for Accounts, Creative, External Relations and Business Marketing. Together with Limardo Imperfect opened in March 2021, Which was their second restaurant after the opening of Seven Reasons, located in the same city, which they have run since April 2019 and which was the leader in ranking Washington Post by food critic Tom Setsima in October of the same year.

The backbone of Imperfecto, according to Limardo, is the Mediterranean: “But I incorporate a lot of Latin DNA. I make many combinations: I use Italian elements and combine them with Peruvian, and there is also a very subtle Asian touch. But the main inspiration is everything that surrounds the sea Mediterranean White”.

One of the most popular dishes is the suckling pig served with almond squash ($51). Also moussaka style Greek ($22) or vegetarian fish or broccoli ($28). “Enrique for me is the best chef in the world. Their dishes are full of colour,” highlights Vázquez-Ger.

The table has a Michelin star Chef’s tablein the main dining room, which is reserved for 12 diners, where a tasting menu Various on request and cost $210 per person. Among the options, there are flavors like salmon The king prayedSea urchin, tiger milk, strawberry, sirloin Wagyuduck breast or firefly squid fried in tempura with spicy mayonnaise.

Among the sweets there are raspberry and mint sherbet or so-called “Betty Four”: muffin, truffle cheese cake Guava and milk chocolate truffles Yuzu.

Hoy Imperfecto has 90 chairs in the dining room, 35 in the patio and a private room for 20 people, plus Chef’s table. The restaurant has a waiting list. “We were doing very well, but after the news Incredibly increased bookings. “We’ve got a good ride,” Ezequiel says.

It is located in a “ultra-modern and luxurious building, in the very elegance From the city”, the ex-president of Argentina tasted his dishes Mauricio Macriformer Security Minister Patricia Bullrich or Ricardo Lopez Murphy. “Michelle Obama Came twice. He told us he thought we were a little expensive, as a joke,” says Ezequiel.

In addition, they are on the right track with their following projects: opening a restaurant in Virginia, which they are planning in June 2023. They are also working to include a Spanish-influenced restaurant with Latin American touches, which they will call Saga; Besides another they intend to call Joy from Seven Reasons, “more casual than every day,” adds Ezequiel.