Desnuda

• Cuisine(s): Seafood, South American
  Hours: Sun 2pm-12am, Mon-Sat 6pm-2am
  Price: $$$
• Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, American Express
  Serving: Dinner, Late Night, Snack Food
  Alcohol: Beer, Wine
• Reservations: Not Accepted
  Parking: No Parking

Description

Desnuda looks like a typical upscale wine bar, but feels like a night in your stoner friend's basement -- a friend who just happens to have a cooler full of fish, a rack of nice wine, and a head full of good ideas. The place specializes in South American wines and "new world ceviche" which generally seems to mean that chef Christian Zammas does whatever he feels like. The chef putters around behind the bar (there's no kitchen) armed with a sushi-bar-style cooler of fish, a cutting board, a bunch of spices, a blowtorch, a bong (for smoking fish!), and one infrequently used burner. One night, our favorite ceviche was made from Spanish mackerel -- a red heap of the oily fish dressed with a pungent mix of shallots, coconut, lime, and a whole lot of smoked paprika. Despite the many strong flavors at work, it tasted wonderfully balanced. Don't miss the bong-smoked oysters.