Friday night date night with the roommate took us to Uptown to get our hair did and do a little shopping, and top the night off with dinner and drinks. We shook the Urban Spoon ap and landed on Chino Latino, which is a popular spot on Hennepin and Lake. Outside there is a sparkly, twinkly awning that hints at a party. Inside pumps some hot house music, and the crowd at 8:30 p.m. on a Friday night was dense and beautiful. Girls were dressed in their weekend semi-skank attire, lots of couples lined the hallway to get a table at what was clearly one of THE spots to check in at in Uptown. The bar glowed orange, and the vibe in the place was chic and cool. We felt a little underdressed in our jeans and flats, but the lighting in the dining area was dark enough where no one could tell we were less than perfect.
We had a great table facing the street, perfect for people watching - or so we thought. Instead we realized that our view was mainly our fellow Chino Latino patrons who stepped outside for a smoke.
The concept of this place was cool - food from places along the equator. There was a mix of Jamaican, Mexican, Indonesian, Korean (a little too far north I think, but I'll let it slide), Thai and some other cuisines in between. I had a margarita, which from their lengthy tequila selection you'd think would be amazing, but it was just OK. I've had better (shout out to Cempazuchi in Milwaukee!!!!). We ordered a sushi roll and queso fondido to start, although I have to say that mixing sushi with a cheese dish freaked me out a little. The sushi was incredibly disappointing. We ordered the Snoop Dogg roll, which was all fancy and expensive, but did not taste good. I should have learned by now that sushi anywhere other than a sushi restaurant is just never up to par. The queso was pretty tasty, how can you go wrong?, but the portion was a little hefty for something considered a "small plate to share." By that time, I was already on my way to being full. We ordered next the Dynamite Scallops which were listed in bold on the menu, suggesting "order me I'm a favorite!" Maybe we took it the wrong way, because it was not very good. A weird combo of ingredients left the plate a little mushy and the flavors confusing, and the rice puff cracker thingies were just a weird accompaniment.
We were both really disappointed, and while we both had a sweet tooth for dessert we agreed that we definitely didn't want to take a chance on this place satisfying the itch. For such a cool, pulsing scene the food at Chino Latino left something to be desired. I'd for sure head back for a cocktail (they did have some specialty drinks that sounded pretty enticing) but will certainly skip the food.
If you plan on taking a chance on this place, make a reservation and wear something black, skimpy and shiny. You'll fit right in.
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