A new Latin supper club is giving Clarendon another reason to stay out late.
Cielo, which opened June 16, is all about dichotomies: dark and light, good and evil, sweet and savory. The physical space is divided into what owner Michael Sina describes as a “heaven and hell” concept. One side is decked out in black, purple and gold with blood red bar stools and brocade banquettes; the other is an ethereal medley of white, gold, pink and sky with gold chandeliers and marble-inlay floors.
Even the arrival sequence to the second-floor restaurant at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Highland St. is on theme. Guests entering a lower-level “inferno” under the glow of a red LED sign must ascend an elevator gilded in gold leaf or climb a staircase with a gold-leaf railing to reach their destination.
The Spanish translation of Cielo is “heavenly” or “sky.” Sina says the experience is meant to feel transcendent, with live bands and DJs on the regular.
Latin Flavors
Contrasts also play into the menu by executive chef Daniel Lozano, who draws on his own Latin heritage and cooking experience at D.C.’s award-winning Seven Reasons. Tender ceviche is counterbalanced with hints of crunch from toasted corn and crispy calamari. Seared branzino with salty Castelvetrano olives finds a sweet counterpart in a drizzle of kiwi chimichurri.
Other temptations include Venezuelan-style braised short ribs with sweet-and-sour tomato jam, and yuca croquettes topped with spicy tuna. A Morita coffee-rubbed tomahawk steak is dry-aged in-house and finished with smoked paprika sea salt, chermoula and romesco sauce.
For a decadent finish, the dessert options include a chocolate mole tart (a brownie dressed up with sesame tuile and coffee mousse) and tropical indulgences such as pina colada mousse and passionfruit créme brûlée. The Fallen Coconut is a chocolate coconut shell filled with coconut cream, fresh mango and lemon sorbet.
Torrance Swain, a managing partner at District speakeasy 600 T, is the creator of Cielo’s intriguing cocktail menu. The En Vuelo, a photogenic twist on a French 75, is a heavenly blend of Cointreau and purple gin (which gets its hue from butterfly pea flower) topped off with Champagne and flowers.
Other must-sips include the foam-topped Ethereum (craft vodka, lemon, prickly pear, blue spirulina, rosewater and egg white) and the sinfully boozy Internal Conflict, a melange of mezcal, vodka and olive brine with a skewer of Manchego-stuffed olives.
Sina says a brunch service slated to begin in July will turn out fresh takes on classics. Think “French toast reimagined with a Latin twist.”
A Return to the Neighborhood
For Sina, Cielo’s debut is a homecoming of sorts. He started in the restaurant business more than 20 years ago as a cashier at the Red, Hot & Blue barbecue joint that previously occupied the same Clarendon address. Years later, he returned to the property to design the audio/visual system for The G.O.A.T., a two-story bar that operated there from 2017 to 2021. Now he’s back again, as owner and proprietor of his own club.
“Over the years, I worked with different restaurant owners, and I helped them develop their programs,” says the restaurateur, whose hospitality resume also includes stints at the D.C.-based South American fusion restaurant Lima Twist; the now-shuttered Living Room DC; and Rockwood, a sports bar in Gainesville.
“I always thought, ‘If I did it, I’ll do it this way,’ or ‘I’m going to learn from them to make sure I don’t repeat the same mistakes. My wife, Diana, introduced me to Latin culture, and I just fell in love with the food. So bit by bit, we were like, ‘OK, if we ever build our own restaurant, this is what we’re going to do.'”
The interior design, created in partnership with general manager Jasmine Karshenas, is scenic and highly curated. Designer Stacey Tranter, owner of Twin Diamonds Studios in Dunkirk, Maryland, collaborated with local artists to apply Venetian plaster to the walls. Custom imported chairs were made by an artist in London.
Sina is unfazed by Clarendon’s abundance of nightlife, including hot spots such as country-western saloon BOE, the ever-vibey Clarendon Ballroom, and Boulevard, which opened this spring in the former Wilson Hardware space with a rooftop bar called Solset. Young singles aren’t the only ones who enjoy a night on the town, he says. Cielo aims to fill a different niche.
“I didn’t want to repeat the same thing that everybody else is doing. Nowadays, if [my wife and I] want to go out, we want to have good food, good drinks. It’s more about quality versus quantity.”
Find Cielo at 1137 N. Highland St., Arlington (Clarendon)
