The main facing me on the opposite barstool was Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld. He was a comfortable man, relaxed with life and with himself. His short blond hair was chic and modern, but looked like it was natural, like it was an essential part of who he was. His friendly demeanor was contagious, I wanted to return the attitude I was receiving. But it was his eyes that were windows to him, and what I responded most to. They were focused on me, but they couldn’t stop darting around, thinking, searching.
Mauricio is the owner of Chi Cha’s at 1624 U Street NW. If you haven’t heard of Chi Cha’s yet, cancel your plans and go check it out. The restaurant/bar/lounge offers modern Andean cuisine, a homemade creation of Mauricio and the chefs at Chi Cha’s. Mauricio has drawn on his Ecuadorian childhood in creating the recipes. The food ranges from Ensalada de Hongos (fresh mushrooms, yellow peppers, and red onions served in lemon vinaigrette dressing with cilantro) and Fritada (sautéed pork with garlic, onions, and cumin with mote and plantains) to Ceviche Mixto (shrimp, calamari, and flounder tossed in a light lemon dressing with plantains and tostados).
The bar has a namesake drink, described in the menu as a “mystical elixir of the ancient Incas,” and is a self-professed love potion. Its clear taste and red color leaves one feeling energized and clear-headed. Hookahs with flavored tobacco are available Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday for the enjoyment of the smoking customers, an addition due to his wife (and partner)’s suggestion, who was raised in Jordan.
But perhaps the most alluring part of the restaurant is its atmosphere. You can find everyone and anyone in this lounge. Noted as one of the hottest crossover (read as both gay and straight customers) social places in the U.S.already, Chi Cha’s offers a subdued yet lively meeting place. With random, eclectic couches and chairs scattered into clusters across the floor, your “circle” feels private and secluded. Yet on all sides of you are the same circles, and you cannot help but feel part of everything going on in the room. The bar is friendly and relaxed and brimming with multiple conversations and beautiful music (sometimes folk, sometimes Gitano, sometimes bossa nova) winding its way into your speech and head.
In fact, the entire bar feels like an extension, a physical manifestation, of Mauricio and his relaxed yet lively demeanor. The entire place was conceived of by Mauricio, a marketing genius whose influence has been felt in Washington for a number of years. Know those postcards by the bathrooms in bars and restaurants? He borrowed the idea from New York, transplanted it down here, and sold his business for a profit .Know Ozio’s, the first cigar and martini bar here in D.C.? He suggested the cigar aspect to his partner at the time.
He sold off his piece of Ozio’s earlier this year and opened Chi Cha’s, yet another very successful venture. The neighborhood has been very receptive to his presence there, especially since it has brought life back to the area. With Results opening on the same block, and the new fire and police station across the street, the area experiences much more foot traffic now.
Mauricio has created a wonderful place to see your friends and enjoy life. He decided before he opened it to go the extra mile to make Chi Cha’s different. He pushed his ideas to their limits and came up with a bar that is busy all week long. So come and sit in the low couches and high-backed chairs placed at random and crowded across the floor, and still feel space.