1. M Kitchen+Bar
By: José Manuel Taveras
Photography: Jochy Fersobe
Coordinates:
Address: Gustavo Mejía Ricart #88, Naco.
Phone Number: 809-412-2772
Opening hours and days: Mondays to Sundays
from 12:00P.M. to 12:00 A.M.
Local gastronomy enthusiasts have a new cause for celebration
with the opening of M Kitchen+ Bar. Located in the heart of the city
of Santo Domingo, this restaurant, distinguished for it’s double
height structure, impeccable decoration, and a cosmopolitan
atmosphere which reminds one of the great midtown Manhattan
dining rooms in New York City, specializes in meats and shellfish,
prepared with high quality and carefully selected, imported
products. With a capacity to seat 160 people and an excellent
team composed of 60 professionals between the floor and office,
the word disappointment does not exist in this organization’s
dictionary.
Founded with the main purpose of placing the customer in a
restaurant and bar offer, the M Kitchen+Bar opened its doors on
December 14, 2010 to reflect the great compromise which the chef
Mario (Marito) Rodríguez has with the audience that enjoys his
exceptional cuisine. This explains the origin of the M that belongs
to the name of the restaurant. Marito, who along with Carlos
Rodríguez and Alberto del Pino is also the owner, majored in
culinary arts at the world renowned Le Cordon Bleu School. When
he returned to the country, Rodriguez served as executive chef of
the famous “Marocha” restaurant and as chef owner of the HUE.
He is currently the corporate chef of The Gems Hospitality Group,
an enterprise that runs M Kitchen+Bar, HUE The Restaurant, and
Como en Casa (Just like Home).
The exquisite sauces and butters are served as a side dish to be
able to fully enjoy the unique selections that this place has to offer;
this includes juicy meats, like the 109 rib with a 48 ounce cut and
the 1 pound hamburger, which are all baked in a charcoal grill that
promises to offer intense and delicious flavors, since it was built
exclusively for this place. Foodies also have the option to
accompany all of these specialties with macaroni and cheese,
potato puree with garlic, broccoli, cheese appetizers, and a diverse

2. selection of salads. Other recommendations include the tuna
tartar, the dense crab soup, the burrata salad, a rustic lubina fish
covered in herbs, a rustic salmon with asparagus, and blue point
oysters.
The M grill-roasted beef tenderloin is the star of the house.
Originated in Colombia, this delicious carbon filet marinated in
sauce, comes well tied in a cloth and is served in a hot dish to be
brought to the table, where we finish cooking it, accordingly to the
people’s taste. The result is one very soft meat that wins everyone
over, with a taste that can only be found in this place. As a matter
of fact, the M is part of its name because it is the most
representative recipe of the establishment. Next up, M+Kitchen
Bar will be releasing new options for the public like prime meat
cuts and the Maine lobster, which respect the central concept of
the entity: top quality meats and shellfishes from the whole world.
The Alaska King Crab Legs are already available and so is the
Atlantic fresh salmon, the Rockefeller oysters and the Dover Sole,
a very appetizing and delicate white fish.
After having made a satisfactory selection from the wide menu, it’s
time for dessert, and what better choice to make than trying a treat
which will both sweeten our life and help contribute to a great
cause at the same time? Not only is “The Good Apple” the most
popular sweet dish of the restaurant, it is also the most solidary; for
each dessert unit sold, 100 pesos will go in to support the great
work that the “Caminantes por la vida” (Walkers for life) foundation
is doing. This initiative is a response to the brother Rodriguez’s
desire to collaborate with a personal cause that involves their
mother, Berthie Seliman, who unfortunately lost her battle with
breast cancer.
For the best tasting, we have to mention the great sensation that
one experiments when eating in the fresh and special terrace,
famous for its beautiful flower covered roof. Additionally, it has
available parking space for over 70 customers. In the future, there
are plans to open “The Dewar’s Scotch bar” and private saloons in
the second floor. The place is also open to corporate events, which
can all be organized with previous reservations.
There is no doubt that M+Kitchen Bar is distinguished for its
outstanding service and first class food. An excellent decision,
when planning to try something different and authentic. M+Kitchen

3. Bar has the ability of combining known recipes with original
seasonings and introducing dishes that make anyone feel like
they’re travelling to another part of the world, thanks to their
attention to detail when preparing anything. Simply, the best.