At first glance, a botanical garden welcomes you into the dim lighting, illuminating the ambiance with sole comfort. The provided atmosphere amidst Clio rests sophisticated yet blanketed with solace, enticing a perception intertwined with relief to kick back in reverence to an authentic Mediterranean dish. A modern space, hand-in-hand with an elevated Mediterranean bistro adorned with swinging vines across the confines, with bright tiles and woven tapestries draped throughout the restaurant, creating soft, natural textures that make the space feel warm and inviting. It’s a place where you can unwind with friends, enjoy shared plates, or settle in for a special date night, all while feeling briefly transported to a sun-drenched seaside terrace.
The waiters were very welcoming and came to serve us very quickly. Starting off with the appetizers, the crispy potatoes were smothered with cheese, truffle sauce, and seasonings. They had the perfect crispin each bite while being a bundle of flavor. These potatoes were definitely everyone’s favorite. Next was the hummus, muhammara, labneh, and the baba ganoush. The hummus was a creamy, savory spread that consists of chickpeas, garlic, and olive oil with other essentials. It was smooth and nutty that aligned perfectly with the pita bread. The muhammara was rich and flavorful, made with piquillo peppers and walnuts. The Aleppo chili adds mild heat, while the pomegranate gives a little sweetness. Fresh mint and parsley make the dip bright and fragrant. The labneh is thick and creamy, made from strained yogurt. Za’atar adds a warm, herby flavor, and chives give a fresh taste. A drizzle of olive oil makes it smooth and rich. The baba ganoush is creamy and smoky with tahini mixed in.
Pomegranate and roasted tomato add sweetness, while the garlic yogurt makes it rich and tangy. Pickled chili gives a little spice, and dill adds a fresh finish. The last appetizer was the wood roasted beets. The wood roasted beets were very new to almost everyone, so people were hesitant to try it. However, Jack and Corrine really liked the beets. Olivia thought, “The beets were a very pretty color and plated well.” They sat on top of creamy whipped feta that brought some salt and lightness to the dish. The dukkah, an Egyptian blend of toasted nuts, seeds, and spices, adds a crunchy, nutty topping, and the dill gives it a nice, herbal finish. Overall, it is a fresh, colorful dish with a mix of sweet, salty, and crunchy flavors. Angel very much disliked the beets because she tried to spit them out in her napkin. Overall, the appetizers were very different from each other and each person enjoyed one thing or the other.
For our mains we got the orzo pasta and the chicken kabob. The orzo pasta was a warm and flavorful dish. It has spicy merguez sausage, soft chickpeas, and sweet piquillo peppers. The olives add a salty taste, and the salsa verde gives it a fresh, bright flavor. The pecorino cheese melts on top, and the parsley makes it taste even fresher. Overall, it is a tasty and colorful dish with a mix of spicy, salty, and fresh flavors. The chicken kabob was also very delectable. They were full of flavor and they were very juicy. They came with saffron rice, vegetables like cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, and the creamy tzatziki sauce. Angel really loved the rice and the chicken was very well cooked.
Finally, you can’t forget about the desserts. The créme brûlée has a hard caramelized sugar layer and underneath was a rich, silky vanilla custard. It was sweet, but not too heavy and had a deep vanilla aroma with slightly bitter caramel notes from the burnt sugar. The affogato was a dessert made by pouring hot espresso over cold vanilla icecream. Affogato is Italian for “drowned” because the ice cream is “drowned” in the espresso. It was sweet and creamy with a bold, bitter, and aromatic espresso. Together, they create a rich, mocha-like flavor that’s both refreshing and indulgent. It came with a candle and people in the restaurant sang Happy Birthday to Angel because her father told the owners it was her Birthday.
In the end, we thought the atmosphere was very beautiful, some could say the food was very interesting and some may favor this mediterranean delicacy or maybe prefer mediterranean food from another not as fancy place. However, it is a good experience and you should definitely try it at least once, if not for the food, for the atmosphere.
Clio is located at 1202 Howard St. in the Old Market.
