Venturing into Del Campo with Victor Albisu

Chef Victor Albisu is going back to his roots. Just one year after leaving his prestigious position as the executive chef of Washington D.C.’s BLT Steak, Albisu is opening two new Latin American eateries, Del Campo and Taco Bamba, in Washington. Both ventures, although different in style and concept, are a nod to his Latin heritage.

When asked about his two restaurants, Albisu loves to talk about the juxtaposition of his concepts. Del Campo, which opened last month, is fine dining meets the down-home concept of the South American grill; Taco Bamba, which opens today, June 17, in Fairfax County, is take-out tacos refined.

For Albisu, his differing concepts simply embrace both his upbringing and his experience in the food industry. One could say that Albisu himself, a first generation American whose cooking experience stems from his mom’s local butcher shop to his training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, is juxtaposed in an industry he was destined to thrive in.

Born in Northern Virginia to his Cuban father and Peruvian mother, Albisu hails his father’s family as instrumental in him choosing a career as a chef. He calls his grandfather and his mom his “true influences” in fostering his love of food and hospitality.

His grandfather was a Cuban baker and taught Albisu how to make empanadas. During childhood summers, he made coffee standing on milk crates in his aunt’s Cuban café in Miami.

“I enjoyed it at an early age, being in a kitchen and around food,” he said.  “It was a thrill.”

Family remains the centerpiece of Albisu’s restaurants. Every detail is significant to Albisu and deliberately implemented as an ode to his Latin American roots and he is meticulous in his interpretation of a culture he learned about as a child.

Next, the chef talks about what he’s serving up and why …

The sweet and savory empanadas that grace his Del Campo menu are a nod to his grandfather while his mother’s Peruvian heritage is captured in the variety of ceviches. To further solidify a connection to his upbringing, Taco Bamba is opening in the same strip mall where his mother’s butcher shop, Plaza Latina Market, is located.

Del Campo, meaning “from the country,” is wisely situated in one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the city, D.C.’s Penn Quarter. The upscale, full-service restaurant celebrates asado, the traditional South American grill, which Albisu explains as more than barbeque. In Latin American countries it means a large festive social gathering during which meats and wine are imbibed.

Albisu said that he learned to butcher from Argentineans and Uruguayans who worked with his mom and came to appreciate the asado as both a cooking style and as well as a day-long gathering. “With Del Campo, I want to reinvent that experience by bringing an elevated style of South American grill culture to Washington, D.C.”

The décor of Del Campo is a pleasant mix of both rustic and refined. According to Allison Cooke of Core, who designed the project, Albisu used his grandmother’s home as well as estancias, large country estates in South America, as inspiration. The 129-seat dining room and 36-seat bar area attempt to achieve the feel of a house: pitted concrete, faux finished walls and supple cowhides are mixed with warm wood floors, crystal chandeliers, antique mirrors and velvet seating.

The main focal point of the 5,800 square-foot restaurant is the nine-seat Asado Bar, or chef’s table. Patrons are close enough to the open-flamed grill to soak up the traditional smells of charred and smoked meats that the kitchen churns out. The rotating meat-centric menu that Albisu created includes a variety of grilled meats such as wagyu skirt steak, short ribs, chorizo, blood sausage, and veal sweet breads. They are served with flavorful herb sauces such as chimichurri and salsa verdes.

Next, the chef talks about what makes it on the grill …

For Albisu, there is nothing that can’t be charred. “Everything touches the grill,” he explained and once said, “I char everything that makes sense to char.” He loves to char vegetables adding to their flavor and texture, just as with his beet salad on the menu.

He is careful though to make the distinction between burnt and burned. “Burnt has a texture and a flavor that I find amazing. It’s an accent on a dish, an added tone,” he said.

A prolific guitarist, Albisu finds a natural correlation with music and cooking. “When I see an ingredient, there are different ways to play with it, present it, just like in rock and roll.”

With Taco Bamba, however, Albisu is trying to achieve a completely different tone. Located in Falls Church, Va., his authentic Mexican taqueria is strictly a carryout, counter service establishment. With no tables or chairs, patrons can stand and eat at the counter or take their tacos to go.

While the space may be no-frills, Albisu is not serving an ordinary taco. Rather, the $2 to $3 tacos will be filled with odd bits like sweetbreads and tongue, pork and pineapple, and chorizo straight from his mom’s butcher shop next door. Taco Bamba also serves as homage to Albisu’s youth. As a kid, he sold homemade Cuban sandwiches behind a “Victor’s Deli” sign in his mom’s market, then located in Alexandria.

“Tacos are one of my very favorite foods,” he said. “I want to take that kind of authenticity and make it accessible to people.”

While Del Campo is still in its infancy and Taco Bamba just opened, Albisu is happy he took the leap more than a year ago to become his own boss.

“For the first time in my career, I feel completely right with what I’m producing.”

Get a taste of Albisu’s cooking with his recipe for Burnt Tomato Salad. 

Burnt Tomato Salad with Grilled Goat Cheese and Anchovy Salsa Verde 

Get the full recipe.