For complete articles:
Manna from Maricel
Published
in the Asbury Park Press 4/28/04
By
ANDREA CLURFELD
FOOD EDITOR
A
jug-size glass jar of Catalan olives pocked with snippets of this and
seeds of that sits on the bar of Cucharamama. You don't need to taste
even one to feel lively heat and spice roll across your tongue, teasing,
tickling, but never torturing. They're a wake-up call, these olives,
to senses dulled by copycat dishes, to tract-housing cuisines you can
snooze through.
STAFF
PHOTO: DARYL STONE
Maricel
Presilla at Cucharamama in Hoboken.
Check out the batán, the grinding stone of the Andes. It's used
to pulverize peppers, peanuts, cornmeal. Cucharamama couldn't exist
without it. In another jumbo jar, eggplant escabeche is curing. Don't
touch it, just yet; it's not ready. Behind the bar is an adobe oven,
where Natalia Machado is feeding wood into hungry flames that soon will
bake empanadas of beef studded with raisins, olives, eggs and chilies.
That oven also will roast suckling pig and baby lamb, coax seasonings
into the meat of quail, char onions and peppers, and cause the bottoms
of breads and pizzas to blister and blacken in tiny, tasty patches.
"There
are a lot of possibilities for the oven," says Maricel Presilla,
the executive chef and co-owner of the most exciting restaurant to open
this year in New Jersey.
It's
her second, and Cucharamama follows its older, smaller and more casual
sibling Zafra on the skinny streets of Hoboken. The restaurant, which
unlocked its doors last weekend to near-frenzied crowds craving the
oven-cooked specialties of the house, opens at a bursting time of life
for Presilla.
America's leading Latina culinary scholar is readying for her debut
May 10 at the James Beard Awards where, on the most hallowed night in
the food world, she will be the first female restaurant chef from New
Jersey to cook at the awards' reception. She recently handed in to publisher
W.W. Norton the manuscript for what promises to be the definitive book
on Latin American cuisines. And she's been putting the finishing touches
on Cucharamama, which means, in parts of South America, "big spoon."
It's the restaurant she's been working toward since 1970, when a teenage
Maricel came with the Freedom Flights from Cuba to the United States.
On
this day, a couple of weeks before Cucharamama opens, Presilla and her
business partner Clara Chaumont are immersed in all the last-minute
restaurant-opening details. There are endless tastings: Should sous
chef Machado leave the quail in the oven 30 seconds longer? Which pizza
toppings will make the cut? How is the slab bacon, marinated in hot
peppers, bitter orange juice and brown sugar? There are ceviches to
consider, tamales of all styles from Latin American countries, rice
and bean dishes, big, juicy steaks, braises and lots of things from
Peru.
"Peruvians
use lot of chilies and hot peppers," Presilla says, "and I
love hot peppers. The Andes has a great repertoire of hot peppers --
I could not live without them here."
STAFF
PHOTO: DARYL STONE
Inside,
chef/co-owner Maricel Presilla has filled the evocative space with art
work from South America.
Presilla's palate is well cultivated in all things Latin American.
"I
have gone to every country, every region not once, not twice, but three,
four and five times," she says. She's not exactly a tourist, either.
She's accompanied archaeologists on digs, plumbed the deep histories
of villages and farms for book projects, explored the vast and varied
countries as a culinary anthropologist to cull recipes from sources.
She's
done this for more than 30 years, since she started college in Miami
and met a professor, Piedad Robertson, who "opened the food world"
for her.
"Piedad
cooked from Julia Child, so I began cooking from Julia Child, too,"
Presilla says. "I Cubanized Julia Child. I started reading Gourmet
magazine; that was my first inkling of that world. I'd come from a home
in Cuba of fantastic cooks, and the kind of food I enjoyed was bourgeois
Cuban food, dignified Cuban food, served nicely."
Presilla's
arrival in the United States coincided with a blossoming American culinary
consciousness. For a few years, she sopped up history and cuisines,
then left for Spain as a newlywed to join her husband. She studied medieval
history, while spouse Alex pursued a medical degree.
"Spain
marked me very strongly," she says. Indeed, she adds, "Latin
America is the heir of medieval Spain. By understanding Spain, you understand
Latin American cultures."
The
young couple returned to the States just in time for the Bicentennial
celebration, driving north from Miami to Philadelphia and onto New York.
"The Hudson!" Presilla exclaims. "Seeing that water was
so great."
They
settled in the city. While her husband served his internship, Presilla
enrolled in graduate school at New York University. For a dozen years,
she juggled masters and doctoral studies with a burgeoning culinary
career, finding another mentor in fellow medievalist Norman Cantor,
a professor and dean at NYU.
STAFF
PHOTO: DARYL STONE
Tables
at Cucharamama.
Food became the thread in her studies. "I was constantly thinking
about food -- as history -- paying attention to what people ate."
Meanwhile, a transplanted chef from Barcelona named Montse Guillen linked
Presilla to the pulsating restaurant world in New York, including The
Ballroom, the city's first upscale authentic tapas bar. Its chef-owner
Felipe Rojas-Lombard invited her into his kitchen.
"I
made flan -- and it sold! I looked at people in the dining room eating
my flan and I thought, 'This is cool!' That was it for me," she
says. Cooking for a curious public was in her soul.
Presilla
and her husband moved to New Jersey, where the avid medievalist taught
history at Rutgers. Eventually, they settled in Weehawken. She began
writing books, first children's books, then food-focused books. She
developed products for Campbell's, hosted a radio program and, finally,
in 2000, opened Zafra to smashing success.
But
Cucharamama was always on her mind.
"You
see, street food is my inspiration," Presilla says. "I'm a
teacher, always a teacher, and I believe food preparation has to be
going on in front of people. I don't see food preparation as detached
from people."
Hence,
the oven that draws your eye the second you walk into Cucharamama. The
jug of marinating olives or escabeche or slab of bacon. And the batari.
"Cucharamama
is about artisanal South American cooking, a place where everything
is done by hand," Presilla says. "It's time-consuming, yes.
We will not be taking the short road."
Presilla's
own journey has landed her -- for good -- in New Jersey, where, she
believes, kitchens manned by new immigrants bringing true tastes of
homeland cooking beat out big cities where trendy fare dominates.
"New
Jersey is not second best any more. I am so happy here. I love my customers
-- they're young and they're excited about eating new foods," she
says. "My (former) students are coming here! I feel like I'm living
history now, and I'm happy -- very happy -- with the way it's turned
out."
STAFF
PHOTO: DARYL STONE
A
big spoon serves as the door handle at the entrance.
Maricel Presilla's forthcoming book on Latin American cuisines may not
yet have a title, but she's eager to share both the knowledge and recipes
it contains. You also can visit Cucharamama at 233 Clinton St., Hoboken,
(201-420-1700) to sample her distinctive artisanal South American cooking.
Eating Out: Cucharamama in Hoboken
Friday, January 27, 2006
By PATRICIA MACK
FOOD EDITOR
from The Record (NorthJersey.com)
You'll hold the symbol of Cucharamama in your hand when you enter this unique and exciting Hoboken restaurant.
The front door handle is a long, oversized spoon -- the "mother spoon," which is what cucharamama means. It is the symbol of power in the kitchen, and power in the kitchen is what you'll find at this restaurant that serves wonderful artisanal food from eight South American nations, as interpreted by scholar-turned-chef Maricel Presilla.
Presilla and her business partner, Clara Chaumont, who tends the restaurant's front end, created a sensation when they opened Zafra, the highly praised Cuban restaurant on nearby Willow Street.
For Cucharamama, they've tapped into the cuisines of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. On the menu, you'll find two pages of tamales, ceviches, empanadas and a host of other "small plate" temptations that ordered separately or together constitute a generous meal. On the menu's back cover is a list of exotic entrees. The restaurant staff, dressed in black with bright, oversized ties, are conscientious and knowledgeable, able to explain to a neophyte like me the wonders of South American food. Although I am not an expert on the authenticity of Latino cuisine, I am an expert on "yummy," and for that, Cucharamama's food rates extremely high.
The cooking is vibrant and smart. For instance, the piqueo (appetizer list) included chicharron de pollo novoandino ($8) – Peruvian-style, crunchy, quinoa-crusted chicken fingers served with a vibrant and tangy "Chino-Latino" sauce.
One bite and I adored them, proving what I hoped when I first walked through the door: I was in for a magical meal.
First impressions don't always count when it comes to restaurants. A place that looks drop-dead gorgeous can have such rank food that glamour and glitz fade to nothing. But at Cucharamama, the warm and welcoming decor is an accurate indication of the wonders to come.
Granted, I was a bit confounded when I encountered heavy blankets draping the entry. But when you push them aside, you're welcomed into a room where dinner unfolds against a colorful background of mosaic tiles, ancient artifacts and native paintings. At the heart of the restaurant is el horno – the wood-burning stove -- where chefs cook dishes such as chorizo Argentino con pimientos y cebolla ($9), a scintillating, perfectly seasoned Argentinian sausage, crisped and sweating from the oven, served with slivers of bright red roasted peppers, onions and a vinegary red chimichurri sauce.
They also turn out thin-crusted, 6-inch "pizzas" with distinctive toppings – Spanish Serrano ham, manchego cheese, dried cod, red onion and Andean aji Amarillo, a fiery dried chili.
Although there are far fewer main dishes to consider, give yourself time over this list. One description is more intriguing than the next.
I decided on costillas de res con costra de papelon y mostaza quinoa y acelga salteada ($22). An oversized plate is heaped with huge beef short ribs from South American-raised stock. The short ribs are covered in a rich wine sauce as dark and shiny as patent leather. The meat is tender from long, slow cooking, and sauteed bitter greens and stir-fried quinoa, (the ancient Incan grain) accompany the dish.
On another evening, my entree was pechuga de pato a la parrilla con salsa agridulce de tomate de arbol, quinoa atamalada y pure de camote ($24).
Translation: Grilled duck breast over aromatic tamarillo sauce, creamy quinoa and sweet potato puree.
Translation: Delish!
There are equally wonderful wines to accompany these dishes from a list that is almost entirely South American.
The handsome bar that virtually hums with sociability also offers interesting South American cocktails such as the pisco sour made with Peruvian brandy and caipirinha ($8).
Even the non-alcoholic beverage list amazed me. In place of American coffee are cafe con leche and guayoyo, a light espresso. Both are wonderful with the very sweet and appealing desserts such as flan de chocolate con caramelo de flor de Jamaica ($8) (chocolate flan spiced with hibiscus caramel), or the dulce de leche ($8) (sweet milk ice cream).
I'll take the yerba mate ($6) any day and twice on Sundays, which, I am led to believe by Chaumont, makes me an honorary Argentinian.
"Argentinians adore this drink," she said. How could anyone not? The heady herbal brew is brought to the table in a dark brown gourd, fitted with silver base and rim, and a special silver straw for sipping.
I'm hooked on it, and everything else about Cucharamama.
Rating: * * * *
233 Clinton St.
Hoboken
(201) 420-1700
# South American
# Casual
# Moderate
Prices: Moderate.
Recommended dishes:
Argentinian sausage with roasted peppers and onions, shrimp in panca pepper sauce, braised short ribs in red wine sauce, fresh corn tamale with braised duck Peruvian-style.
Liquor, wine: Yes.
Wine list: Many and varied selections from South American vineyards.
Service: Very good.
Setting: High-styled South American.
Noise level: Pleasantly buzzing.
Credit cards: AE, MC, V.
Reservations: Recommended.
Days closed: Mondays
Smoking: Not permitted.
Accommodations for children: Highchairs.
Dress: Casual.
Lunch: No.
Early bird service: Prix fixe from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Takeout: No.
Parking: Street, municipal parking garage a block away.
Web site: No.
Rated by The Record: Jan. 27, 2006.
About the ratings
Poor
* Fair
** Good
*** Excellent
**** Outstanding
In determining ratings, each restaurant has been compared with others of the same type and level of ambition. Restaurants are rated on the quality of their food, atmosphere, service, and value. Halves are given when a restaurant surpasses a level in food, service, or ambience.
Reviewers make at least two anonymous visits to a restaurant, and The Record always pays the tab.
Cost guide: A dinner for two without alcohol but including three courses, tax, and a 15 percent tip totaling $40 or less is inexpensive; $41 to $70, moderate; $71 to $130, expensive; more than $130, very expensive.
E-mail: mack@northjersey.com
The best New York dining in Hoboken
by Michael Bauer (from sfgate.com)
Hoboken, N.J., now has another claim to fame: Cucharamama.
The best meal I had on my recent trip to New York was in Hoboken.
Known more as the hometown of Frank Sinatra, even many New Yorkers I talked to didn't realize that it's easier to get to New Jersey than the Lower East Side.
It's about a 14-minute PATH train ride under the river from Midtown (33rd and Sixth). When I emerged from the station, a charming town was spread out before me with tree-lined streets dotted with outdoor patios like you'd find in small-town America.
My destination, Cucharamama, was a pleasant 10-minute stoll away. It's owned by Maricel Presilla, who's as interesting as the Latin food she creates.
Presilla opened her restaurant about two years ago, a few years after she made a splash at Zafra, a more casual place a block away that offers mainly Cuban food.
She was bitten by the restaurant bug during her tenure as a professor of medieval history -- she taught at both New York University and Rutgers. She brought the same intellectual gravitas to her meticulous research about the food of Latin America, offering a menu that plucks the best of what each country has to offer.
The first thing diners feel when they grab the hand made spoon used as a door handle is the soul of the restaurant: the wood-burning oven. When I arrived, Presilla was working in front of it.
Her vibrant personality is evident in the decorations in the niches on the wall and in the art work. It didn't surprise me when I learned that the bold artwork was painted by her father. It seemed natural to see her husband, a cardiologist who practices nearby, sipping a beer at the bar.
The white-clothed tables and high-back upholstered chairs are comfortable and become the backdrop to her brash creations, labeled as "artisanal South American cooking." While the six of us at my table made a hefty dent in the menu, there were many things I missed: the layered potato puree with the lemony sauce of olive oil and peppers with braised chicken from Lima; and the Argentinean Chorizo with roasted peppers and onions or spicy braised beef from Bolivia, for example.
I did try the empanada with onion confit and tangy Cabrales blue cheese, which is wonderful with Cucharamama's version of the sweet, minty Mojito. Presilla served the absolutely perfect accomaniment: caper berries. The briny essence cuts the sweetness in the drink.
I also tried the chicharron, quinoa-crusted chicken fingers; Peruvian-style spicy calamari and arepas; a fresh corn cake served with salmom roe and a Venezuelan crème fraiche.
I'm still swooning over the Peruvian-style roast leg of pork, the big chunk of ribboned meat is topped with a thick crackling that lends a wonderful bacon-like flavor to the aji Amarillo adobo laced through the meat.
In addition, the menu features a grilled duck beast in a tamarillo sauce and a wood-roasted chicken in garlic bitter orange Mojo.
Through her research, Presilla has become one of the country's experts on South American cuisine, and when she's not in the restaurant she's traveling to learn, working on her books or lecturing and teaching about food.
Yet Cucharamama is her home base, and in Hobeken everyone feels at home.
Cucharamama, 233 Clinton (at 3rd), Hoboken; (201) 420-1700.
Posted By: Michael Bauer (Email) | June 06 2006 at 05:12 AM
