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Maricel
Presilla at Cucharamama in Hoboken. "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. 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. "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. "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."
"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.
The New York Times Sinatra's Hometown Has a New Latin Flavor By R. W. APPLE JR. Published: June 9, 2004 ...Although the core of its menu is Cuban, Zafra also serves dishes from Argentina, Mexico (including two kinds of Mexican tamales), Spain, Ecuador, Chile, Guatemala and Brazil… Maria Dominguez, a Cuban-American friend who swears tamales are in her bloodstream, likes Zafra's version so much bloodstream, likes Zafra's version so much that she recently took several to the Cuban writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante and his wife in London. I will wager that you will never taste a better citrus drink than the incredibly refreshing limeade Ms. Presilla makes with juice, zest and ice, spun in a blender and served in a tall glass. She learned it from a woman in Ecuador, and if my doctor ever forces me to give up alcohol, I could get by on it. Nor will you believe that the meltingly tender, magnificently moist cerdo brujo (roast pork) that she serves, layered with sinfully delicious fat, could possibly have been made from an American animal. It is marinated in allspice, cumin, garlic and orange juice, just as it is in Cuba's Oriente Province. In a sense, the restaurants are byproducts of Ms. Presilla's 30-year exploration of Latin cuisines for what she hopes will prove to be the definitive work on the subject. She recently handed in the manuscript to W. W. Norton, where it awaits the ministrations of Maria Guarnaschelli, the celebrated food-book editor. ''I have been to every country in Latin America, not once but several times,'' she told me and my wife, Betsey, over dinner at Cucharamama. ''I've been up in the Andes, down in Patagonia, and in the Orinoco Delta, where all they eat is dried fish. This is not an armchair enterprise for me.'' So why Hoboken? Why not Manhattan? Ms. Presilla does not miss life in the big city. ''I have a satisfying life here,'' she said. ''I have neighbors here, and lots of friends, and I like the intimacy of the whole experience.'' Zafra's firm, luscious, caramel-cloaked flan, a model of the genre, is made with premium vanilla beans from Papantla, a village in Mexico, and one of its sorbets is made with açai, a blackish-purple berry from the Amazon rain forest. Amazing stuff, only 14 minutes from 33rd Street by PATH train.
By CATHERINE JONES
Eating Out: Cucharamama in Hoboken 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. # South American Prices: Moderate. Recommended dishes: Liquor, wine: Yes. Poor 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
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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.
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. 