June 24th, 2011
Peruvian and Cantonese fusion found in Peru; Latin and Asian influences.
“Chifa is the phonetic pronunciation of the Chinese character that represents this shared cuisine. It also refers to the restaurants that serve it.”
Some months ago I visited a restaurant by the name of Amada in Philadelphia. All tapas and very Spanish. I really enjoyed it, so much so that I wrote a post on AboutMyBeaches on 3/7/11. All you have to do is click on the month of March 2011 and scroll down to the date. I wanted to try some of the other restaurants owned by the Garces Group.
Jose Garces is the main event; Ecuadorian heritage, winner of the most recent The Next Iron Chef. Not too many chefs hold that title; only 6 chefs in the country.
Philadelphia is really not that far from the Delaware beaches; about 2 hours and 20 minutes depending on traffic.
Michael and I decided to have a late dinner. I thought that the restaurant was going to be closed by the time we got there. Let’s say we closed Chifa.
Chifa is located at 707 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel. 215-925-5555. Website? http://www.chifarestaurant.com.
Latin and Asian; the decoration reflected those influences. As you entered Latin is the style; tiles, woods, pottery. The bar is located in this room.
Next room? Asian; reds and oranges. Long tables ready for Dim Sum.
Kristin was our server and she had been with Chifa since it opened a couple of years ago. Her knowledge and expertise helped us make the best choices.
She brought us bread to the table. This bread is called Pandebono. It is made out of Yuca flour and Manchego cheese. A little dipping sauce on the side; a hint of sweetness. Very good.
Chifa serves most of their food as “tapas” and “family” style. Sharing is a key word. Tapas are small plates. A taste here or there; a teasing. You want more.
Our first choice was the Ceviche, cooked Peruvian style. The fish? Kingfish.
The most likely origin of “ceviche” lies in the area of present-day Peru and it is part of its national heritage.
This ceviche was probably one of the best I have tasted. So fresh. The marinade is Leche de Tigre, which is composed of key lime or bitter orange juice, sliced pickled onions, chili, salt and pepper and served with small slices of cooked sweet potato. Roasted corn or “mote” on the side. Excellent combination of flavors.
Kristin told us the Duck Tacos were so popular. After trying different recipes, finally the winner was the one on the menu. Duck confit, house kimchi, sliced radish, cracklins on flour tortillas. Remember when I said that tapas are a teaser? This is a good example. Could have had more; too bad I had to share them. He was thinking the same thing.
I love octupus, or pulpo in Spanish. I see them on the menu and I don’t even have to think. They were rock octupus, garlic-ginger, purple potatoes, ginger gastrique. Roasted and perfectly seasoned.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the Thai sausage but it was served with an aromatic rice, tamarind chile sauce and papaya salad. The sauce was excellent; a little thick; the tamarind was a predominant flavor in the sauce.
The Red Curry had jumbo lump crab, coconut, jasmin rice, tofu and eggplant. Not too spicy. We actually enjoyed it so much.
We even had dessert, but no picture. It was a mango mousse with mango sherbert. This is the time of the year for this much loved fruit in tropical climates. So many shapes and flavors, as well.
Thank you Kristin for the service you gave us. The combination of unusual and unique ingredients was tops.
Note: Chifa is open for lunch Mondays through Fridays 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. It is open for dinner Sundays through Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays it opens from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.
Have a great day!!…Food trucks are next!!
November 25th, 2009
Nowadays, it does not matter in what city you find yourself, you will find the influences of Latin food. Could it be that the seasonings, spices and heat awake your senses like no other food?
Nuevo Latino (New Latin) is a new term used by many restaurants. But, what is it? It is a conglomerate of flavors that mix traditional, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and contemporary American food.
Growing up in P.R. you could tell if one dish was from Cuba, Puerto Rico, other Caribbean Island or Latin America but now even though you can still tell that pasteles are from Puerto Rico, ayacas are from the Dominican Republic and tamales from Mexico, some of the other spices and ways of cooking have integrated and made this new wave of Nuevo Latino cooking. When did you ever hear of taking a piece of fish and topping it with a mango, cilantro, blood orange and chopped jalapeno salsa?
And, that is what takes me to Cabana El Rey on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.
Cabana has been in this Village by the Sea for several years. The address is 105 East Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33483. The tel. is 561-276-9090 and the website is www.cabanarestaurant.com.
Besides the restaurant in Delray, they have Cabana Las Palmas in West Palm, Cabana Midtown in NYC, Cabana Seaport, NYC and the Original Cabana in Forest Hills, NYC.
I am concentrating on the one in Delray.
Like a lot of the restaurants in Delray, you have the availability to seat outdoors; on the sidewalk, and Cabana has the perfect corner. They have updated their outdoor seating with yellow awnings and extended the seating area, as well; with plants, which make it private but at the same time you will not be missing what’s around you on the Avenue. Beautiful view of the Christmas tree this time of the year.
The inside of the restaurant is very nicely decorated with bright colors reminding you that you are in South Florida. It has somewhat of an open kitchen in the back so you can see the comings and goings of that most important part of a restaurant.
The bar has plenty of seating and a focal point in the restaurant; the blue lights add to the atmosphere of Cabana. If you like Mojitos, which are now served in every restaurant, I would say that the ones at Cabana’s are the best. Traditionally made and no other flavors added it is served with a sugar cane stick.
The Wine Room is a private room at Cabana that lets you have your own party, and your own private wait staff. I have used this room for a party and it will seat, I believe up to 16 people. It is a room rich in woods and wine bottles and looks like a private dining room in a home. You need at least 10 people to reserve this room and a minimum spent. Great individual service.
My choice of seating is outdoors, when possible. Besides enjoying their food, I also enjoy their choice of music; the Buena Vista Social Club and Gloria Estefan, among others.
Their menu is varied and very affordable, both for lunch and dinner.
They have appetizers and tapas, salads, side dishes, Platos Nuevo Latino, traditionals, lunch specials, sandwiches and desserts. A take-out menu is available, as well.
My favorite appetizers/tapas are the mariquitas which are thinly sliced plantains cooked until crisp, served with garlic mojo dipping sauce. Mariquitas are the Puerto Rican platanutres. I also like the ceviche mixto which is shrimp, octopus, scallops and calamari, marinated in aji amarillo, hot rocoto peppers, garlic, lime juice and cilantro, served with different types of root veggies and toasted corn. I like the tostones, which are the green plantains that are fried, mashed and fried again and served with your choice of chicken sofrito, ropa vieja or picadillo.
I make my own tostones and if I may say so myself, I think mine are better but if I am taking someone to Cabana for the first time, I would certainly order them.
Their La Playa salad is great because it has grilled shrimp, sea scallops, avocados, plum tomatoes, onions and tossed with a ginger citrus mojo over field greens.
Typical Latin side dishes are the arepas con queso which are the corn meal cakes with white cheese, maduros which are the fried sweet ripe plantains, saffron flavored rice, rice flavored with coconut milk, beans flavored with chorizo, yuca fries served with garlic mojo, among others.
And, some of the Platos Nuevo Latinos are:
Mero Chileno which is the pan seared filet of Chilean sea bass, saffron beurre blanc salsa, leaf spinach saute and yuca manchego cheese.
Another good example is the Coco Cabana Pollo which has broccoli, spinach, carrots, snap peas and Caribbean root veggies like yucca, calabaza (pumpkin) and yautia, sauteed with curry, coconut milk and habanero peppers. How about that mix of flavors?
Some of their traditionals are the paellas, either the seafood or the Spanish, the picadillo, the arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) in sofrito with chorizo (Spanish sausage) and Spanish olives in a caldera of saffron rice.
I really love their Pollo Asado, which is a half roasted chicken rubbed with adobo (garlic, oregano, lime and extra virgin olive oil). It is perfectly cooked and seasoned. They have it available for lunch and dinner.
Sometimes they have a rice with squid in its own ink. This rice will be almost black with squid and it is fantastic. It is not on the menu but they do offer it once in a while. It reminds me of the one my grandmother, Mamota, used to make in Humacao.
They have plenty of desserts and sometimes I order the flan but I usually try to avoid desserts and instead order coffee.
It is a fun restaurant and usually a must stop for me. So if you are in the Delray Beach area and have had enough turkey, then this might be the place to visit and if you do, let me know how you like it.
See you soon…
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