Taste of the Town
Food, glorious food! Our journalists report on the most amazing eating experiences, from Caribbean “lolos” to Michelin-starred Euro-chic restaurants and everything in between. It’s all about the local food and the mood that makes dining a sublime occasion.
Zuka
Where the Art of Grilling is Turned Upside Down
I recently learned that when it comes to eating out in Rio, it pays to get off the beaten path. Although everyone knows it’s the Squire’s destination of choice, for as many times as we’ve visited, we never seemed to venture further beyond touristy Copacabana and Ipanema, great standards for visitors to this tropical paradise but not exactly cutting edge. Our destination one sultry evening during the super-animated annual Carnaval celebration was ZUKA, the sexy, daring outpost of Cariocas in the know. Situated in Leblon, Ipanema’s closest neighbor geographically and widely acknowledged as its’ younger, hipper sister, it’s known for its signature beach culture, chic shops and profusion of trendy bars and restaurants. With dreams of passion fruit caipirinhas in my head after a long day touring the Floresta da Tijuca (Rio’s version of Central Park), I was finally going to experience where the locals hang out when they are in town. Aside from strolling its beautiful beach, a stretch between Postos 11 and 12 which lures the beautiful people of Rio, my only experience in this quasi- Beverly Hills was a business meeting with a Brazilian client in his massive aerie in the hills overlooking the sea with Sugarloaf in the distance. This time I’d be grounded with the locals as I’m inclined to do.
It’s true that during Carnaval many Cariocas head for the hills and rent out their high-rise condos to savvy tourists but on this night it seemed that they were in full force as the restaurant was packed and buzzing with energy. At first glance the retractable façade of paneled glass and the washed concrete walls reminded me of Venice Beach or Santa Monica and that cool, California groove made me feel at home right away. The relaxed environment inside revealed an open dining room with the grill in full view facing out to diners and this assured me that the vibe from the kitchen was definitely wafting down to the lucky guests hungry for the action. And they were ready with smiles on their faces.
ZUKA is all about the grill and is the only restaurant in Rio that turns barbecue into haute cuisine. To the delight of guests, one also gets to watch 29 year old self-taught chef Ludmilla Soeiro in command, playing with temperatures, flavors, colors and textures as she creates international dishes with flair and verve. The menu, nestled inside an earthy spiral bound notebook, is divided into 3 parts - the sea, the land and the air. We snuggled into our leather banquette and speculated, finally succumbing to a Tasting Menu (128 BRL, approx $74), an 8 course “tour of the neighborhoods” food-wise and a blank canvas for Ludmilla’s genius. This was a huge leap of faith considering that a meal of this size in Brazil can only be compared to churrasco, that endless wonderful meat fest, but it was near to 100 degrees at the moment and our thoughts were leaning more toward a liquid meal if you know what I mean. Soon enough however, our gamble paid off.
We began with seared tuna semi-cru served with a tagliatelle of palm hearts dressed in a light, milk infusion of horse radish cream, not exactly what you’d expect to eat in Brazil. Ludmilla continued her antics with fish for the appetizers. The tender grilled shrimp coated in garlic breadcrumbs and served with a scoop of Sicilian lemon risotto took me right to a Mediterranean yacht moored off San Remo and the octopus carpaccio that followed cleared the way for the fuller meat courses. Argentinean beef with a truffle-scented potato puree brought me back to South America’s preference for incredible cuts of red meat and the porcini-crusted veal filet served with a sweet potato and pear gratin with a perfumed pepper reduction was swoon-worthy and elegantly subtle. This was the perfect set-up for the dramatic and tantalizing foie gras experience, a trio of flavors – citrus, savory and sweet. Never have I been more intrigued with foie gras. Our dessert course took us all back to childhood, a sweetened warm egg cream with roasted walnuts topped with cinnamon ice cream. Hmmm, maybe we could bottle this and drink it to help us survive Carnaval!
Ludmilla’s wild presentation kept our eyes amused and as we finished with a tea service extraordinaire and stepped outside to Leblon’s streets, the beautiful people were in a crush on the sidewalk waiting for tables. Ah, Carnaval! Even our taxi driver asked what was happening there. Business as usual, in Leblon of course.
Zuka
Rua Dias Ferreira 233B
Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
55 21 3205 7154
www.zuka.com.br
Duc’s Bistro
In 2008, Duc’s Bistro revamped its French-Vietnamese menu with the vision of improving upon what had always been delectable cuisine. The shared vision of the husband and wife restaurateur duo, Duc Nguyen and Ming Nga Vu, was to combine the “effortless beauty of Vietnamese food with the refinements of western methods and presentations.” Thirty-three years of owning restaurants lead them to wonder if it was possible to combine everything they had learned and actually improve upon Vietnamese cuisine. They wanted to take the food that was already elegantly simple and turn it into something simply elegant.
And did they succeed? Oh boy did they succeed.
Nestled into Honolulu’s very artsy Chinatown district, Duc’s Bistro serves delicious French-Vietnamese fare in a historic building that was once a mechanics garage. You could say the building itself went from being utilitarian and elegantly simple to a transformation nothing short of simply elegant (of course, the transformation was done so long ago and was so complete that you would never know it had been a garage unless the owners told you). The dining room’s gorgeous brick walls are stylishly adorned with black and white Hollywood-style photographs reenacting scenes from Vietnamese life and interspersed with colorful artwork. The atmosphere is not one requiring eveningwear yet it is elegant enough to live up to the marvelous food served. During your meal it’s likely that either the husband or wife will drop by your table to check on your dining experience. Like the food, the building the owners are nothing short of elegant. The effort they have put into serving the very best cuisine, combined with their restaurant experience, only makes the food more exquisite.
A definite must try is Duc’s “Goi Du Du Xanh,” a green papaya salad. Shredded green papaya is tossed with cooked prawns, fresh herbs and spicy dressing. It’s probable you’ve never eaten a papaya salad this perfect. Another commendable appetizer is “Bo Nuong La Lot,” rolls of minced veal wrapped in la lot leaves, a Vietnamese herb, then broiled and served with pineapple anchovy sauce. Of course, the crab cakes are also out of this world. Several dishes make for winning entrees. We went with Duc’s suggestion for the main course and found ourselves delighted with the fish selection, “Ca Chien Xoai,” where a pan-fried basa is served with green mango and crushed ginger, and the sumptuously flavorful lamb tenderloin. To accompany the meal, you have a choice of various styles of rice, such as jasmine or saffron, or you can choose freshly baked sourdough rolls. For dessert? It’s a must to try at least one of the many sweets on the menu. As with everything else Duc’s serves, you can’t go wrong with any of the selections but there are some surprising options that might expand your pallet. The warm tapioca and bananas is exceptional and the house-made ginger cheesecake will have you begging for more. By the end of the meal, you realize Duc’s Bistro is symbolic of perfection and it is a culinary jewel hidden away for the curious to discover.
Duc’s Bistro
1188 Mauankea Street
(808) 531-6325
www.ducsbistro.com
*Monday thru Friday open for lunch 11 am – 2 pm, and dinner from 5 - 10pm.
*Saturday and Sunday open for dinner only, 5 – 10 pm.
*Reservations are recommended.
Hoku’s at the Kahala Hotel, Honolulu
I keep mental lists of my favorite places in the world, and Hoku’s at the Kahala Hotel & Resort happens to be on one. Perhaps Hoku’s belongs on the list of food so good you might cry, or of romantic sunsets and breathtaking ocean views to dine by, or of the most elegant service available, or the list of the most opulent… Not to get carried away, but the Kahala Hotel & Resort itself deserves to be on a list, perhaps the list of hotels you really ought to experience.
Jugatsu-ya
In a dialogue with world class Japanese chef, Shinichiro Takagi, at the International Luxury Lifestyle Forum held in Kanazawa City in February, 2010, Alain Ducasse, the French cuisine master, remarked that “a chef is one who shares.” This is the ultimate lesson that Takagi embodies and brings forth at Jugatsu-ya, opened here in this castle city on the west central coast of Japan in October, 2006. Kanazawa City is the heartland of Ishikawa Prefecture and is well known throughout Japan for its traditional cooking. As the region is blessed with purified water from Mt. Hakusan, people here enjoy fresh ingredients from the fertile land and an abundance of fresh seafood thanks to its northern protrusion into the Sea of Japan. As the first chef to be invited from the Kanazawa area to collaborate with Ducasse at his exclusive Beige restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza district, Takagi is always in search of excellence in the creative dishes he prepares for guests who attend his table here at Jugatsu-ya. Set in a 140 year old building in the heart of the historic Higashi-chaya district, the cultural center of town, the restaurant shares the Kanazawa-born chef’s knowledge, philosophy and inspiration for traditional Japanese kaiseki cuisine, as well as his appreciation of Kanazawa’s local ingredients.
As I pulled into a narrow street within this time-honored neighborhood, the restaurant was waiting for me aglow in splendid twilight. Inside the traditional-style building was Japanese horigotatsu counter seating, with a sunken area beneath the dining table to allow one’s legs to relax on the tatami matted floor. Known for their high quality, I asked for one of Kanazawa’s local sakes as a starter. Served in a handcrafted pottery sake cup, I savored its aroma and pristine taste. A small squid salad with vinegar and white miso followed. Over the counter, a kimono-clad waitress elegantly served a gentle clear soup with bamboo shoots, portending spring. Saba-sushi (marinated mackerel) came next, and after that sashimi of flounder and ama-ebi, which literally means sweet shrimp, being the sweetest in the winter season in Kanazawa. Then broiled trout with spicy kinome, the young leaves of the Japanese prickly ash tree, arrived to stimulate the appetite. I begged for another sake. The courses continued seamlessly with pleasant pauses. Kaiseki is a traditional multi-course meal prepared from local fresh ingredients in season, therefore, you may never taste the same ones even if you are to visit there again. The origin of the cuisine dates back to the 16th century, having developed from the food served at tea ceremonies by a tea master to show his ultimate gesture of hospitality to the guests and this continues to today’s modern kaiseki cuisine.
The meal concluded with ice cream drizzled in brown sugar syrup with gold-leaf flakes sprinkled on top, considered by the Japanese people to be good for health and vitality. I wiped the comfortable drowsiness from my eyes, maybe due to the Omicho Food Market tour earlier that morning, the smooth sake, or perhaps the conversations with the house. Kaiseki is all about enjoyment. Chef Takagi had told me that food is one of the main attractions bringing visitors to Kanazawa. I concede that I must agree.
Jugatsu-ya
1-26-16 Higashiyama, Kanazawa City,
Ishikawa 9200831
+81-76-253-3321
Bar Henry
Enter BAR HENRY and for a moment you may feel like you’ve stepped back in time. As we settled into our plush red velvet chairs that were rescued from the Plaza Hotel’s recent expansive renovation, I felt like I’d discovered a New York secret. A quick glance at the long, narrow, subterranean landmark space revealed the tell tale signs of a bygone speakeasy except today it’s alive with a fresh, new spirit. Bar Henry will dazzle you with its energy which no doubt was inherited from those frenzied speakeasy patrons.
Chicago takes its Mexican food very seriously. Expectations are high, and justifiably so in the city that has arguably done more to put authentic Mexican cuisine on the U.S. map than just about any other.
Mercadito (“little market”) definitely has the proper pedigree to play in this culinary sandbox. Chef-owner Patricio Sandoval grew up in Mexico, where time spent in his father’s popular Acapulco eatery and at the food stalls in the nearby marketplace shaped his appreciation for fresh, local and seasonal ingredients, as well as seemingly simple preparations yielding complex textures and tastes. The first Mercadito, in New York City's East Village, set the template for those to come: traditional southern Mexican cuisine infused with modern inventiveness and flair.
There’s something wonderfully peculiar about Jsix restaurant in Downtown San Diego. It borders two distinct areas, the trendy East Village and the historic Gaslamp Quarter. Its décor includes a backlit bar, flower castings on the ceiling and fezzes on the dining room wall. The menu spotlights coastal California cuisine – with a French twist. It’s all just eclectic enough to appeal to a wide range of tourists and locals alike.
On the island of Puerto Rico where most restaurants serve up tasty local dishes of Mofongo, Arroz con Pollo and Tostones, its nice when something new arrives to tantalize the taste buds of the locals (and tourists). Such is the case of Marmalade in Old San Juan.
Located in the heart of Old San Juan on Fortaleza Street, Marmalade is the latest incarnation of Peter Schintler, an award-winning chef who has worked around the globe under numerous Masterchefs and legendary restaurants including Le Cirque in New York City and The Shangi-la Hotel's restaurant, Blu in Singapore.
Everything about Brazil is sexy from the music to the beach scene to Carnaval. In this lively country even the food is sensuous especially if the food is Brazilian comfort food with a twist. That is the first surprise at the trend setting Rio restaurant Miam Miam. Here, classic dishes modified by Cordon Bleu trained chef, Roberta Ciasca, are served up beautifully and unexpectedly. Ciasca’s supremely satisfying fare is based on simple, traditional recipes from childhood. When you finish your meal, you too will be repeating Miam Miam … a French onomatopoeia for “Yum Yum”.
