Page 15 - Boca Club News - February '20

Boca Club News, Page 15

Dining Out: This is Just a Little

Alpaca Ride for a Big Taste of Peru!

By Alan Serinsky of Bocaire. Peru. Add that along with the local spices and original Straight From The Kitchen: Hungry D chose a
Hungry Al’s love of food started cooking techniques and you’ll discover a unique formula very interesting dish called Aji De Gallina ($16). It was
young. Never satisfied at the for redefining the word “gourmet.” comprised of only tender shredded white chicken meat
family dinner table with his That being said, it was hard to resist our desire to test floating in what looks like a bowl of Velvetta Cheese. Please
Mom’s dishes, he started to cook the kitchen in this small tucked-away restaurant. don’t get disillusioned by this description, because it’s not
his own way through her Betty First Impressions: Here at Pukara, you’ll be going what it looks like. This creamy rich yellow pepper sweet
Crocker cookbook. His food for great Peruvian food. So, don’t expect table cloths or sauce will turn you into an “Aji” junkie. Warning: It’s very
journey consisted of working an extensive wine list. Here the décor is typical of what filling, so expect to bring some home.
many restaurants both as server and cook, attending you would find in the city of Cusco. There are simple yet Hungry Al (that’s me) selected the Arroz con Mariscos
numerous cooking classes, and traveling the world in an comfortable wooden tables and chairs, a decorated brick ($20) that is best described as Peruvian paella with a
effort to expand his palette of different flavors and cuisines. wall with shelved clay artifacts of traditional pottery, and seafood mix. Here the word “mix” is an understatement.
As a professional writer, Hungry Al will give you his a simple but elegant drop lighting throughout. This net from the sea was filled with baby octopus, scallops,
perspective on current food trends and guide you through The wait staff is overly friendly and with Peruvian heritage. calamari, fish, shrimp and a mussel topper. The rice was
your local restaurant choices. The good news is, the menu has English descriptions of every perfectly cooked with a rich homemade Sofrito sauce.
dish, or you can simply ask the waiter for more details. Yes…I took a good portion home!
Pukara Another signature dish at Pukara is their Covina.
6063 SW 18th Street Prime Your Taste Buds: If there’s one thing Peru is The chef indicates it’s one of their most popular, and it’s
Suite 103 (next to Howard’s market) noted for it would be their Ceviche. The icy water currents imported directly from Peru.
Boca Raton, FL. 33343 that flow from the Pacific Ocean just off of Peru’s coast Note: I should mention that all our dishes were plated
(561) 419-8009 support one of the world’s most plentiful sources of seafood. beautifully in very appropriate Peruvian style bowls and
This dish is typically made from raw fish that’s naturally plates. It’s nice to see the kitchen taking the effort to deliver
Food For Thought: Peruvian food? I know it’s outside cured from the acidity found in citrus juices (lime and something that not only tastes good but is also pleasing to
of your comfort zone. But for me it ranks in the top five lemon). To add more flavors, it’s usually spiced with red the eye.
culinary destinations. If you have ever been to Peru you onion and aji peppers.
probably understand why. A few years ago, Hungry D and I The Hungry Squad shared a dish of Ceviche al Aji From The Dessert Tray: At this point we had our full
spent a week touring this country and our biggest takeaway Amarillo ($18), which consisted of a mixed array of fish share of food. So, it came down to one selection: the Dulce
was that Peru was a “living” culture. The indigenous people marinated in lime juice with aji (mild pepper) limo, garlic, de Leche Cheesecake ($7). This graham cracker base cake
of this country are still true to their roots. cilantro, and of course red onions. You can opt for the was devoured in less than two minutes. The best part was
These folks still dress in colorful cultural garments, shop Ceviche de Pescado Clasico with rocoto pepper that might the sake-spiced sauce that surrounded this rich, creamy and
in small local markets, bike or walk to get where they need deliver a bit more heat. heavenly slice of sweetness.
to go, grow their own produce, and still loom their Alpaca The big winner for us that evening was the Causa de
sweaters by hand. As for their culinary, many of their recipes Camaron ($15). If there’s one dish that most Americans Check Please: I hope after reading this review that
date back centuries and have been passed on through family should know about, but don’t, it’s Causa. To best explain you, too, might just want to deviate from the normal
generations. this starter, it is a nicely cold stack of mashed potatoes steakhouses, chains and Italian restaurants that over-saturate
I’ve been all over the world and I have yet to see layered like a cake with yellow pepper, avocado, shrimp our community. For us, we sometimes just reach a point of
elsewhere the variety of vegetables and potatoes I did in (or chicken, tuna) and dressed with a mayonnaise-y sauce. boredom. Really, just how much grilled steak and salmon
can you eat?
Think about it…when was the last time you went to an

Grape Expectations: Indian restaurant? Or, even better, branched out to an African or
Jamaican eatery? There are so many different types of cuisines
The Wine Ratings Game now available within our city borders that there is no excuse
for not eating outside-the-box. Please give Pukara a try and
you’ll realize that there’s more to Peru than Machu Picchu.
The Hungry Squad would walk the Inca Trail for more
By Ed Wolfarth, who recently moved Let’s put aside for a moment the implausibility of the notion of what Pukara has to offer. Therefore, we are giving
to South Florida after retiring with that the price-score correlation could have occurred naturally. this hard-working Peruvian
his wife, Vicki, as Professor of Sports Perhaps these publications and their critics have cornered the restaurateur four golden
Sciences & Physical Education at market on “perfect palates” and can actually taste the difference Alpacas!
both Queens College and Hofstra between the $12 and $100 bottles of wine. Certainly, more
University. He is a nationally ranked expensive wines must be better. Well, I think not!
senior tennis player and long-time In blind tastings with sommeliers, restaurant owners and
USPTA Elite Teaching Professional. critics, the exact opposite has been proven time and time
Ed has written many educational and again. A $15 Domaine St. Michelle sparkling wine from Concierge Travel Consultants
tennis articles in the past. Over the past few years, Ed has Washington State consistently scored higher than the $160
turned his hobby of wine collecting into a way of continuing bottle of Dom Perignon. A Knight’s Valley Cabernet from
his passion for writing, and has written on the subject for California that cost $24 similarly outscored a $95 Chateau MEET YOUR TOP LUXURY
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collaborated on many wine lists for private clubs and a few that cost $35 and was rated “best in show” by the French
restaurants. Ed can be reached at wolfarthe@msn.com. who commissioned a recent tasting, scored higher than
Recently, I’ve noticed producers putting “ratings” on their Montrachet, the world’s most expensive white wine. Go
labels. Since many consumers consider a “90 point wine” figure!
the benchmark for quality, it’s no doubt this marketing ploy The fact remains that the “taste of money” cannot be
works. And as long as it’s difficult to taste wines before you denied. LVMH, the French conglomerate that owns many
buy, we need to trust the opinions of others. Wine critics and of the high-end names of fashion, accessories, and wine and
publications have been around for as long as wine has been spirits (i.e; Fendi, TAG Heuer, Givenchy) had a marketing
around. Robert Parker, the Wine Spectator, the Wine Library problem. It seemed that the sale of Dom Perignon was down
with Gary V, Wine Searcher, and Steven Tanzer to name a dramatically one year. The answer was to raise the price
few, regularly post ratings and scores. from $125 to $160 per bottle. Sales soared! Clearly, money Alan Serinsky Jessica Flores Dale Brown
The most common system rates wines on a 100 point scale. talks. High-end commodities such as the aforementioned are
Basically, 90 and over is excellent, high 80s very good, and so considered “Veblen Goods.” These are items where the price Specializing in total luxury and first-class travel
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Other publications tell similar stories. know.