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What's this?Nuevo Latino cuisine, traditional Latin cooking with a modern twist, has taken a long time to reach Berkshire's culinary scene, but now, with the opening of Cafe Latino in the space that was Eleven at Mass MoCA, we have real cause to shout, "Ole!"
With little fanfare, and only some Samba music playing softly in the background, this latest creation of restaurateur Nancy Thomas and partner, Bo Peabody, opened July 13, and has already become a destination spot for diners looking for something different. Cafe Latino promises great food, a relaxed, festive atmosphere and a passionate chef, Omar Montoya, who loves what he does and does it with a quiet pizzazz and expertise.
"It's all about fun," says co-owner Nancy Thomas, "we want people to come out, have a meal and enjoy themselves."
"Eleven, she continued, was too much an extension of Mass MoCA with its bare, artless walls and stark environment.
"Now, at Cafe Latino, we have a casual, welcoming hangout for the people of North Adams and beyond," concluded Thomas.
And so they do. With faux-flocked, painted teal walls and bright poplar wooden beams,
Wine selections from Argentina, Chile and Spain are also available as well as a rich flavored Saranac root beer soda (on tap) for those avoiding alcohol.
Of course, you could just sit at the bar, order some appetizers and call it a meal, but you'd be sorry if you missed out on the entrees and desserts.
At Cafe Latino, a Nuevo Latino take on the typical fried calamari appetizer is the use of a zesty chipolte (smoked, dried jalapeno chiles) mayonnaise with lime juice instead of the more traditional spicy tomato-based dipping sauce. Or, were you in Spain, it might be served with just a wedge of lemon. Resist the temptation to ask for the sauce on the side. When hot, the lightly fried calamari and chipolte mayo just melt together and the result renders a dish that is almost perfect.
Sharing and family style is one of the qualities that chef Montoya, originally from Lima, Peru, remembers about home. The menu is fashioned to reflect this. Appetizers are amply portioned and more than worthy of sharing. The popular quesadilla plate offers three good-sized cheese, caramelized onion and chile cream tortillas.
The warmed cheeses ooze from the inside roll when you bite into the crunchy outside wrapping.
Good for sharing is a batch of their signature empanaditas, which are not really so "ita" but rather large. Remember Sweeney Todd serving those little meat pies to unexpected customers? Montoya has no such evil intention as the fictional Todd; however, these might kill you in another way. Rich pastry filled with spicy, wonderfully flavorful meat and ham and then fried. (A slight nod to health concerns is that canola oil rather than lard is the fat of choice.)
The Latino Plate includes a portion of queso fresco (a bland white soft cheese that goes well with anything), spicy smoked chorizo, piquillo peppers (pickled pimentos), guacamole (smooth variety) and plantains.
If you've ever eaten fried plantains, which are usually, in my experience, tough, doughy and starchy, you might not be inclined to try them here.
Montoya slices and fries this meatier relative of the banana in canola oil, then mashes them, and then refries them. They remain crisp and tasty.
Cafe Latino's menu explores much of Latin America, but because of Montoya's heritage, I would say that Peru influences most of the offerings.
Another appetizer, tuna tiradito (thinly sliced raw tuna), is a Peruvian version of Japanese sashimi and is served with a dipping sauce blend of coconut, lime juice and salt.
The entrees are just as exciting and if you've gotten used to sharing, Cafe Latino offers some dinners family style.
The marinated and grilled skirt steak with Montoya's own chimichurri sauce would win any vegetarian over to the carnivore side.
This meat, generously basted with a mixture of parsley, pepper, cilantro, garlic, red wine vinegar and oil, is just exploding with flavor. Skirt steak, in case you were wondering, is located somewhere between the brisket (behind the front legs) and the flank (in front of the hind legs). It's not the most prime cut but marinated, grilled and cut on the bias, it's very tender.
Still rather have the "other white meat?" Try the 1 1/2-day marinated citrus braised pork shoulder or pork chop. Both have globally new and interesting flavors.
Three fish tacos with shredded cabbage, scallion and lime cream might be a better lunch choice, but regardless of when you eat it, it is crunchy, not greasy and with the accompaniments, very savory.
Nuevo Latino, as a cuisine, was begun in the early '90s, in Florida, by three innovative chefs who were known as the "Mango gang." Douglas Rodriguez from New York City's Patria is considered this cuisine's godfather. Montoya honors Rodriguez with his roasted salmon with butterbean succotash and pineapple-rum salsa. It's a little bit of the Caribbean in this Pan-American restaurant.
More than one table should probably share dessert with no one eating more than one morsel each. Noel Thomson is the pastry chef who takes already-rich tres leche cake and makes it even more lethal.
He bakes a cake, soaks it in three different types of milk (condensed, evaporated and whipping cream), places a round of classic flan on top and then drizzles the whole concoction with caramel.
The word, "rich" doesn't even do this delicious dessert justice.
Chocolate soufflé cake and pineapple upside down cake are some other choices.
Running a restaurant is usually 24/7 without much downtime. On Montoya's days off, he usually goes down to New York City to see his family and shop at the Spanish markets in Queens and on Long Island, in Glen Cove, where he grew up and where there's a very large Peruvian population. His idea of fun is to shop for the ingredients that make Cafe Latino so special. Some people might think learning how to sail or ride a horse would be really exciting -- but not Montoya.
"I can't wait to have a Colombian friend teach me how to make really good arepas," he excitedly told me.
Whatever his passion, he, Thomas and Peabody are doing something right.
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Restaurant review
Cafe Latino 1111 Mass MoCA Way, Building 11, North Adams, 413-662-2004.
Style: Nuevo Latino
Dress: Casual
Prices: Appetizers $5-$9; Entrees $9-$29; Desserts $6-$9
Smoking: No
Reservations: Accepted
Credit Cards: All major
Noise Level: Quiet to moderate
Specials: Offers a wide range of catering options and available for facility rentals.
Menu will change seasonally.
