9 minute read
Food
Ron Bechtol
Getting the Bugs Out
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Cuishe Cocina Mexicana delivers on the promise of its vast menu of interior Mexican cuisine
BY RON BECHTOL
Relative St. Paul Square newcomer Cuishe Cocina Mexicana is housed in a handsome space bounded by bare brick and accented by agave art, basketry lighting, pa erned tile floors and a sla ed, wood ceiling.
The overall feel of the latest restaurant from the folks behind two Toro Kitchens and another Cuishe in Stone Oak is just thematic enough to reinforce the restaurant’s interior Mexican menu and its moniker, which is the name of an agave from which mezcal is made.
And speaking of that menu, it’s a real piece of work — huge, complex and running the gamut from humble to thoroughly over the top.
At the low end, it includes humble tacos de canasta — sometimes known as tacos sudados — presented in a simple, reed basket. At the other end are big-spender items such as a tomahawk steak, weighing in at $126, which can be embellished with 24K edible gold leaf for an additional $38. Making up the middle are shock-and-awe offerings featuring bugs and larvae designed, perhaps, to convey gri y authenticity and macho creds.
Let me hasten to add that there is nothing wrong with any of this — maybe apart from the gold leaf. The “sweated” taquitos, filled with bean, potato with chorizo and chicharrón come to you in tortillas glistening from a hot oil bath and accompanied by a fearless salsa verde. They’re especially fine as partners to a cocktail from the well-stocked bar. Since the restaurant’s name has ties to mezcal, let me point you toward drinks featuring that unbridled spirit: the San Miguel de Allende, which combines it with Jamaica, and the Toluca, which mixes it with both fresh and dehydrated pineapple.
Cuishe also offers a variety of street tacos, including a trompo with puerco al pastor. But if you want to tentatively test your tolerance for bicho frito, or fried bugs, let me suggest the tacos de camarón. The bichos in question are dried chapulines, or grasshoppers, which have been pulverized beyond recognition and serve as a coffee-dark coating to the fried shrimp. A robust chipotle cream sauce provides a contrast in cool and heat.
Se ing aside the $48 sautéed escamoles, or nutty-tasting ant larvae, the next test for the bicho-curious might well be the crawlies served with guacamole and tiny tortillas. You’ll have to confront the cri ers head-on. The grasshoppers are joined by a few fried alacranes, or scorpions. Both surround a scoop of guacamole, which is just about enough to mellow out the limey crunchiness of the be er-than-imagined bugs. Not sure my dining partner or I will order this again. But at least we’ll have bragging rights.
After the bugs, a plate of aguachiles de callo — thinly sliced scallops cured with lime juice and served with serrano chiles and pineapple — seemed tame. Even so, they were tasty. Cuishe’s Cubano proved an excellent beverage partner. The drink is essentially an amped-up michelada with Maggi, Worcestershire and Tabasco plus lime and a chamoy rim as festive as a Fiesta wreath.
The main dishes include chicken flautas at the low end and Wagyu arrachera — whole fajitas — on the high side.
A standout was the chile en nogada, or stuffed poblano. With its Mexican flag colors of red, white and green, the dish is typically served in mid-September around Mexican Independence Day. The blistered and peeled poblano is usually stuffed with a picadillo, and Cuishe uses ground beef with pineapple and raisins for a restrained touch of sweetness. There’s nothing restrained about the lush and generously applied nogada — or walnut — sauce. It includes goat cheese, cream, white wine and sherry — lots of sherry. Yet I finished the whole thing with only a hint of regret.
One person shouldn’t a empt to consume the entire sábana de invierno. The layered beef dish covers a massive plate and is even more generously smothered than the en nogada. Don’t think of the pounded and pummeled sirloin that forms the foundation as anything more than one of its many layers, which also include black bean purée, salsa verde, melted queso and crema. It’s all more than a li le much, and yet I wouldn’t take a thing away.
Though Cuishe’s menu is expansive, there are fortunately just three desserts: guava flan, a chilespiked chocolate brownie and pastel de campechana, an extravagant layered creation featuring vanilla ice cream, sugared puff pastry and cajeta. Since you’ll want the la er choice to warm up a li le to facilitate eating, you may want to consider a Carajillo, a classic Spanish after-dinner drink consisting of dramatically flamed Licor 43 with an added shot of espresso. Even jaded critics can be seduced by flames.
CUISHE COCINA MEXICANO
119 Heiman St. | (210) 960-8935 | cuishemx.com | Hours: Noon-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, Noon-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday, Noon-9 p.m. Sunday Brunch runs Noon-3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday | Happy Hour is 2-7 p.m. weekdays
Price point: $10-$126 (main dishes) Best bets: tacos de canasta, tacos de camaron, aguachile de callo, chile en nogada, sábana de invierno, pastel de campechana, mezcal cocktails The skinny: With its extensive patio seating, classy environs and huge Mexican menu, Cuishe should become a St. Paul Square oasis. Start with something simple such as the humble tacos de canasta or go straight for the lime-marinated aguachile de callo. Flirt with fried bugs and guacamole, your resolve fortified by a mezcal cocktail, then dig in to a hearty sabana de inviervo or the colorful chile en nogada. All while keeping in mind the opulent dessert that is the pastel de campechana.
Richard Casteel
Rockin’ Into Southtown
Musician-turned-chef Paul Petersen aims to keep his forthcoming Bar Loretta approachable
BY NINA RANGEL
People frequently use the phrase “rockstar chef” to describe raucous, uber-creative culinary masterminds. Not so many chefs, though, can claim to have given up a chase for rock ’n’ roll fame to focus on their food.
But San Antonio native Paul Petersen, chef at Southtown eatery Bar Lore a, which opens later this summer, did just that. After years pursuing fame and freedom with SA-based heavy alt-rockers Gollum, Petersen put away his drumsticks and picked up a chef coat.
We spoke with Petersen about Bar Loretta, opening post-COVID and what it really means to be a rock star in the kitchen.
What can future guests expect from the experience you’re trying to create?
My food is defi nitely “fancifi ed,” but we don’t want to be a pretentious restaurant. We want to have that neighborhood feel, so people can feel like they can come in on a Tuesday night, and not just for special occasions. My background is in fi ne dining, but I feel that fi ne dining is kind of dead in this day and age. People don’t want stuff y, the white tablecloths and all that. So, service will be a entive but not snobby. There are certainly fi ne dining elements in my cuisine, but I strive to make it really fun and playful, too. “Approachable” is a big word for us. At the end of the day, we’re right in the middle of the neighborhood, and we’re going to embrace that.
How did COVID-19 aff ect your opening plan?
The pandemic changed the whole game. We didn’t know what was going to happen from one day to the next, and when you fast forward to today, we’re still seeing the impact. Ge ing product, from time to time, can be diffi cult. Prices fl uctuate more than usual. We’re opening a li le bit late, but that may be a blessing in disguise, because still, to this day, we don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ve just got to keep rolling with the punches, really.
Let’s chat about your opening menu. I’m told your style is a little funky.
I’m spinning all sorts of weird stuff these days. For example, we’re going to do a salmon pastor. A play on a pastor taco that … has all the components, but it’s not a taco. It’s just a striking dish. And I’m probably going to get a li le crazy and toss some brussels sprouts with chamoy. Serve it with cotija cheese and chili-lime sunfl ower seeds. We’re having fun, and wanted to stay away from the cheeseball, gimmicky stuff . The brussels with chamoy, as weird as it sounds, just works. We have something to off er that’s new and diff erent, and I think will be welcomed to the neighborhood. We just want to rock ’n’ roll, you know?
That’s a perfect segue. Back in the day, you aspired to be a rock star. I’m curious about how that creative background lent itself to how you think about food.
Chasing rock stardom, I was chasing freedom. The thing about playing rock ’n’ roll music is the creativity that’s involved. That’s what led me to being a chef, is that creativity. A long time ago, I wanted to become a rock star just so I could have enough money to buy my own restaurant. When I realized becoming a rock star wasn’t going to happen, I decided to pack up and chase the other dream. Music and my cuisine is my creativity, my passion. And I do it with heart.
Who’s got time to click through all of the food stories coming out of Countdown City these days? We get it, you’re busy and just need quick tidbits to get you caught up on the latest culinary happenings. Welcome to Hot Dish, where we off er up the latest savory scoops in quick, easy-to-digest servings. OPENINGS Coff ee and Mexican food spot Café Azteca is set to open in a new South Side location this week after riding out the pandemic by operating from inside Southside Craft Soda. Houston’s Clutch City Cluckers will bring a new, permanent hot-chicken food truck to town and post up near UTSA. food New country and western club Stetson Dance Hall will two-step into recently closed Cooter Browns. New family- and dog-friendly food truck park The Farm is now open in Northwest San Antonio near O. P. Schnabel Park. Austin-based Torchy’s Tacos has opened its fi fth San Antonio location near the intersection of 1604 and Bandera Road.
NEWS
Seasoning brand Tajín — an Alamo City favorite — has launched a pair of new hot sauces, including a Chamoy fl avor.
Rosella Coff ee’s fl agship location near the San Antonio Museum of Art has debuted a wine bar and extended hours.
The city of San Antonio’s World HeritageOffi ce announced its latest class of chef ambassadors, including John Brand of Hotel Emma and Kelly Daughety of the San Antonio Food Bank.
San Antonio-based Taco Cabana is selling to California fi rm Yadav Enterprises for $85 million. The Tex-Mex chain’s headquarters will remain in the Alamo City.
The maker of childhood fave Fla-Vor-Ice is now selling a boozy version of the frozen treat in Texas liquor stores.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, a car smashed into Singhs Vietnamese on San Antonio’s St. Mary’s Strip — again. However, the eatery was back up and running within a couple days of the accident.
Comfort Café closed its Bandera Road eatery until further notice due to a massive fl ood that ravaged the space.
