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Take the flavors and culinary traditions of South America, add the influence of European cuisine, and you have Chef Rafael Palomino's Bistro Latino. As the title suggests, Bistro Latino is an innovative synthesis of European and New World flavors, and it is striking how easily Palomino moves between the cuisines. The lemony seafood salads common to the Mediterranean are replaced with the ceviches of Peru and Colombia. Dishes such as Roast Chicken with Jalapeños and Yuca put a distinct South American twist on traditional French bistro fare. These combinations are natural for Palomino. In his native Colombia, Latin cuisine is in itself a rich brew of indigenous, Iberian, African, Asian, Caribbean, and North American influences. Add to that early apprenticeships in New York and French restaurants, and it's easy to understand the birth of Bistro Latino.
As with traditional bistro cooking, Palomino emphasizes modest, down-to-earth food. However, the similarities stop there. Bold Latin flavor combinations and ingredients transform simple dishes. Fish Baked in Fresh Tangerine Juice and Parsley blend sweet citrus, woodsy mushrooms, and tender whitefish into an entrée teeming with brightness. In fact, the beauty of Bistro Latino is the simplicity. All the recipes are easily prepared at home and require only modest culinary skills. Palomino also does an outstanding job laying out the basics of Latin cooking. The ingredients glossary is extremely helpful to anyone new to the cuisine, and the recipes for basic sauces such as Aji and Hogo, as well as those for salsas and vinaigrettes, are excellent. Bistro Latino is an exciting new approach that guarantees Latin cuisine will never be the same. --Mark O. Howerton
From Publishers Weekly
Restaurateur Palomino (with the assistance of food writer and editor Moskin) comes up with some pretty wacky flavor combinations in this Latin-American fusion cookbook. Palomino is a native of Colombia, and the "straight" Colombian recipes, like those for Cheese Arepas (biscuits so ubiquitous in Colombia that teething babies gum them) and Bogotano Chicken Soup with Capers and Corn, are the most promising here. When Palomino mixes and matches, however, the results are often less appealing. Goat Cheese and Basil Tamales and Whipped Potatoes with Black Beans overreach to incorporate Latin ingredients in the cuisines of other cultures; if the instructions to rinse the arborio rice to be used in Sea Bass and Saffron Risotto are followed, the dish is a risotto in name only. Pan-Roasted Tuna Steaks with Crisp Yuca Crust are made not with fresh yuca but with packaged Terra Chips. Desserts such as Guava Pancakes and Espresso-Almond Brownies are less complicated finales (Palomino justifies the inclusion of chocolate desserts, which are not particularly popular in Latin America, by pointing out that the Mayans drank chocolate in A.D. 400). When sticking to simpler fare like Peruvian Roast Chicken with Purple Potatoes and many of the minimalist recipes in the section on grilling, Palomino is a more reliable guide than when he strains for some nuevo Latino flair. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Palomino, who was born in Colombia, refers to his cooking as in the "Nuevo Mundo" style, with influences not just from Latin America but also from his training in classic French cuisine and his love of the foods of the Mediterranean. His New York City restaurant offers a cross-cultural menu of dishes, from Ecuadoran Seafood Ceviche to Goat Cheese and Basil Tamales to Roast Chicken with Jalape?os and Yuca. Latin American cooking (or various interpretations of it) is one of the emerging culinary trends; recommended for area libraries and other larger collections.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
What happens when Latin American cooking marries cafesociety? It gives birth to "bistro latino": simple, hearty, enjoyable fare with all the exciting spices, herbs, and foodstuffs of Latin America. Whether in a simple avocado-and-greens salad or in a complex three-bean salad enlivened with chorizo and artichokes, the heady aroma of cilantro and the spiciness of hot peppers keep food on the cutting edge. Some of the authors' recipes can be reproduced by any experienced cook, but others demand access to ingredients not found outside major cities with Latin American markets. Grilled swordfish calls for a simple beer-based marinade seasoned with cumin and garlic, but the yuca crust for tuna steaks is not easily re-created. Unusual and intriguing potato dishes pay homage to South America's gift to the culinary world. Adventurous cooks will find many worthwhile inspirations here. Mark Knoblauch
Book Description
What is Bistro Latino? It's skewered shrimp, marinated in a mixture of smoky chipotle chiles and sweet guava paste, grilled to perfection with juicy chunks of pineapple. It's gazpacho like you've never had it -- a refreshing soup of blackberries, strawberries, and peaches, sparked with a little minced red onion and cilantro. And it's mashed potatoes, kicked up Latin style, whipped together with roasted garlic and black beans.Bistro Latino is homey, appetite-inspiring food that brings the big, sunny flavors of Latin America -- with a touch of the Mediterranean -- into your kitchen. It's cooking that's familiar -- with a twist. Bistro Latino is food that is meant to be shared and enjoyed with family or friends. If you're having a get-together, try serving a selection of colorful Bistro Latino cocktails (Pisco Sours,Caipirinha, Mango Mimosas, Passionfruit Batidas) and savory appetizers (Latin Crab Cakes, Spicy Vegetable Empanadas, Tuna Ceviche with Coconut, Goat Cheese and Basil Tamales). Or make your dinner party a family-style affair with Ecuadoran Shrimp and Corn Chowder, Chicken in the Pot, Latin Style, Colombian Pot Roast, or New World Paella. Round out the meal with side dishes like Roasted Corn and Garlic Rice, Potato-Chipotle Gratin, and Mashed Sweet Plantains.Bistro Latino will give you a whole new vocabulary for everyday cooking.What is Bistro Latino? It's skewered shrimp, marinated in a mixture of smoky chipotle chiles and sweet guava paste, grilled to perfection with juicy chunks of pineapple. It's gazpacho like you've never had it -- a refreshing soup of blackberries, strawberries, and peaches, sparked with a little minced red onion and cilantro. And it's mashed potatoes, kicked up Latin style, whipped together with roasted garlic and black beans.Bistro Latino is homey, appetite-inspiring food that brings the big, sunny flavors of Latin America -- with a touch of the Mediterranean -- into your kitchen. It's cooking that's familiar -- with a twist. Bistro Latino is food that is meant to be shared and enjoyed with family or friends. If you're having a get-together, try serving a selection of colorful Bistro Latino cocktails (Pisco Sours,Caipirinha, Mango Mimosas, Passionfruit Batidas) and savory appetizers (Latin Crab Cakes, Spicy Vegetable Empanadas, Tuna Ceviche with Coconut, Goat Cheese and Basil Tamales). Or make your dinner party a family-style affair with Ecuadoran Shrimp and Corn Chowder, Chicken in the Pot, Latin Style, Colombian Pot Roast, or New World Paella. Round out the meal with side dishes like Roasted Corn and Garlic Rice, Potato-Chipotle Gratin, and Mashed Sweet Plantains. Bistro Latino will give you a whole new vocabulary for everyday cooking.
About the Author
Rafael Palomino began his cooking apprenticeship with Larry Forgione at Brooklyn's River Caf. He went on to work under Michel Guerard at Michel's three-star kitchen in Eugene-les-Bains, France. Rafael has since worked at An American Place, Jams, and Metropolis Caf, all in New York City. He now co-owns and is executive chef at Bistro Latino and Sonora. Rafael emigrated with his parents to the United States from Colombia, grew up in Queens, and now lives in Bedford, New York. Julia Moskin is a food writer and cookbook editor. She is restaurant reviewer for New York Press and has contributed to Saveur and Appellation magazines. She lives in New York City.
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