One Spoon to Rule Them All

Used to instill fear in the hearts of misbehaving children (and adults) and to release some of the most tantalizing aromas in the kitchen, the long-handled cooking spoon is an iconic image that represents the matriarchy and the comforts of a homemade meal.  Literally meaning, “mother spoon,” Cucharamama on 2nd and Clinton brings the nostalgic feelings, that only comfort food can stir up, to a whole new table.  

From the owners of the Latin restaurant, Zafra, Maricel E. Presilla and Clara Chaumont opened Cucharamama in 2004.  According to the website, the owners wanted Cucharamama to have a “less casual, but still decidedly home-like feel” compared to Zafra. White tablecloths, a wood-burning oven and friendly staff are major contributors to the cordial ambiance.  In addition to several favorable reviews and awards, Maricel Presilla is a well-known book author and contributor to top culinary publications.

So, would you expect pot pie and pizza on the menu of a South American restaurant run by culinary great? 

The extensive menu runs the gamut from traditional Empanada de Carne to Pizza Serrana with Serrano ham, manchego cheese and red onion.  To feel even more at home in the cozy restaurant, you might consider bringing a group in order to explore all that the menu has to offer.  As a party of seven, we sampled some delicious dishes that broke the Spanish-cuisine mold including mussels in a spicy sauce of peppers, garlic and Peruvian beer (Chortos Mejillones en Sales “Cuzquena”), cannelloni with spinach, walnuts and manchego cheese in a tangy white sauce (Canelones de Espinaca y Nueces “Rio de la Plata”) and Cebiche de Camarones a la Piedra “Huaca Pucllana,” which was shrimp flash-cooked on a hot stone from the wood-burning oven.  The pot pie - “Pastel de Choclo Chileno” - threw us for a curve with beef and chicken baked into a sweet corn crusted package.

Dining with my family, friends and the “Don of Dining” himself (a family friend and ultimate foodie who is not afraid to voice his opinion whenever and wherever), our group left with mixed reviews of the food.  Personally, I enjoy making the dining experience more intimate by sharing plates and trying what others have ordered.  But, I have to admit I was feeling a little bit of “order envy” with my friend’s choice of the uber-tender, fall-off-the-bone, cut-with-a-fork, beef short ribs.  We did however all agree on the cocktails that definitely packed a punch! 

Impressed by the risks that Cucharamama is taking to be original and inventive like so many of its neighbors in the bigger city across the river, we felt the experience was overall a rewarding one.