Cucharamama in Hoboken

[AGiglio]

Has anyone been to Zafra's new digs in Hoboken, Cucharamama?

[Rosie]

Welcome to eGullet NJMCritic.

When did Cucharamama open? Address? Phone #? Are they BYO?

[tommy]

233 Clinton St, Hoboken, New Jersey ( NJ ) 07030

Telephone - (201) 420-1700

who knew?

http://www.prochef.com/peanuts/peanuts0305.html

[glenn]

The question is, who should have known. [ahem ahem]

[thereuare]

Is this where the old Michael's (or was it Anthony's) restaurant was located?

I'll look up some places where i may have read about it and will post back if i find anything.

[EDS33]

I ate there last night. Full disclosure, I do sell some produce items to them. They have a wood-burning oven and the pizzas may be the best in Hoboken (try the one with serrano ham and manchego). The tamales are excellent. The chocolate flan is beyond words. The restaurant is extremely cozy and comfortable. Try it.

[Rosie]

How long have they been open?

[tommy]

Is this where the old Michael's (or was it Anthony's) restaurant was located?

I'll look up some places where i may have read about it and will post back if i find anything.

from what i'm seeing, it's where the Clinton Tavern used to be, which, if it existed, is probably the only bar in hoboken that i didn't go to.

[Rosie]

Is this where the old Michael's (or was it Anthony's) restaurant was located?

I'll look up some places where i may have read about it and will post back if i find anything.

from what i'm seeing, it's where the Clinton Tavern used to be, which, if it existed, is probably the only bar in hoboken that i didn't go to.

So can I safely asume that this restaurant is not BYO?????

[thereuare]

I was thinking of Anthony's, which used to be located at 5th and Madison, and supposedly is (and has been for some time) turning into some type of 'upscale lounge/restaurant'. Wonderful , sounds exactly like what we need in town... some new joint with a martini menu!

[AGiglio]

I have some answers: It opened last week in the space formerly known as The Clinton Tavern (which became some cheesy Italian deli for a while thereafter). I believe they do have a booze license.

[Rosie]

Thanks NJM critic. Keep us informed of other restaurants that are "must trys."

[thereuare]

After getting 'locked-out' of a reservation about 3 months ago we finally had the chance to try Chucharamama tonite and i'm glad i did.

It's a bit upscale for the neighborhood and the food is a bit pricier (especially beer/liquor/wine) than most of Hoboken, but the food is quite good as is the service.

The one sentence version: The food here has tremendous flavor.

Bit longer: i started with the black bean soup and it was very good. Lots of beans and thicker than your usual black bean soup. Others at the table had gezpacho which they thought was good and a cod appetizer (fritters?... they were served fried, similar to crab cakes, but they were round balls) which i didn't taste but was told they were excellent.

Others ordered entrees off the menu which all seemed to be served as a 'stew'... meat mixed in with a dark sauce and LOTS of potatoes (although they ordered different items, they all had the same stew appearance). As most of the menu (2 pages) are appetizers and only the back page listing entrees (about 7 selections) I elected to order two add'l appetizers for my main course: a pizza and an order of empanadas. The empanadas were three (too) small pockets filled with blue cheese and onion, they weren't bad but i wouldn't recommend them nor order them again. The pizza (also small) was delicious. Most notable about everything i ate was that it was full of flavor.

A very good meal, although a bit more expensive than typical hoboken. We'll return again i'm sure, but only when we're looking for a 'nicer' meal in town.

[Rosie]

Cucharamama received 3 stars from Anthony Giglio in the October New Jersey Monthly magazine. P. 126.

David Corcoran gave the restaurant an excellent today 9/26/04 in the NJ section of the NY Times.

Lowell and I recently had dinner at Cucharamama, 233 Clinton St, Hoboken. What a delicious experience. Lots of interesting choices on the menu. Can’t wait to go back. Chef/co-owner Maricel Presilla who also owns Zafra, Hoboken serves “artisan South American cooking” and introduced us to a cuisine which we have had little exposure to. Chef Presilla's latest book is “The New Taste of Chocolate.”

It is no surprise that before you walk into the restaurant there is a big spoon that serves as the door handle as Cucharamama in parts of South America means, "big spoon." Then the interior grabs your attention— candles, a wood burning oven and South American food themed pictures all add to the ambiance.

Butter is also served in a spoon along with the hot crusty pita type bread. We started out with Peruvian style stuffed potato which was a fried oval of mashed potatoes and beef with spices that tingled our tongues. The Peruvian style ceviche was four shrimp that are cooked on a hot stone. I thought they were bland and could only taste cilantro—not my favorite herb. The ripe plantain eggplant puree was interesting but too sweet.

Entrees were a whole red snapper seasoned with mirasol pepper and olive oil Peruvian adobo served with Brazilian style sautéed kale and a fava bean and Andean corn relish. The fish was excellent—juicy with a luscious seasoning. The kale was bitter and neither of us cared for it. Lowell had a wonderful, juicy, Peruvian style roast leg of pork in aji amarillo adobo served with white rice and stewed canary beans.

Our bellies were busting so we shared one dessert, an Amazonian sundae made with fruit sorbet, fruits and a few different sauces. One tasted like a coconut cream, the other like chocolate.

With tax, two glasses of wine, one beer the bill was $112.

[tommy]

considering all reports, this will probably become a destination spot.

[Rosie]

Had a delicious dinner at Cucharamama. Started of with potatoes in a creamy sauce of cheese, roasted pepper, mint and peanuts; crunchy calamari with a tamarillo sauce; beef empanadas with a chimichurri sauce; and a duck braised tamale. All were great but I could have made a meal out of the tamales.

Entrees were braised short ribs in a red wine sauce with stir fried quinoa and Swiss chard; shrimp in a spicy Peruvian pepper sauce with white rice and canary beans; pork belly with mussels and potatoes; and a half roasted chicken. We didn’t care for the chicken as it was dry and overcooked nor the mussels which lacked the zippiness of the other dishes we had. Also, there were many more mussels and potatoes in this dish than pieces of pork belly.

For dessert we had the chocolate bread pudding with raisins and cashew nuts surrounded by a warm café con leche sauce and cacao nibs. I liked the sauce more than the bread pudding which didn’t have an intense chocolate taste.

There are many small dishes to try at this restaurant and next time we will stay with the small plates. The different spices used here are refreshing and a very pleasant change from other cuisines. We had a bottle of Malbec from Argentina. Bill was about $50 per person with tax and tip.

[Guest johnh91011]

http://www.nj.com/dining/reviews_jjournal.ssf?19766?19766

[chefreit]

http://www.nj.com/dining/reviews_jjournal.ssf?19766?19766

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Hello!

This is nothing but upscale Cuban cafeteria cuisine.

If you grew-up in Hudson County as I have, these are flavors you have been around for years.

And as Bugs Bunny would say, at less then 1/2 the price you pay in...........

"HOOBOO-KEN!"

[ghostrider]

Entrees were a whole red snapper seasoned with mirasol pepper and olive oil Peruvian adobo served with Brazilian style sautéed kale and a fava bean and Andean corn relish. The fish was excellent—juicy with a luscious seasoning. The kale was bitter and neither of us cared for it. Lowell had a wonderful, juicy, Peruvian style roast leg of pork in aji amarillo adobo served with white rice and stewed canary beans.

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Do you happen to remember whether the snapper was a regular menu item or a a daily fish special, as mentioned in the NJ.com review?

That whole dish really sounds good. I bet I'd even like the kale.

[Rosie]

The regular menu has a daily whole fish special and the type of fish changes with what is available.

[jon777]

Bump: Maricel Presilla of Cucharamama in Hoboken was just nominated for a James Beard award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.

BEST CHEF: MID-ATLANTIC (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

Cathal Armstrong

Restaurant Eve

Alexandria, VA

Jose Garces

Amada

Philadelphia

Maricel Presilla

Cucharamama

Hoboken, NJ

Cindy Wolf

Charleston

Baltimore

Eric Ziebold

CityZen

Washington, DC