Rita V.
Yelp
Beautiful! Stunning restaurant with artful elegance. Amazing staff and very well priced to proportion plates. Each corner, each dish, a story to tell. The young and fearless owner-Chefs have poured nothing but sweat, vision, creativity and inspired palate into every detail, every corner and every bite. You will not be disappointed even if you are skeptical by a petite and focused menu. And by all means, DO NOT get your heart set on anything here I am drooling about - because they will play with the seasons, the local, the fresh and the flavors of their native lands (and anything in between goes!). If you are expecting the flavors of the "Caribe" or Mex/TexMex... and that is what you are craving - go somewhere else. Because this is a place to learn about other Latin Cuisines that are part of the fiber of what makes us Latinos (his riff on my beloved sweet plantain was a simplistic stroke of GENIOUS! Normally a breakfast side item in my home, they turned it into a perfect bite with a guac sauce and crispy HOME MADE onions. Amuse Bouche teaser!).
I'm a huge dynamic duo Chefs Alex and Noe fan. Ever ever since I samples their food at the Martha's Vineyard food and Wine festival. But there is a back story to that... Vineyard Haven, couple of years ago - fresh off an 11 day eating and wine fest of my own in the Basque region of Spain, ending at the Michelin Star at Marques de Riscal. 8 lbs wider, I had signed up for this event in the Islandurious hotel Harbor View Hotel. Having shelled out MORE MONEY for the Martha's Vineyard Event than I did at a 1 star Michellin, I jokingly asked this gorgeous young Chef if he was up to the task (I had just watched his Chopped episode and read his bio). He gave me a warm hug, a smile to kill (this gorgeous little spunky and totally down to earth human with more talent that his thin and strong body can house!) and said "mamacita, I cook with love. I will do it BETTER. HA! I thought, bring it. 10 courses and 10 pairings by Zan who is now at Que Mas with him, and I almost went to my maker after all that AMAZING, BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF meal (I've blogged it before). Then Noe came out of the kitchen and I'm thinking to myself "I HAVE SONS OLDER THAN THESE TWO AND THEY DARE SERVE FOOD LIKE THIS?! SHAMELESS! I LOVE THEM!).
One could say I'm a groupie! I have since been to each one of the festivals he has done, and drove through traffice from Hudson to Beverly 1.5 hours just to eat his food again! (I had been to the Landing in Marblehead once, but they had just left for other ventures. Boo HISS!). Worth the sciatica and the traffic!
Creative yet comfort food loaded with love and passion. Central and South American cuisine with a hint of "chefy" yet unpretentiously relatable. Their burrata ravioli with chicharrón is playful, perfectly executed and flavorful (fried pork makes any dish sing!). The bavette steak and creamy, dreamy polenta is one of the most sought after dish for a reason. OMG! The thick and garlic infested coconut curry bathing perfectly poached mussels?! Shut.The. Front. Door! I could use that to pour over my body for a soak and lick myself clean - it is so sensual, decadent and yet RELATABLE! And that bread?! Yea, we went there. The lamb chop special of the evening ware 2 lamb chops Flintstones size! With ethereal whipped mashed... I am a croqueta monster, and his delicate little crispy and creamy baccalao bolitas are what the doctor ordered.
Dessert? Ok, last year October, Harbor View, exhausted and sitting in the lobby waiting to head over to their snob with the press, Noe and Alex sat with me for a bit. I was still in a food coma when we talked FLAN. Now I know a lot of you poor souls have only have sub-par flan. Sub human. That goya brand in the aluminum cup maybe. You poor things. I've been making flan since I could reach a stove. NO WAY NOE can YOUR flan be equal or better to my grannys, mom in laws or mine. NO WAY NOE. On this visit, I was SO STUFFED I didn't order dessert. But it was my birthday, and Noe sent me home with flan. I publicly stand corrected. I will eat your flan in a van, I will eat your flan from the pan. I will eat your flan here and there, I will eat that flan ANYWHERE!
The restaurant is gorgeous and commands a cult following with their vibrant atmosphere and sexy bar. I'm so proud of this pair of overly talented yet down-to-earth Chefs! You've come a long way since your Chopped competition Chef Alex! You make your mama Chef Shire look better than ever! And Noe? Seriously Chef! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? How DARE you serve food that can outshine "older" Chefs? La sazòn y el sabor these two deliver will linger. Get yer butt there! I drove 1.5 hours from Hudson for their food, you may be around the corner! (If you go to Salem for October Witch hunting, Que Mas is a stone throw away!). Take in gentrified Beverly, bask at the trendy elegance of the decor, get yourself comfortable and let it rip!!!