I haven’t been really excited to go out to eat for a long time. Well, that was until my wonderful wife (in case she reads this) got me the awesomest Christmas present ever: gift cards to Paladar. Does this woman know me or what?
Strumming my tastebuds
Some time ago, being an influential member of the Cleveland food scene (I know, I’m hilarious), I was invited to the “Friends and Family” pre-opening party at Paladar. Unfortunately, this was when I was slumming it on the overnight shift, so I couldn’t attend.
Somehow though, everyone I knew managed to have a fabulous Paladar story for me. The margaritas, the guacamole, you name it and someone had a story about how great it was at Paladar. I had to go.
Judging a book by its cover
I met my wife for dinner at Paladar on a rather steamy January day, a bit before the dinner crowd. I was quite impressed by the open layout of Paladar with the seating situated around the impressive bar. The loud colors and stunning design had more of the feel of a Latin dance club than a neuvo-latino restaurant. Since I spend so much time in Latin dance halls I know this type of thing.
We were seated in the main seating area near a few other patrons, but there were a number of open tables since we beat the dinner rush. Our waitress was quick to take our drink orders as we surveyed the landscape. The bar area was jam packed with people reveling in Latin music and big margaritas.
Starting out small
As the wife is a bit less adventurous than I, we settled on the chorizo papusa ($7) for an appetizer. Although there were at least five others I would have ordered had she not been with me, especially the guacamole.
The chorizo papusa reminded me a bit of a Mexican torta in its presentation. It was a patty of smokehouse chorizo sausage on a Salvidorian masa cake with Chihuahua cheese in a rich, creamy sauce.
The papusa was pretty good, however I thought the chorizo could have used a bit more punch. While the sauce was spicy, it wasn’t too spicy. And the masa cakes were crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
The wife really enjoyed it. Almost a bit too much though as there wasn’t much to go around. The papusa was quite small, less than three inches in diameter. I would have thought two would have been fair for the $7.
A comforting explosion in my mouth
For my entree I order the Brazilian lamb stew ($17). I figured that if Chef Matt Mytro bills this place as Latin comfort food, this would be a great test of his vision. The Brazilian lamb stew is lamb served with rice, queso fresco in a jalapeno/cilantro broth.
The first thing I noticed about the stew was the freshness of the ingredients and the intoxicating smell that wafted up from my bowl. A light broth was filled with pieces of lamb, tomatoes and big puffed up pieces of corn that were used almost like a bean in the dish. I thought it was a really neat idea to use the corn as a starch component.
It was comfort food, not to mention delicious. Although the lamb did not have any distinct flavor, the fresh flavor from all of the vegetables and the divine broth just put a smile on my face. The thing I liked the most about the dish was its sneaky spiciness. If you took just one bite you might say that it wasn’t very spicy, but as it builds on your tongue, bite after bite, it really does have some heat. A good heat though.
The whole dish was just fantastic, really superb in its implementation. I would certainly order it again. The funny thing is that I was able to have it two days in a row because it filled me up so well I could only eat half. I took the other half the next day for lunch, and maybe I was just hungrier, but it may have tasted better the second day.
Knowledgeable and professional staff
I do need to mention our waitress for the night, Maggie. She was freaking perfect in every way. We had a number of questions about the menu as some of it was unfamiliar to us and she answered them all without missing a beat. Not only that, but I don’t think my glass ever got below the half-way point before it was refilled again. She was fabulous and you could tell she was quite well trained, so kudos to her.
Once wasn’t enough
I can’t wait to go back to Paladar. The odd thing is that I think I will be just as excited to go back as I was the first time. The food was fantastic with its fresh ingredients and unique dishes, certainly unique to the Cleveland area. The service was phenomenal and we got to have dinner in a very cool atmosphere. What more could you ask for?
Paladar
28601 Chagrin Blvd, Suite 900
Woodmere, Ohio 44122
216-896-9020
Tagged with: Chef Matt Mytro • Chorizo • Cleveland Restaurants • Latin Food • Reviews
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March 9th, 2008 at 11:24 am
We recently visited Paladar for lunch and were pleasantly surprised. We each had a vegetarian Cuban sandwich and found it to be flavorful and fresh. Although the restaurant itself was pretty empty we thought the prices were reasonable and the food seemed fresh and tasty. (including the guac, although there wasn’t someone at the guac station serving it up fresh to order as the menu promises.)
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March 11th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Recently did Paladar as well and enjoyed it quite a bit. Everything about the decor and menu is ambitious yet comfortable. I thought there was a slight undercurrent of “chain restaurant” but as a whole it overcame that.
As for unique, whil enot quite as upscale Le Tortilla Feliz is similarly hearty Latin American cuisine in Tremont. It closed in December but may be open soon.
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