Chef Gabriel Ordonez
has come full circle opening El Cincuenta Y Ocho, San Miguel’s popular new bistro and
concert bar at Mesones #58.
The building that El Cincuenta Y Ocho is in also happens to be the same house that Gabriel’s childhood friend
Seth was born in; a Déjà vu that he’s
certain will bring him good luck.
El Cincuenta Y Ocho is not an
upscale restaurant as you would expect but rather an unpretentious, multi-level
bistro furnished in red velvet and eye-catching Mexican catrinas. There are a half a dozen in the entryway and the entire
collection is magnificently displayed throughout the restaurant.
It’s rare to find a bar
with imaginative food but Ordonez is creating small plates that are worthy of a
cult following. The fascinating thing is he’s doing it in a very small kitchen.
The in-house joke at
Mesones #58 is that the kitchen is smaller than the bathroom.
Being in close quarters
is easy though because Sous-Chef, Jose Reyes, a former chef at Cumpanio
Restaurante, also worked with Gabriel at The Restaurant.
I first met Gabriel at
the SMA Food Festival back in June with Sandor
Rodriguez, one of the chefs at The Restaurant. At the time, I didn’t know that
Gabriel was another one of the many first-rate chefs to come out of Donny Masterton’s
kitchen. Gabriel said that Donnie was his first boss and he considers him
a mentor. Gabriel also cooked at Café Rama.
Gabriel’s passion for cooking
comes from his grandmother, who opened his eyes to the world of food when he
was very young. A remarkable cook, he would help her in the kitchen every week
when she made Sunday meals for the family. His first food memory was his
grandmother making the Spanish dish Fabada and also a delicious Beef Wellington
fillet. In fact, her food takes on an almost mystical
reverence whenever I bring it up.
A gifted chef with a talent
for integrating flavors, Gabriel trained in the acclaimed
Peruvian kitchens at both Malabar and Central Restaurante. Both restaurants earned spots on Latin
America’s 50 Best Restaurants this past year. Malabar captured the number
twenty position, while Central Restaurante took the top spot for the second
year in a row.
Over the past decade, the chefs
of Peru have worked together to dominate the global culinary scene, taking 3 of
the top 5 spots on Latin America’s 50 Best in 2015. Collectively, the culinary elite celebrate
9 restaurants on the list this year.
With Pedro Miguel Schiaffino at
Malabar, which is known for Amazon fusion cuisine, it was all about ingredients
and simplicity. Schiaffino is a renowned researcher
and trendsetter for his use of ingredients from the Amazon never used before in
haute cuisine.
Gabriel also thrived under Virgilio
Martinez, who takes everything to the limit with his Avant-garde Peruvian
cuisine. His restaurant, Central, offers a 17-course tasting menu set by
elevation and was inspired by his many expeditions through the Andes. His 50
seat restaurant is maintained by a staff of 61.
When I remarked on how beautiful
his small plates are, he replied that he likes small plates because it allows
the customer to enjoy so many different dishes and flavors. “Many dishes can get
boring after just a few bites”, he remarked.
Here is the 11-course
tasting menu we sampled:
Beef Carpaccio with
antigua mustard crust, parmigiano reggiano, arugula with a champagne-dijon
vinaigrette, served with home-made potato chips.
Seared dumpling
stuffed with shrimp and ginger, with a sesame soy jalapeno vinaigrette, black
sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.
Peruvian style
ceviche, with halibut, kiwi, sweet corn, glazed sweet potato, served with a fried wonton.
Slightly cured salmon
with fennel yogurt, black sesame seeds, and avocado.
3
Burgers: lamb with swiss cheese and oven dried cherry tomatoes; beef and
cheddar with beer bacon; beef with coriander seed blue cheese and caramelized
onions.
Slow roasted portobello
mushroom with oven dried tomatoes, garlic confit, goat cheese and basil.
Chicharron crusted
shrimp, with mango-chipotle sauce and avocado with leche de tigre.
Five-chile braised
rabbit sope with fresh cheese, cumin beans, pickled radish and red onion.
Tandoori grouper with
asian green beans and soy bean sprouts.
Grilled rib eye with
chile ancho butter, chimuchirri buttered mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and
zucchini.
Chocolate ravioli with
mascarpone honey cream, strawberries and vanilla ice cream.
While all of the
dishes were really good, we LOVED the lamb burger, the dumpling, the grilled
rib eye and of course the chocolate ravioli the best.
What does Gabriel like to
eat? He says he craves Tacos and all the greasy stuff. He also loves Foie
Gras, Sushi, Chocolate, and Meat, not necessarily in that order. In fact, he
eats just about everything except beets.
In San Miguel, his
favorite places to eat are Andy’s Tacos, The Restaurant, Sushi Gami, Tacos en
Mesones, Mi Vida, Nextia, and Mariscos
Frescos.
When asked what type of
cuisine he likes to cook, he said “I respect all types of cuisine. I’m inspired
by recipes I know won’t fail and adjust them to my own taste.” He said he favors
Schezwan, Peruvian, Japanese and Greek food.
He stays on top of food
trends on the internet, devours cookbooks cover-to-cover, and eats.
He uses the freshest
ingredients he can get and buys all of them from local producers. He expects to
change his menu about every two months.
Gabriel has a taste for
wine, red in particular, and is educating his staff in hopes that they will acquire
a passion for wine as well. That’s a work in progress so for now, whenever a
customer has a question on wine, he comes out to the table.
As a note, Mesones 58
did not have Chardonnay in their cellar the night that we were there. We’re certain
that will change. In fact, when we offered a few suggestions for improving two
of his small plates, Gabriel was more than eager for our feedback. That’s one
of the things that will make him successful; he’s open to new ideas.
One thing I learned a
long time ago is that the most important things in the kitchen is approaching
everything with confidence. When I asked him what the hardest dish to cook is,
his comeback was “with the right preparation, everything should be easy.”
When he’s not cooking
for his girlfriend Catherine or at Mesones 58 (Wednesday – Saturday from 5 PM),
he hires out as a private chef. You can email him at chefgabrielo@gmail.com or contact him by
phone at 415-115-1304.
In the mean time, we’re
headed back to search his kitchen.
We know where his spoon
is. We’re looking for his magic wand.
Buen Apetito!
PMBU.jpg)
