Fish Fridays - Rio Mar

In the nineties, the Warehouse District dining scene was like America before European nations discovered it. If Emeril Lagasse was the Christopher Columbus of the movement to the Warehouse District, Adolfo Garcia must surely be Francisco Pizarro - the swashbuckling, conquistador who has established highly successful restaurants of differing scope throughout the area. Of course, as far as we know, there has been less blood shed with Garcia's conquest than with Pizarro's.

Garcia, 48, had cooked in restaurants in New Orleans and New York for years while waiting for his chance to cook his food on his terms in New Orleans. "I was cooking in New York, and I would come back every six months to take the pulse of the restaurant scene. People like Emeril, Susan (Spicer), and Donald (Link), they paved the way for restaurants to open which were different than traditional New Orleans restaurants," says Garcia.

In 2000, the time was right and Garcia and Nick Bazan opened Rio Mar. "Everyone told us we were crazy. They said, 'You are going to do Spanish seafood? Where?'"

Since opening, Rio Mar has attracted diners with their take on Spanish and Latin American, maritime focused cuisine. "We have a bacalao dish on the menu, and Europeans and Hispanics come in and order it because for them it is a traditional dish. But just last week, a group from Pennsylvania wanted to try it," Garcia says describing the popularity of the classic which was at first a tongue-in-cheek offering on Rio Mar's menu.

The dish is named Bacalao a la Abuelita Lula, after Garcia's grandmother. Garcia explains, "My mother, God bless her, made bacalao every Friday in lent, really always in Lent. It wasn't very good, she used ketchup. But when I saw how my grandmother cooked it, I saw how great it can be."

That bacalao starts with filets of cod which have been salted and left to dry. The cod arrives at Rio Mar with a crusty, white exterior. After three days of soaking in water (the water is changed daily), the cod is then cooked in an aromatic mixture of soffrito, tomatoes, raisins, and sherry vinegar. The bacalao is sent to the table crowned with parsley, olive oil and salted marcona almonds, a true "olfactory overload" describes Miles Prescott, sous chef at Rio Mar.

The sweet and sour sauce smelling dish, with a strong presence of cod, arrives at the table bubbling and perfuming everything around it. The taste is vaguely reminiscent of early forays into Asian dining, sweet and sour pork, duck sauce, and the like, but with a similarity to Creole sauce due to the tomato. Wash it down with an effervescent glass of txakoli.

When Garcia speaks, he does so with authority; be he talking about authentic Mexican cuisine, food costs, or discussing the effects of the Unification of Catholic Kings on Catalonian cuisine. "That sweet/sour flavor profile you find all over the Mediterranean-from Venice to Sicily, Corsica to Sardinia. At one time, many of those lands were under the control of the kingdom of Catalonia. This was before Spain unified, kicked out the Moors, and started burning heretics at the stake. You know, the Inquisition wasn't such a great time for Spain," he says.

Ceviche, another area of culinary expertise close to Garcia's heart, receives great respect from his kitchen staff. "Many places are serving 'ceviche,' but we really serve ceviche," Garcia explains.

Rio Mar's appeal lies not in its location or cuisine, but in its soul as a wonderful place to enjoy seafood prepared in different ways. So if you are looking to keep faithful, while tasting something different, head to Rio Mar this evening. Consider it Lenten American cuisine.

Panamanian Ceviche

Take 3 medium size drum filets (about 2 pounds total) and remove the blood line by cutting on either side of the line. Discard. Slice long, thin strips down the length of the filet and then cut strips into a small dice.

Dice a red onion. Take two habaneros, remove the seeds and stems, and finely dice. Combine the fish, habaneros, and red onion in a bowl. Cover with fresh squeezed lime juice, about a half cup, (you can use bottled lime juice, it's ok; Garcia does) and a good amount of salt.

Garcia believes the salt is key. "The acid in the lime juice will eat up most of the salt, so you need a lot in there." He used 2 big pinches of salt. Allow mixture to marinate for at least three hours.

Serve with corn chips, popcorn, or (Garcia's favorite) ice cold beer.