We ordered a bottle of wine and three different tapas to start, the Yucca Sticks, Calamari, and Manchego Chorizo Platter. We were taken care of immediately and were informed of the changes on the menu. They definitely looked like regulars and knew the owners well. ![]() A few minutes later, two other couples walked in. We arrived, and we were the only ones there so we got a lot of attention to start. I made a reservation for 8pm on a Saturday night. Just as we were leaving, a couple entered who had clearly never been there before and were talking about driving “all the way to Fort Lauderdale.” Fellow Check Please reviewers? I’ll have to wait for the taping to find out. We left, full, happy and having gained a great deal of information about the food we ate and the chef who made it. (“If Cubans had had capers, they’d have put them in it too!” he declared.) Afterward, we each had a piece of sweet gorgonzola topped with fig, and Armando presented us each with a fine glass of port, the promised repayment for his glass of Erumir. We sat together and had a lengthy discussion about both of our dinners, from the Moorish influence on Spanish cuisine to Armando’s decision to add capers to my wife’s vaca frita. My Moroccan chicken was equally good and as we worked on our second bottle of Erumir, the chef came back around and, with our permission, poured himself a glass with the promised trade of two glasses of something else a little later in the meal. The mayo was a little too smoky and the bread a lot too garlicky, but other than that, the appetizers were all delicious…even the curry that Armando had seemed so unsure of. He followed that with another gratis gesture, a bruschetta topped with prosciutto, peppers and a balsamic vinegar reduction. Then came the appetizer of manchego cheese with chorizo cantimpalo, with which the chef sent out garlic bread. After we expressed some interest in his curry-based chicanery, the chef sent out a chicken curry empanada before our appetizer of crispy yucca sticks with aioli and chipotle mayo. Immediately, we were welcomed with open arms by Chef Armando, who ushered us into our seats and began regaling us with a tale of the day’s experimentation with curry. We were offered our pick of tables and chose one in the dining room, as opposed to the handful of tables that face the kitchen. Other than a regular at the place who was sitting at a table with the owner’s son, there were no other diners. The technique renders the meat into crispy fried tendrils of pulled pork that are served over a bed of rice and black beans seasoned with a pepper-based vinegar sauce Vega gets from his family in Cuba.We pulled in to the parking lot about 15 minutes late for our reservation, but that wasn’t a problem. Or try the credo asado, confit pork finished in a hot paella pan with olive oil and sofrito. Another house specialty is the fideua negra, a noodle dish with an unctuous sauce of squid ink that's filled with fat chunks of tender squid and octopus. The dish is served from a piping-hot paella pan, blackened rice scraped from the steel and onto your plate. The recipe calls for Spanish Calasparra rice, a pearl-shaped variety that won't stick and allows for the complete absorption of the savory calamari-, clam-, mussel-, and shrimp-based broth. ![]() Vega is most proud of his paella, prepared in the style of Valencia. ![]() ![]() The rustic, red-walled hideaway is accented with handmade wooden wine racks Vega's family china and art made with the corks of emptied wine bottles are evidence of the gastronomic merriment that's taken place over the years. A medium-grain rice from Murcia, Spain Mahon, a soft cow's-milk cheese from the island of Minorca smoky pimenton, a type of Spanish paprika and olive oil from Jaen, a city in the south of Spain. What makes Candela so endearing is Vega's knowledge of his painstakingly sourced ingredients. This is the type of experience you'll get from chef-owner Armando Vega and his wife Yudaris, a Cuban-born couple that dishes out authentic Latin and Mediterranean cuisine. You may be familiar with a restaurant where the chef knows your name and delivers your dish as if you were family. Just one block south of Oakland Park Boulevard and over a canal that hems the northern edge of the Island City, you'll find one of the area's best-kept secrets. But at Candela Restaurant in Wilton Manors, you can get an idea of what it's all about. In South Florida, where the recent small-plate obsession has tainted our palates (and pockets) with pricey, upmarket concept foods, we have no understanding of the Spanish art of celebrating food and drink.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |