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Go Fish: 20 Top Ceviche Dishes Around America #WillFlyForFood

Caroline Potter June 26, 2017 Leave a Comment

We’re continuing our celebration of the dishes everyone should fly to try, but what if you can’t fly for food — specifically ceviche? Not a problem. You can sample its authentic flavors at home. With the warm weather upon us, this favorite beat-the-heat seafood specialty features proteins that are “cooked” by the acid that is added. Read on for 20 top ceviche dishes around the U.S. And be sure to enter our #WillFlyForFood contest for a chance to win a trip for two to Mexico City – so you can fly to try it.

Dos Urban Cantina, Chicago, Illinois
Agua chiles are a popular form of ceviche all over Mexico and, especially, along the coasts. Chef Brian Enyart serves a raw scallop agua chile that’s made with fresh lime juice infused with Serrano chile and seasoned with salt. Plated with sweet potato purée, pickled red onion, chia seeds, cilantro stems and leaves, it comes with a drizzle of olive oil for a bit of richness. Make a reservation at Dos Urban Cantina.

Yebo Beach Haus, Atlanta, Georgia
At a restaurant with “beach haus” in its name, it’s not surprising to find that summer flavors abound on its menu, especially the coconut ceviche from owner Justin Anthony. Taking “it tastes as good as it looks” to a new level, a freshly halved coconut overflowing with a bounty of eye-catching ingredients attracts Instagrammers from all over. Tropical fruits, such as jicama and papaya, adorn the marinated scallops, prawns, octopus, and avocado tossed in a zesty coconut jalapeño vinaigrette. Make a reservation at Yebo Beach Haus.

Nixta, St. Louis, Missouri
The ceviche from chef Tello Carreon showcases what the restaurant does best — honoring authentic Mexican cuisine and showing diners that it is truly one of the most exceptional cuisines in the world. Inspired by classic Mexican ingredients, but with a modern flair and presentation, the dish features an aromatic mix of sweet and spicy, with shrimp, scallop, rose water, and aji pepper, which truly set this ceviche apart from others. Make a reservation at Nixta.

Water Grill-Downtown, Los Angeles, California
The secret it out about Water Grill’s ceviche. The off-menu dish from culinary director Damon Gordon is a stunner built around a whole fish. Cured with a light marinade of fresh lime, cilantro, and Italian extra virgin olive oil, it’s ready for its close up. Make a reservation at Water Grill-Downtown.

Boqueria-UES, New York, New York
Executive chef Marc Vidal brings his Spanish version of ceviche to Boqueria’s new summer market menu. The salpicon canario showcases citrus-marinated octopus, prawns, fluke, peppers, pineapple, avocado, and cilantro – the next best thing to being on the beaches of the Spanish coast. Make a reservation at Boqueria-UES.

Tanta, Chicago, Illinois
You can’t talk cebiche without mentioning Peru. Executive chef Jesus Delgado offers guests a cebiche tasting, which includes three dishes – Cebiche Clasico, Cebiche Mixto, and Cebiche Nikei. All three including the freshest chef’s selection fish combined with Leche de Tigre, an acidic, life-giving sauce made with shellfish stock, fresh lime juice, onion, chilies, cilantro, celery, garlic, and salt. Make a reservation at Tanta.

Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar, Miami, Florida
Chef Miguel Gomez’s ceviche tradicional is made with mahi, classic leche de tigre, cancha, choclo, and sweet potato. This dish is inspired by the flavors and tradition in Peru, relying on simplicity to deliver the tastes. Chef Miguel Gomez uses two unique elements — orange soda to cook the sweet potato and sugar to elevate the flavor of the dishes. Make a reservation at Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar.

The Dawson, Chicago, Illinois
Executive chef Francisco Narez says, “Ceviche is always a nice, refreshing way to start a hot summer lunch or dinner. When I think of tuna, what better way than all the fresh vegetables of a garden. Our tuna ceviche features cucumber, radish and fresh sliced chiles. To refresh the palate, we add a finish of basil and cilantro with lime.” Make a reservation at The Dawson.

Andina, Portland, Oregon
Andina is one of the longest-running family Peruvian restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, so it’s not surprising that executive chef Dustin Koerner, under the guideance of matriarch and Peru native Mama Doris, serves the Five Elementos, Andina’s iconic preparation of fresh fish in leche de tigre. This is the classic preparation of ceviche, so fresh you could image yourself in Lima, no altitude acclimation necessary. Make a reservation at Andina.

Brabo, Alexandria, Virginia
There’s a new white ceviche on the Belgian-inspired menu at BRABO this season. Executive chef Sebastien Rondier combines fresh halibut, mahi-mahi, and shrimp with sweet onions, jalapeño, and lemon and lime for acidity to cook the fish to delicious perfection. Make a reservation at Brabo.

Delicious Inspiration: Top Chefs Reveal Where They #WillFlyForFood

Priya Krishna June 23, 2017 1 Comment

For many chefs, the most powerful tools of inspiration aren’t specific ingredients or culinary training — they are experiences. Traveling, whether it’s a hundred miles away or a thousand, is an opportunity to expand your horizons, discover a new cuisine, and live within a different culture. Stepping outside one’s comfort zone, as a chef, gives way to the kind of creativity and innovation that has produced some of the country’s top restaurants. As we continue to celebrate culinary tourism with our #WillFlyForFood contest, we spoke to chefs and restaurateurs about the trips that had the biggest influence on their spots.

“Our first trip to Japan together was in the early 2000s, and the most memorable part of that experience was a visit to a restaurant called Kitcho, which is located outside of Kyoto. It’s hundreds of years old, in this old house with only a few rooms. It was the most ethereal hospitality experience — we felt like we were in this whole other world. The service in Japan anticipates so graciously what you need without feeling overwhelming or overbearing. The way you feel taken care of and how thoughtful everything is. And it started from when we pulled in — the staff greeted us at the gate! The attention to detail is the other thing — at that restaurant, it was the small details that made up the entire experience — the chopstick holders, the sake cups. That restaurant really influenced how we try to do service at o ya: we have unique chopstick holders for each guest, and we offer up a fork and knife so that people don’t have to be embarrassed if they can’t use chopsticks (we saw this in Japan). We sit in each of our chairs before we start using them to make sure you can cross your legs underneath the table. Sake cups change depending on which type you are drinking. What we learned in Japan is that these are all simple things, but you notice them when they are not there.” — Nancy and Tim Cushman, o ya, New York/Boston

“When we were getting ready to open up Grand Café, we did a Mediterranean trip through Spain, Italy, and the south of France. The highlight was Monaco. Yes, Monaco is ridiculous and luxurious, but that’s not the side of it that we fell for. In just wandering the streets, ducking into bakeries and eating barbajuan, we saw how everything there is really old but still so cared for and loved. The architecture may be imperfect, but it still feels incredibly relevant and fresh. The way that Monaco has these yachts on one side, and then these old bakeries run by families for hundreds of years on the other was just so inspiring to us. When we were creating Grand Café, we knew we wanted to celebrate that juxtaposition between old and new. The space we were in had been in operation for 70 years as a restaurant and bakery — it had this amazing soul and history vibrating through it. We realized we needed to embrace what was there in that it wasn’t all perfect, and to let the history shine through. We mirror this notion in the food — pulling recipes that we haven’t visited in a while and presenting them in our style, like our ham two ways, which incorporates this old-school Bayonne ham from France, alongside a cured ham that our friend makes in Tennessee. In the end, the restaurant is one that is old and funky yet very modern.” —Jamie Malone & Erik Anderson, Grand Café, MinneapolisContinue Reading

Curry Up: 13 Top Curry Dishes to Try Now #WillFlyForFood

Caroline Potter June 22, 2017 3 Comments

As we celebrate the dishes everyone should fly to try, we’re also highlighting homegrown versions that you can order in a city near you. First up is curry. Curries can be found all over the world, most notably in Asian countries. Whether it’s a wintery day and we want warmth in a bowl or a scorcher of a day and we want to fight fire with fire, we’re all about curry any time of year. If you can’t travel to sample the lauded coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab with calamansi lime at Nahm in Bangkok, try one of these closer-to-home top curry dishes. And be sure to enter our #WillFlyForFood contest for a chance to win a trip for two to Mexico City.

The Gage, Chicago, Illinois
How does a carnivore create a vegetarian masterpiece? Executive chef Chris Gawronski says, “As someone who identifies as a carnivore, I often have a hard time enjoying vegetarian dishes because they can lack depth. While at dinner with my father at a Thai restaurant years ago, I had Thai Coconut Curry for the first time and loved it for its complex flavor. I thought it was a perfect vegetarian dish to include on The Gage menu.” His version is crafted from basmati rice, basil, and roasted seasonal vegetables – and it’s full of flavor. Make a reservation at The Gage.

Zentan, Washington, D.C.
You can’t have a listicle of curries without having a Japanese curry on it – especially this iteration from executive chef Yo Matsuzaki. Chef Yo highlights panko-crusted pork jowl in his Ton Toro Katsu Curry, which features a sauce of housemade Japanese curry with a soft boiled egg. Make a reservation at Zentan.

Chiya Chai Café, Chicago, Illinois
Veggie lovers rejoice! The Shrestha brothers have created a vegetable jalfrezi with sautéed peppers, spiced cauliflower and green beans, and spices. It’s finished with a bit of lime, a dash of onion, and a spoon full of brown basmati rice. You don’t want to miss this staple dish on Chiya Chai’s Nepalese and Indian-inspired menu. Make a reservation at Chiya Chai Café.

Departure Restaurant + Lounge, Denver, Colorado
Hit up Vietnam by way of Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood at Departures. Chef Gregory Gourdet, a Top Chef finalist, has created a Vietnamese duck curry. His riff is built with brined duck breast, fresh ginger, lemongrass, coconut milk, and red chili. You’ll be grateful for the accompanying baguette to help soak up all the yum. Make a reservation at Departure Restaurant + Lounge.

Aviary, Portland, Oregon
At Aviary, executive chef Sarah Pliner serves charred octopus with molten ricotta pudding, broccoli raab – and a red curry jus. The preparation echoes Plinr’s approach to everything on her menu — clean and minimal with an incredible complexity of flavors. While not traditional, this dish is bold and unique – just what we’ve come to expect from a meal at this PDX fave. Make a reservation at Aviary.

Arun’s Thai Restaurant, Chicago, Illinois
The Massaman beef green curry at the Thai fine-dining restaurant that is Arun’s is made to please your palate – and your Instagram following. Part of the chef’s menu from chef Arun Sampanthavivat, the curry arrives flourished with hand-carved vegetable flames and leaves. The curry is bright and beautiful. Make a reservation at Arun’s Thai Restaurant.

Summer House Santa Monica, North Bethesda, Maryland
Chef Jeff Mahin adds a hearty, fresh and spicy vegan, gluten-free option to his California-inspired menu with the quinoa & forbidden black rice bowl that’s crafted with spicy green curry, roasted veggies, Thai herbs, and lime. Make a reservation at Summer House Santa Monica.

Coco Asian Bistro, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Seared tuna is the star of Coco’s signature green curry sauce from chef Mike Ponluang. Other flourishes include sesame seends, edamame, fried banana, and seaweed diced mango. Make a reservation at Coco Asian Bistro.

Momotaro, Chicago, Illinois
Oh my udon. The curry udon at Momotaro is a bowl of goodness built around heritage pork curry and featuring futo udon. This is steamy feel-good food at its finest – guaranteed to perk you up even if you’re feeling less than fine. Make a reservation at Momotaro.

Enter for a Chance to Win: Score a Trip for 2 to Mexico City in the OpenTable #WillFlyforFood Contest

OpenTable June 21, 2017 11 Comments

In celebration of our recent survey of OpenTable diners around culinary tourism and release of the 25 Fly to Try dishes around the globe, we’re pleased to invite you to join in on the fun with our #WillFlyforFood contest.

The prize includes two round-trip tickets to Mexico City and three nights in a hotel, featuring dinner at the legendary Pujol restaurant and a walking tour of the city’s unbeatable street food. The contest runs June 21-30, 2017.

To enter:

Share a photo of a delicious dish you flew for. Post it on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, or see here for more options and tell us where else you dream of flying for your next culinary adventure. Full terms and conditions after the break.
Follow and tag @OpenTable and use the hashtag #WillFlyForFood to be sure your entry is visible.

The OpenTable Blog

To enter: