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The Brooklyn Papers / Greg
Mango
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Fort Greene has French bistros, Italian
trattorias and Mexican watering holes, but Nuevo
Latino?
Nada.
In July, Vivian Torres and Pedro Munoz,
former Pratt architecture students and residents of the
neighborhood, re-lit the fire that was sputtering on Nuevo Latino
cooking - a vibrant amalgamation of Mexican, Puerto Rican,
Argentinean, Peruvian, Colombian and Caribbean cuisines that began
in the early 1990s - with Luz, a Pan-Latino eatery on Vanderbilt
Avenue.
Instead of the gaudy party atmosphere that was
indicative of the Nuevo Latino aesthetic, the two transformed a
former carriage house-cum-garage into a sleek, dining room with a
sky light, comfortable banquettes and a long wooden
bar.
They've installed chef Jorge Adriazola, formerly of
Chicama in Manhattan, where he worked with the "Godfather of Nuevo
Latino cooking," Douglas Rodriguez. Adriazola offers a menu of
bright, lightened Latino dishes. (Luz, pronounced "loose," is the
Spanish word for light.)
Diners can begin a meal with the
"Luz colada," made with passion fruit instead of the traditional
pineapple, and sip their drink with an appetizer of "mejillones al
cilantrillo," mussels steamed with dry white wine and garlic that
are topped with cilantro and lime juice; or try the "coco tuna,"
tuna ceviche in coconut milk flavored with lemongrass, ginger and
jalapeno peppers.
Afterward, they can salsa their way to an
entree of "lechon asado," a Cuban dish of slow-roasted pork with
garlic sauce. For dessert, there's "tembleque" (pictured), a coconut
cream custard with pineapple salad and strawberry sauce served in a
martini glass. When summer warms Fort Greene's leafy streets, diners
can sip their mojitos at a sidewalk table in front of the
restaurant.
Luz (177 Vanderbilt Ave. between Myrtle Avenue
and Willoughby Avenue) accepts American Express, Discover,
MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $14-$22. The restaurant serves dinner
daily and weekend brunch, from 11 am to 3:30 pm. For more
information, call (718) 246-4000.
- Tina Barry
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