Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Chef JD Eubanks to open Las Catrina’s
Chef Jonathan “JD” Eubanks, for the first time, is opening his own restaurant. And he is promising to do something different with flavor profiles when Las Catrina’s Modern Mexican opens sometime between mid-January and early February.
Eu banks, who won an armed forces themed episode of“Guy’ s Grocery Games” on the Food Network, says ,“I’ m pretty excited about it. We finished the menu today. For me, I’ve never been more excited in my journey as a chef.”
Las Ca trina’ s will be located in South Del ray Shopping Center, close to the Delray Beach/ Boca Rat on border at 3035 S. Federal Highway.
The menu
Eubank’s business partner is John
Cirillo, who has been a sous chef and has run the front and back of the house at restaurants in South Florida and in Chicago. Cirillo says the plan for Las Catrina’s was to “take some traditional techniques ... and give them modern twists, giving Mexican cuisine a little more elegance.”
The menu is still begin developed, but examples of some of the botanas (appetizers) on the menu include:
Pulpo Tostado - woodfired braised octopus, charred tomatoes, queso fresco, edible arrangements, garnished with micro-cilantro and salsa verde.
Albondiga Mexicana - pork and veal meatballs in chipotle marinara, grana padano and cotija. Entrees include:
■ Cochanita Pibil (traditional) - pork shoulder marinated in dried chili paste slow roasted in a wood oven over cilantro rice. Topped with Pickled onions and blue corn tortillas on the side.
Pescado Verde (traditional) - whole fish of the day scoured and baked in wood fire oven, tequila butter, salsa verde/salsa roja.
Tacos
■ There will be traditional tacos such as Birria, Carne Asada, and Market Fish Escabeche.
Pato Tres Maneras - seared duck breast, duck confit, crispy duck cracklings (chicharrones) tomato jam, chayote slaw.
They are also experimenting with adding some flavor profiles from the South, referencing Eubanks’ previous career stops in North Carolina and Louisiana. “It’s Southern folky food,” he explains. “I think here in South Florida they can use some of that infusion. I think our menu will be fun.”
He says the whole idea is to insert a “little bit of texture” for foodies and culinarians. Toward that end, he and Cirillo checked out the surrounding market and noticed how many Italian restaurants are in Delray Beach and Boca Raton.
“I began thinking to myself that it would be kind of cool to incorporate some of the famous Italian dishes — all the way from the ’70s until now — to the taco form,” Eubanks says.
So now, for example, the Albondiga Mexicana appetizer slated for the menu interprets the Italian meatball with a Mexican flare, using herbs and a tomato-based sauce with a “dry, smoky flavor.”
Cirillo adds that they are also reimagining the cocktail menu, specifically with the salt that usually rims margaritas, palomas, micheladas and other tequila and mezcal drinks. “It’s very boring to just do a salt rim,” he says. “We’re going to be infusing salts with different flavor profiles.” So far they are thinking of essences of grapefruit, hibiscus, prickly pear cactus, chipotle or chocolate.
The decor
Las Catrina’s will be in the space that was formerly Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante. There are plans to refit the pizza oven into a clay oven to use hard woods for dishes such as octopus tentacles. They will be able to accommodate about 160 people, with another 10 outside and at the bar.
Catrinas — those skeleton figures used as a symbol of the Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos celebrations that are the namesake of the restaurant — will also appear in different parts of the bar. The walls will carry vintage black and white photographs of Mexico City.
They are also hiring muralist Ruben Ubiera, who did some work for Los Panchos Tacos and Tequila Bar in Lake Worth, the new restaurant with a kitchen formerly helmed by Eubanks.