{"id":4082,"date":"2009-06-06T21:53:19","date_gmt":"2009-06-07T03:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=4082"},"modified":"2019-08-24T21:12:07","modified_gmt":"2019-08-25T03:12:07","slug":"cafe-choroni-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=4082","title":{"rendered":"Cafe Choroni – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Cafe
Cafe Choroni, Albuquerque’s first Venezuelan restaurant<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the late 1970s before political correctness taught us how racist we all are, it seems every man born to the last name Gonzalez, whether or not they liked it, sported the nickname “Speedy.” \u00a0Speedy was, of course, the “fastest mouse in all of Mexico” in the popular Looney Tunes animated series. \u00a0The premise of the cartoon was that Sylvester, a tuxedo cat with an exaggerated lisp, terrorized a horde of mice trying to abscond with cheese from the cheese factory under his charge. \u00a0Only the intrepid Speedy, a sombrero wearing\u00a0machismo\u00a0mouse on perpetual hyper-drive could deter the “gringo pussy gato.” \u00a0Amid cries of “\u00a1\u00c1ndale! \u00a1\u00c1ndale! \u00a1Arriba! \u00a1Arriba!” (colloquial Mexican Spanish for Come\u00a0on! Hurry up!), the excessively energetic Speedy usually gave Sylvester a painful comeuppance.<\/span><\/p>\n

My Air Force buddy Vladamir Gonzalez wasn’t spared the sobriquet of Speedy, never mind that he was Puerto Rican and lived life as if conserving energy. \u00a0A gregarious, self-deprecating madcap, Speedy good-naturedly took liberties with his cartoon namesake’s trademark cry. \u00a0In his version, it was “\u00a1\u00c1ndale! \u00a1\u00c1ndale! \u00a1Arepa! \u00a1Arepa!” \u00a0My friend, a man of many appetites loved the culinary standards of his beloved Puerto Rico: sofrito, black beans, yuca, plantains and especially arepas, fried rounds of flour-based dough stuffed with seafood or sundry ingredients. <\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn’t until many years later that I learned of the culinary heritage of arepas, a \u00a0maize-based bread originating in South America’s northern Andes region. \u00a0The genesis of the word “arepa” is thought to be the language of the Caracas natives on Venezuela’s north coast. \u00a0 For centuries, arepas were an important staple in the diet of impoverished Venezuelans and Colombians, but today they are eaten by rich and poor alike and are considered one of Venezuela’s national foods. \u00a0Arepas are part of the daily diet in place of bread for most Venezuelans who love their versatility. \u00a0They can be fried or baked, served plain or with a filling and at any time of the day as a snack, starter or appetizer. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The interior of Cafe Choroni<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Restaurants and food stands known as Areperas abound in Venezuela and they specialize in preparing these small delights, splitting them in half then stuffing them with all manner of fillings like a sandwich. \u00a0Because they’re so good, it’s been years since Venezuela and Colombia have held exclusivity over arepas. \u00a0Their popularity has spread to other areas in Latin America, including Puerto Rico where my friend Speedy is from.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arepas were originally made from dried corn kernels soaked in water and lime\u00a0(much like posole)\u00a0to remove the skins. \u00a0They were then cooked, drained, dried and ground into flour. \u00a0Today, ready to use masa harina (flour) is readily available which means arepas can be prepared in just a few minutes. \u00a0Arepas bear some similarity to New Mexico’s ubiquitous tortilla, but even more so to El Salvador’s pupusa. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Duke City has had a Salvadoran pupuseria<\/a> (a restaurant specializing in pupusas)\u00a0since 2005, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2009 that Albuquerque’s first Venezuelan restaurant was launched. \u00a0Cafe Choroni is owned and operated by Nemo Morantes and Carlos Figueredo (pictured below), Venezuelan natives who have lived in the Albuquerque for about four years after emigrating from New York City. \u00a0The formula for their restaurant’s operation relies on variables such as tradition, culture, local motivation, and a cast of supporting families which include accomplished chefs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Carlos
Carlos Figueredo, one of the restaurant proprietors delivers quesillo to our table<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s a formula that promises to draw more than the forty or so Venezuelan families who live in the Duke City, all of whom have been very supportive of Cafe Choroni and at least one of whom seems to be an unofficial ambassador to newcomers. \u00a0During our inaugural visit, a rather effusive young lady greeted us like lost family members, talking up the cuisine with the savvy and pride of a native. \u00a0She then adjourned to a community table in the center of the restaurant where several Venezuelan families enjoyed each other’s company, a Saturday afternoon ritual. \u00a0That sense of community and closeness reminded me very much of weekends spent in Bronx bodegas with my friend Speedy and his extended family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cafe Choroni is named for an inland hamlet boasting one of Venezuela’s best\u00a0Caribbean\u00a0beaches. \u00a0The\u00a0Figueredo family has had a summer home in Choroni for generations, braving hairpin turns winding through a dense mountainous forest to visit on many a weekend. \u00a0A painting of Choroni’s beach by Carlos’s son Enrique hangs on one wall while a collage of photos hangs on another.<\/span><\/p>\n

The restaurant has a homey and inviting feel. \u00a0In addition to standard seating arrangements, a corner section of the restaurant includes comfortable couches,\u00a0ostensibly\u00a0for post-prandial parlance. \u00a0The festive sounds of Venezuelan music resonate from the restaurant’s sound system, but not so loud you can’t enjoy conversation at normal levels. \u00a0 The counter where you place your orders bears a semblance to an overhang from a beach cabana. \u00a0It’s a casual and down-to-earth milieu.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Pabellon
Pabellon Criollo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The menu is hardly\u00a0sizable, but is very well balanced between elegant entrees (comidas) and what might be categorized as street foods in the most complimentary sense of the term. \u00a0Rather than list the litany of ingredients in the restaurant’s four ensaladas, let’s give the dressings their due: fresh lime juice cilantro, yellow Peruvian sweet aji and pineapple lemon vinegar. \u00a0These dressings, as the ingredients from which the salads are crafted, evoke a longing for clear, azure Caribbean waters and fresh, breezy sea air. <\/span><\/p>\n

The comidas section of the menu includes only three entrees, one of which is a form of lasagna from Greece. \u00a0Pastichio is very popular in many Latin American countries where it is often made with plantains. \u00a0Cafe Choroni’s version–chicken lasagna with “New Mexico’s green chili sauce”–plays tribute to the Land of Enchantment. \u00a0Carlos recommends it highly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only because of the experiential aspect, but because they’re just good, the arepas are absolutely not to be missed. \u00a0 Stuffed with an impressive array of ingredients such as carne mechada (shredded beef), cerdo (pork loin), pollo (shredded chicken), ques blanco (white cheese), and even de atun (tuna), the arepas are a nice alternative to the ubiquitous American sandwich. \u00a0If, however, you have to have a sandwich, Cafe Choroni will oblige with an array of panini sandwiches–where Latino flavors meet the Italian cuisine within the confines of a restaurant in New Mexico. \u00a0 Paninis are available in four-inch and eight-inch sizes at throwback prices especially considering the prodigious portions and ingredient quality.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Arepa
Arepa de Atun (Tuna Salad)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If your tastes lean more toward sweet than savory, but you still crave the fresh, sweet taste of corn, the menu answers your craving with two cachapas (sweet corn pancakes). \u00a0One is served with butter and the other with white cheese. \u00a0Because they’re made with kernels of corn, they tend to be thicker and lumpier than pancakes. \u00a0Like pancakes, they’re popular for breakfast, but unlike pancakes, they’re often sold in roadside stands. <\/span><\/p>\n

If arepas are considered one of Venezuela’s national dishes,\u00a0Pabell\u00f3n criollo<\/em> is, according to the Venezuelan Food and Drinks<\/a> blog, “emblematic of the country; a hearty plate of simple food that mirrors the national flag and highlights the special mix of races that has made Venezuela a country of beauty queens<\/em>.” \u00a0Pabell\u00f3n criollo is translated as “Crole Flag,” in recognition of the patriotic significance it holds for some Venezuelans who see the yellow, red, blue and white of the national flag in the colors of the ingredients. \u00a0Pabell\u00f3n criollo is\u00a0commonplace in restaurants throughout Venezuela, but by any measure, it is hardly common.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pabell\u00f3n criollo is a combination plate featuring carne mechada (shredded beef), arroz blanco (white rice), caraotas negras (black beans) and tajatas (fried plantains). \u00a0In Choroni, the beach community not the restaurant, the shredded beef is often replaced with cazon (baby shark). \u00a0 Baby shark is hard to come by in Albuquerque, but the shredded beef is no consolation prize. \u00a0The carne mechada is deliciously seasoned and moist with nary a bit of sinew or toughness. \u00a0In texture, flavor and heritage, it resembles Ropa Vieja (literally “old clothes”), a popular Cuban dish<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Arepa
Arepa Cerdo (Pork Loin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rice is fluffy and nicely seasoned, a pleasant surprise. \u00a0The black beans are topped with a shredded white cheese and are perfectly prepared, neither too hard nor soft. \u00a0Our favorite, however, are the plantains which are ripened and fried. \u00a0These soft beauties have enough sweetness to contrast yet complement their plated brethren.<\/span><\/p>\n

With eleven different arepas from which to choose, you’ll be hard-pressed to pick one so your best bet is to order at least two, preferably two with dissimilar textures and tastes. \u00a0If you order a meat based arepa such as the cerdo<\/em> (pork loin), ask for aji on the side. \u00a0Aji is a yellow Peruvian hot pepper whose flavor and texture on your palate resemble Chinese mustard without the lasting effects. \u00a0Aji enlivens the flavor of meats and fish and spreads nicely on the corn-based arepas.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pork-filled arepa is delicious with a generous endowment of pork, quite unlike the chintzy cold-cut sliver slices served at many American sandwich shops. \u00a0The pork is also as white and unblemished as the best cuts of pork. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cuban
Cuban Panini<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The arepa de atun<\/em> (tuna salad) features tuna the way I learned to love it in Massachusetts–heated, oil packed and made only with mayonnaise. \u00a0The arepa is overstuffed so you’ll want a spoon handy to scoop up any tuna that spills out. <\/span><\/p>\n

It’s become almost de\u00a0rigueur\u00a0for sandwich shops offering paninis to serve a version of a Cubano. \u00a0Cafe Choroni is no different, serving a Cuban Panini<\/em> crafted with ham, roast pork and Swiss cheese sandwiched on Ciabatta bread with a smear of creamy yellow aji sauce. \u00a0The aji invigorates the sandwich with its tongue-tingling heat–just enough to get your attention, not to detract in any way from the complementary ingredients. \u00a0This is a delicious Cubano, one of the very best in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cuban Panini is served with plantain chips which resemble potato chips in the way they are cut and fried, but also because of their starchy qualities. \u00a0Unlike potato chips, however, plantain chips aren’t overly salted. \u00a0In fact, they’re just a bit sweet and a bit salty, a good balance. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Asado
Asado Panini<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another excellent panini is the Asado Panini<\/em>, crafted with sliced round eye beef, tomato, shredded lettuce and white cheese served on a Ciabatta bread with a touch of the restaurant’s Nuevo Latino Caesar dressing. \u00a0Similar to the Cuban Panini, it is generously endowed, a bountiful feast between bread slices. \u00a0Unlike some panini sandwiches, it isn’t smashed thin. \u00a0In fact, it’s literally bursting a its seams with ingredients–and with flavors.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Asado Panini comes with yuca chips. \u00a0Yuca (sometimes spelled yucca like the New Mexico state flower) comes from a starchy tuber and is a very versatile ingredient. \u00a0It’s said that anything you can do with a potato, you can do with yuca which does have a taste and texture similar to a potato. \u00a0One major difference is that yuca is somewhat lighter tasting than potatoes. \u00a0That goes for yuca chips which are a nice alternative to the more salty, more crispy potato chip.<\/span><\/p>\n

Empanadas con queso<\/em> aren’t on the menu, but maybe they should be. \u00a0Served warm, they are as light as biscuits and the cheesy innards aren’t overdone. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Empanadas
Empanadas con queso<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On a good day (and I’m inclined to believe any day dining at Cafe Choroni is a good day), you’ll find under glass in a pastry case at least one dessert. \u00a0Try the Venezuelan equivalent of flan which is called quesillo. \u00a0The differences are noticeable. \u00a0Quesillo is much richer, almost adult-like in comparison to standard Mexican flan. \u00a0It is made from eggs, condensed milk and caramel and isn’t as much sweet as it is rich and creamy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cafe Choroni invites you to have a cup of coffee and experience unforgettable food and good company. \u00a0It’s a restaurant in which you’ll feel welcome and won’t rush your stay. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cafe Choroni<\/strong>
\n3120 San Mateo, N.E.
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 6 June 2009
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 1
\nRATING<\/strong>: *
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Arepas, Paninis, Quesillo, Pabellon Criollo <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the late 1970s before political correctness taught us how racist we all are, it seems every man born to the last name Gonzalez, whether or not they liked it, sported the nickname “Speedy.” \u00a0Speedy was, of course, the “fastest mouse in all of Mexico” in the popular Looney Tunes animated series. \u00a0The premise of the cartoon was that Sylvester, a tuxedo cat with an exaggerated lisp, terrorized a horde of mice trying to abscond with cheese from the cheese factory under his charge. \u00a0Only the intrepid Speedy, a sombrero wearing\u00a0machismo\u00a0mouse on perpetual hyper-drive could deter the “gringo pussy gato.” \u00a0Amid cries of “\u00a1\u00c1ndale! \u00a1\u00c1ndale! \u00a1Arriba! \u00a1Arriba!” (colloquial Mexican Spanish for Come\u00a0on! Hurry up!), the excessively energetic Speedy usually gave…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,582,262],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-closed-in-2011","category-closed"],"yoast_head":"\nCafe Choroni - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=4082\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cafe Choroni - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the late 1970s before political correctness taught us how racist we all are, it seems every man born to the last name Gonzalez, whether or not they liked it, sported the nickname “Speedy.” \u00a0Speedy was, of course, the “fastest mouse in all of Mexico” in the popular Looney Tunes animated series. \u00a0The premise of the cartoon was that Sylvester, a tuxedo cat with an exaggerated lisp, terrorized a horde of mice trying to abscond with cheese from the cheese factory under his charge. \u00a0Only the intrepid Speedy, a sombrero wearing\u00a0machismo\u00a0mouse on perpetual hyper-drive could deter the “gringo pussy gato.” \u00a0Amid cries of “\u00a1\u00c1ndale! \u00a1\u00c1ndale! \u00a1Arriba! \u00a1Arriba!” (colloquial Mexican Spanish for Come\u00a0on! 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