"We didn’t want to be in the middle
of things," says Maria Catalina Arias, of Mojito, the Cuban
restaurant she co-owns with Anderson Ruiz in Clinton Hill. She
needn’t have worried.
Opened in February, their restaurant is on the northwestern edge
of the neighborhood, near Fort Greene, but far from that neighborhood’s
two restaurant rows: DeKalb and Lafayette avenues. The stretch
of Washington Street where Mojito is centered is just beginning
to exhibit signs of gentrification. There’s a new loft condo
behind it, warehouses on both sides, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard,
where there are plans for a retail-commercial strip close by.
Mojito’s loft-like space, inside the Chocolate Factory Building,
has the industrial chic of a gallery. As you approach, diners
are gathered outside, flirting and having a smoke. Inside Mojito
(named for the rum cocktail made with lime and fresh mint), the
decor is what you’d expect, with high ceilings, brick walls and
an open kitchen. In keeping with the Cuban theme, there are heavy
wooden tables and chairs, brown banquettes, framed pictures of
cigars and simple graphics of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara
painted on a low wall in the bar area [although those were recently
found to be covered over by a low wall of bamboo].
Chef Marcelo Arias, Maria’s husband, created the menu. Maria
describes the cuisine as traditional Cuban, but like so much
of Caribbean cooking today, Mexican elements inform dishes like
the Cuban quesadilla. A meal at Mojito is a samba of sorts with
some dishes exhibiting the spicy, fruit-enhanced flair Cuban
cooking is known for and others, shockingly flat.
If you haven’t already guessed, the house drink is the mojito,
and their rendition is excellent. Served in a tall Mason jar
(with a handle), the cocktail of club soda and light rum is made
tangy with lime and freshened with a bundle of fresh mint. The
swizzle stick is a thick stalk of real sugarcane. The passion
fruit version was sweeter, more of a punch, but just as enjoyable.
With the cocktails came a small basket of toasted, buttered slices
of French bread and two saucers of mayonnaise-based dips – a
thin, light green sauce flavored with garlic, cilantro and jalapenos,
and another, very garlicky white sauce. Dipped into the warm
sauces and paired with the cool drinks, the little buttery starters
made an enticing prelude to the meal.
A diner can make a good meal of the appetizers if they choose
carefully. I wouldn’t pass up the corn smeared with mayonnaise,
cotijo cheese (a salty, crumbly Mexican cheese) and chili powder
that had a smoky aroma from the grill. Yuca fries, cut from the
yuca root, was almost as good as french fries and the Cuban quesadilla,
filled with tender beef and slices of sweet plantains, was meaty
and chewy with a note of sweetness. On the sweeter side was a
delicately crisp empanada filled with a mild, creamy cheese and
guava paste that was like an adult version of a cream cheese
and jelly sandwich.
Two starters – the croquettes filled with ham and the heavy,
overly chewy pastry tart shells topped with shredded beef or
chicken – were tasteless bores. The flaky beef and chicken empanadas
make for much better choices.
I have the same comment about the disappointing slow-roasted
pork, called pernil. I’d have to look hard to find a drier mound
of meat, and the mojito marinade left no impression. A side of
yellow rice was traditionally bland, and a bowl of soupy black
beans needed salt, or pepper, or garlic, or cumin – something
– to alleviate the monotony of the taste.
The rice mixed with shrimp and calamari topped with a giant prawn
and surrounded by mussels, that my companion ordered from the
list of that day’s specials, looked like a gorgeous, molded seafood
sculpture, but its aroma, like fish that have been in the sun
too long – was off-putting. I made him stop eating after a couple
of bites.
The meal could only go up after the entrees, and Mojito’s desserts
were pleasing. The cooks follow the recipes of Ms. Arias’ grandmother,
Claudia. Claudia’s Key lime pie, served in a big square and topped
with whipped cream, is sweeter than some, but tart enough. Her
four-milk sponge cake, cuatro leches, made with evaporated and
condensed milks and heavy cream, then topped with whipped cream
and a little caramel is delectably moist, not terribly sweet,
and lighter than it sounds. And at $2.50, these desserts are
a steal!
At the moment, Mojito is the only game in this end of town. For
Mojito to survive, however, the cooks need to amp up the flavor
of the dishes. Some of us may be gringos, but a little spice
never hurt anyone.
Mojito (82 Washington Ave. between Park
and Flushing avenues in Clinton Hill) accepts American Express,
Discover, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $7-$12.50;
up to $15 for specials. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner
daily. For more information call (718) 797-3100.
