To think of Piramide (499 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, 718-499-0002 and www.mexpiramide.com) as a Mexican restaurant is to think of Peter Luger Steakhouse as a burger joint.
While the derivation of the food is strictly south of the border, this is elegant, nouveau Mexican cuisine or, as the restaurant dubs it, “modern” Mexican cuisine. But whatever moniker you end up giving it, Piramide is fabulous dining that combines Mexican elements with classic and creative cooking techniques to yield a hybrid that is singularly fantastic.
Coming up on their first year anniversary, the success of Piramide can be traced to the gracious attention and critical detail of owner Geraldine and her right hand lady, manager Cynthia, as well as the consistent excellence and innovations of chef Alfredo Luna.
Filling the senses is the key at Piramide, where many dishes, such as the guacamole, are created from scratch tableside. The rolling tray is laden with bowls of fresh ingredients and the centerpiece, a huge lava mortar and pestle mixing bowl. Chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro, chopped jalapenos, cumin, fresh lime juice, a touch of salt and fresh avocados, peeled and scooped out at the table, are all carefully combined to yield a creamy confection, which causes the above average chips to go very quickly, as your tablemates compete for the last lap of green.
Another superb starter is the Chile Relleno Piramide style. What a wholly satisfying this dish is, a contrast of textures and tastes, sweet and sharp that sees the oversized poblano pepper crammed with a mixture of chicken, nuts, raisins, sweet plantains and fresh apples, all covered in a homemade tomato sauce…another dish that you had better act quickly to grab your share, lest your dining companions greedily beat you to the taste.
Other options include the shrimp cooked in lime juice with avocados, olives, capers and tomatoes; a trio of cheeses melted with chorizo (smoky sausage), onions, peppers and a tequila kick; octopus grilled in a garlic sauce and a unique quesadilla stuffed with grilled pineapple and shrimp.
By the way…as a treat for the kids (or you), or as an addition to your entrée, order the whole corn on the cob served on a stick, after it has been grilled and lathered with chile, liquid cheese and spiced mayo…mmm, mmm, good.
The two soups offered are equally fulfilling and both, incidentally, are served in bowls that are shaped on uneven inclines, so you can scoop up the last drop without any needs to tip the container.
Choose the tortilla soup made with dollops of sour cream, chile pasilla (a hot and smoky chile variety), queso fresco (a delicious fresh white cheese) and avocado. The other option is a corn (not the tiny kernels you are familiar with, but huge white kernels the size of garlic cloves, and with a taste that is positively addictive) and shredded chicken soup in a broth of avocado, oregano and fresh lime juice.
Even the salads offer creativity: There is pineapple with jicama and mixed baby greens in a spicy orange dressing; mixed greens with pears, cherry tomatoes, queso de cabra (goat cheese) and nuts served in a crispy tortilla bowl. Finally there is a vegetable brochette with grilled tomatoes, zucchini flowers, onions and pobleno peppers. Plus, you can add grilled salmon, chicken or steak to any salad.
As for the main dish, the true star is the Molcajete, the Mayan-inspired stone bowl (actually made of lava), a Mexican version of the mortar and pestle as described earlier with the guacamole preparation. Here, the cavernous bowl is the setting for the surf and turf house molcajete dish (there is also a version, Norteno, which is a similar though just slightly less diverse version of the dish). The bottom of the bowl has been layered with sweet chopped onions, cilantro, wonderful peppers all in a marvelous Mexican sauce. And hanging in strips alongside the entire circumference of the bowl is shrimp, chicken, and exquisitely tender steak, clumps of a sweet white cheese, red peppers and green chiles. The bowl is served sizzling hot, so the food actually cooks on the bowl and wafts flavors and scents that are mesmerizing for all the senses. It is a truly inspired creation.
Of equal prominence is the Seafood Paella, a heavenly mélange of fresh lobster, jumbo shrimp, tender octopus and calamari, luscious clams and mussels (not a hint of grit to be found), sweet scallops, and chorizos…and everything soaks up the truly addictive broth that saturates the rice.
Other main dishes run the gamut from the grilled to order Muscovy duck breast with an Oaxaquino mole sauce sautéed with fresh spinach, rice and beans, to the seafood casserole in a spicy tomato and chipotle sauce to the grilled pork chops made with pobleno peppers, onions, garlic, tomato and chile de arbol (a high end pepper) and the salmon, grilled and prepared with a trio of chile peppers: guajilla, pasilla and mulato served with fresh mango and jicama (a crispy, sweet, edible root).
For dessert, how about the carved out pineapple, filled with fresh strawberries, raspberries, mango, blueberries, blackberries and served over crushed ice.
Steak lovers should plan on coming on Thursdays, for the Black Angus specials (price fixed at $15), which include a rib-eye with roasted potatoes, a Malcajete with steak and shrimp and the Black Angus Carne Asada served with salad, pico de gallo, guacamole, rice, beans, tortilla and cream.
The Sunday brunch is a delicious and price fixed ($11.95) change of pace: Mexican blackened chicken breast served with spinach and scrambled eggs with sweet plantains; scrambled eggs with tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and cilantro; two eggs sunny side up with a red and green sauce crown; and even pancakes covered with chocolate chips.
