Since mid-October, a Mexican chef and his
mother have been turning out the kind of authentic dishes that
are a rarity in the New York area.
The chef is Jesus Serrano; his mother, who originated the recipes,
is Heleodora "Lolita" Vivar. "The food reflects
the soul of Lolita and my husband," says Jesus’ wife, Megan
Serrano, who works the front of the house on weekends.
This soulful spot is El Huipil (which is Spanish for a woven
shirt), an intimate restaurant with wooden tables, Mexican folk
art and a great jukebox.
If you’ve been to Mexico and sampled dishes from the kitchen
of a "fonda," a simple, family-style restaurant that
El Huipil [pronounced wee-PEEL] emulates, then you’re one lucky
so-and-so. In those small workspaces, cooks grind fresh spices
to be heated slowly atop small stoves and used to flavor complex
moles, meat and fish; fresh herbs are chopped and scattered to
brighten sauces, and chilies – both fresh and dried – add depth
and an underlying heat. With a cold beer (El Huipil offers 10
domestic and Mexican brands), a well-prepared meal in Mexico
can be transcendent.
The food at El Huipil is based on the dishes from the mountainous
state of Guerrero, where the Serrano family lived before moving
to Red Hook. Unlike Tex-Mex dishes that are heavy on cheese,
the Serranos prefer a light sprinkling of "queso cotija,"
a mild, white Mexican cheese. The two Tex-Mex additions are burritos,
says Megan, "because customers expect them, but they’re
filled with authentic ingredients like shredded stewed chicken
with chipotle peppers," and a thick version of guacamole,
that differs from the more traditional thinner, sauce-like versions.
The dishes are not hot the way they can be when too many peppers
are thrown into the pot. Some are mild and can be given a kick
with two freshly made sauces – a green one made of chilies and
tomatillos (a tart, tomato-like vegetable), and the other a red
salsa with the heat of arbol chilies. The guacamole on its own
may be under-seasoned for some palates; stir in a spoonful of
either sauce, or both, and it’s like adding color to the outlines
of a drawing – the avocados taste nuttier, the onions sharper,
the cilantro clean and bright.
Finger foods, like tostadas, the crisp tortilla with different
toppings, as well as soft tacos and crisply fried quesadillas,
come with a variety of savory toppings and fillings. The tostada
stays crisp beneath a stew of tender, shredded chicken given
a delightful smokiness with chipotle peppers and dabs of black
beans, sour cream and "queso cotija." I also tried
the soft taco with a filling of buttery beef tongue, and that
quesadilla – with its crisp pastry shell-like coating and creamy
potatoes and spicy chorizo on the inside – which heat up the
mouth.
On Saturdays, the chefs serve "posole," a chicken and
hominy corn soup. Hominy is a large, dried white corn kernel,
that after multiple soakings and the laborious removal of the
"eye," the little nugget at the top of each kernel,
is boiled until fully opened – about twice the size of a piece
of popped corn. The flavor is subtle, like the most delicate
white summer corn, and they’re firm yet tender, like a tiny dumpling.
Sitting in the center of the soup is a pile of juicy, shredded
chicken. You add a sprinkle of dried oregano, chunks of ripe
avocado, sharp chopped onion, crumbled tostado and pieces of
fried pork rind that add a rich, salty note. The dish is finished
with a squeeze of fresh lime. Posole is extremely filling and
just as comforting as any grandma’s chicken soup.
The restaurant’s signature dish is the "mole de pollo"
– chicken bathed in a rich mole sauce. And that sauce! It’s the
color of one of its ingredients – bittersweet chocolate – and
it has layers of flavors of toasted almonds and sesame seeds,
three different red chilies, garlic, sweet plantains and about
50 other freshly ground and pan-toasted spices. It is smoky,
licorishy, sweet and tart-wonderful. The chicken leg over which
it is served (you can substitute pork) is moist, and sides of
yellow rice and black beans are simply seasoned so nothing competes
with that sauce. A basket of warm tortillas is served with the
entrees.
I liked the "pipian de pollo" almost as much. The sage-green
sauce, served atop a chicken leg or pork, is made from ground
pumpkin seeds and "hoja santa," a subtly spiced chili.
The dish lacks the "Wow" factor of the mole, but its
delicacy is appealing. Like the "mole," the chicken’s
sides are simple yellow rice and black beans.
At present there are no desserts being served.
There’s real charm in the idea of a mom and son cooking away
in the kitchen, with a wife and cousins working the room. The
truth is, it’s hard, hard work to source and labor over the kind
of authentic dishes coming out of El Huipil’s kitchen. With the
second-rate, faux nonsense that passes for Mexican food in our
neighborhoods, we need to support those who serve the real thing.
El Huipil (116A Sullivan St. between
Van Brunt and Conover streets in Red Hook) accepts cash only.
Entrees: $7.25-$8.95. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch
and dinner until 8 pm weeknights and 10 pm on weekends. Delivery
available to surrounding neighborhoods. For more information,
call (718) 855-4548.
