Should you hightail it and run when you overhear a diner ask a waitress, “What is gwa-sah-mole?” Perhaps.
She meant guacamole, and what the server at Cafe Enduro, a new, warmly welcomed Mexican-inspired eatery in the underserved Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood, should have said is, “That’s not exactly what we’re serving here.”
The restaurant, which opened in early December, is co-owned by Jim Mamary, who also owns Pacifico and other popular spots in Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens. He’s crafted a convivial place that is big on atmosphere with a lively bar scene. Food plays a secondary role.
Pacifico’s ambience is Southwestern; Cafe Enduro is a low-key, funkier hangout with a big bar, an assortment of ugly flea market paintings and walls draped with chile-pepper-shaped Christmas lights. Both places offer a centrally located fireplace that, on a recent bitterly cold evening, warmed me up in minutes.
Richard Krause (who is also executive chef at Union Smith Cafe in Carroll Gardens) is the chef and Mamary’s co-partner in this venture. His menu is gringo Mexican with dishes for people who want their fare mildly spiced and feel cheated if a wild mushroom and goat cheese taco is omitted from the roundup.
Like Pacifico, the atmosphere at Cafe Enduro is pleasing, even if the food is merely tolerable.
About that gwa-sah-mole. It’s a lemony mix of chunky avocado, cilantro, tomatoes and whole lot of garlic served in a molcajete y tejolote (a large lava-stone mortar and pestle that’s perched on four legs). Untraditional? I don’t recall garlic playing an important role in guacamole before. With a few drops of hot sauce (several different bottles with escalating degrees of heat are available) the bulb’s sting was neutralized and the mix gained depth.
We shared the entrée “Veracruz crab cakes” as an appetizer. The two crisp crusted, plump patties studded with sweet corn kernels possessed the winy, oceanic taste of the fish. They were lovely solo. A side of white rice mixed with mild green chiles was tender yet bland, and a roasted red pepper sauce looked pretty on the plate, but added no flavor at all.
Also in the “no flavor” category was a taco filled with “green chile pulled pork.” The strands of meat were soft and moist, but had all the excitement of a roll of paper towels. A drizzle of barely sweet, barely spicy pineapple salsa didn’t help.
Shrimp, clams in their shell and mussels were served over white rice that absorbed the briny, lightly garlic-scented seafood stock. It’s a very beige dish, which is why, I’m guessing, someone in the kitchen felt it was necessary to shower the fish with crisp plantain chips. The little amber-colored discs added an attractive glow to the dish, but their crunch only detracted from the works.
I’m assuming that crepes are featured on the dessert list for the same reason I keep spotting tiramisu on Japanese restaurant menus: people ask for it. We opted for chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream instead of the scoop of chocolate ice cream it’s usually paired with. Served warm in a small, deep bowl, the finale was dense and spongy, not moist and custardy the way a good bread pudding should be. In a word: forgettable.
In a neighborhood big on takeout places, Cafe Enduro fills the void for a comfortable, casual eatery. It’s never going to be a destination, but if you’re in Prospect Lefferts Gardens or nearby and you’re craving gwa-sah-mole, you could do worse.
Cafe Enduro (51 Lincoln Rd. between Flatbush and Ocean avenues in Prospect Lefferts Gardens) accepts cash only. Entrees: $7.50–$14. The restaurant serves dinner daily. Lunch is available on Friday starting at 11 am. Brunch is served on weekends from 11 am to 4 pm. Subway: B, Q and S to Prospect Park. For information call (718) 282-7097.
