Special ProChile Menu Available at Centrico through July 3rd

Remember that wonderful luncheon I went to in November of last year that opened my mind to Chilean products?  No?  Well, click here, and you will.

I was again invited to a lovely luncheon by the same people, this time to be held at Chef Aaron Sanchez’s restaurant in TriBeCa, Centrico.  (Lovely space, by the way – I would love to go back for a meal!)

We started off with Ceviche de Salmon – Chilean Salmon, Myrtle Berries, Chile Habanero, Passion Fruit.  The salmon was lightly cooked, and the “mortilla” (myrtle berries) were a nice fruit complement for the dish, which had a ligh background heat.  I love salmon roe (you can see it peeking out underneath the greens), and really enjoyed the overall dish as a whole.

To accompany this dish, we were also given chips – plantain & yuca – for textural contrast.  You know how I love textures, so I was appreciative of this, though I didn’t scoop much of the appetizer onto the chips, enjoying them plain.  The plantain chips were nice, but the yuca was even better; I found this amusing since I haven’t enjoyed yuca that much in the various other preparations I’ve had it, finding it a lil too starchy for my tastes.  This way, though, I was just chomping away…

A photo of Chef Aaron Sanchez contemplating the display of Chilean products before he speaks about the next course.

Tostadas de Centolla – Chilean King Crab, Merken Aioli, Baby Lettuces, Avocado – a nice, light & refreshing first course, the little crunchy tostada topped with Chilean King crab were lovely bites of the sea – slightly briny, creamy, and altogether delicious.

Here’s a close up of the crab.  The accompanying salad of sorts was simply dressed, but good ingredients needn’t a lot of fuss to shine!

Our second course, Lomo de Carne – Strip Loin, Olave Salsa Verde, Bone Marrow, Cactus Fingerline Potato Picadillo was very surprising to me.  Gosh, I love that pic up there – it looks so pretty!  Pleasing!

The steak was perfectly cooked – juicy, pink in the center.  I believe they said this was grass fed, though it’s not on the written menu they handed out, it did taste pretty herbaceous, but that could be a result of all of the salsa verde they’d put over it.  Which turned out to be quite spicy, especially to my very not-too-spicy-inclined palate.  The meat was tender, delicious, and that poatoes/cactus combination was very tasty, but at times, I found myself unable to eat due to the spiciness.  Lovely otherwise.

*gasp* Is that – dare I hope – yes it is!  It’s CARICA!!! which I still have been unable to locate in NYC, though I’m assured that there are places that sell it, I have been completely unable to find.  Boo.  And what’s that –

Chilean Olive Oil Cake with Carica; Chilean Honey Ice Cream and Miski Goat’s Milk Dulce de Leche Cream is the official name on the menu, but that’s not just any Chilean Honey.  That’s ulmo honey.  The light perfume of that wonderful honey is completely unmistakable and just, I’m in love with it, plain and simple.  The cake was made with polenta and leaned towards the savory, so the overall dessert didn’t overwhelm with sweetness.  The carica, per usual, was just delightful and mixed with the ulmo honey ice cream, swoon.  I can’t even explain how much I love ulmo honey, and carica is pretty awesome too.  I think I could just sit next to my tiny jar of ulmo honey, inhaling all day, and be happy.  Sigh! happiness on a plate, next minute in my tummy.

Yvo says: I really enjoyed the meal thoroughly, how each ingredient was showcased to its full potential with just a few simple enhancements.  Fresh, bursting with flavor, everything was fantastic.  You may wonder why I’m even talking about this – well, this special menu is currently available at Centrico through Friday (sorry for the late notice) for $35, what I think is a total steal for 4 courses.  Four totally delicious courses.  I highly recommend it, and I would go back if I had the time.  Mmm.
recommended

While it’s true that I enjoyed this meal gratis, I was not obligated to report on the meal nor praise it like so.  If I hadn’t liked it, I would have said so.  I can’t guarantee you will receive exactly what I received, I can only say that the menu is the same and the price is $35.