There's a small town in Panama called Río Mar, a town where a river meets the sea. Located high on a bluff, overlooking surfers riding the waves below, a rustic establishment prepares the daily catches simply and deliciously, nothing masking the fresh purity of the flavors.
In New Orleans, a restaurant called RioMar is the destination. Spanish influence and Latin American flavors showcase the freshness of seafood from the Gulf Coast and around the world.
RioMar's inviting atmosphere, inspired by seaside taverns in Galicia, Spain, complements the cuisine's pan-Hispanic style. The Old World meets the New when Chef Adolfo Garcia wraps a yellowfin tuna steak in Serrano ham and tops it with a garlicky romesco sauce. Travel down though Central America to Ecuador and Peru via four different styles of ceviche. Each day, RioMar's kitchen serves inventive dishes from a rotating selection of some twenty different types of seafood.
Because of the Spanish and Latino influences-not in spite of them-food critics consider RioMar a fine example of progressive American cuisine. New Orleans natives dine here to discover how forward-thinking chefs like Garcia are challenging their city's concept of local gastronomy. Travelers to the Crescent City, once they've sampled mainstay Louisiana dishes like jambalaya and gumbo, seek out RioMar to understand what New Orleans is doing right to maintain its place as one the top food destinations in the country. After all, RioMar is a New Orleans restaurant at heart, and not just for the fresh Gulf seafood and locally grown produce. Born to Panamanian parents in New Orleans, Garcia allows Creole flair to find its way into his creations, and the joy that New Orleanians have always found in the pleasures of eating fills up the restaurant and shapes the dining room's warm ambiance.
So, step out of the old Spanish architecture of the French Quarter and discover a new Spanish outpost right nearby, alive and well in the cosmopolitan Warehouse District. Yellow walls with blue accents lend a vibrant feel to the restaurant where you're sure to see Garcia's partner, Nicolas Bazan III, greeting newcomers and helping his staff take care of everyone. Metal sculptures of aquatic life adorn the walls. Next to the bar, an old brick wall recalls an old fisherman's face, weathered by the ocean.
Inspired by those who've lived their lives by the sea, by those who've learned to use its gifts. This is the RioMar experience.
Adolfo Garcia
"There has to be a focus to each dish. I always ask myself what its purpose is," explains Chef Adolfo Garcia about the philosophy behind RioMar's kitchen. "I like to highlight one item, such as a wonderful piece of grouper I might have received that day, and then possibly some supporting players. In the end, less is more. If twenty different ingredients are thrown together, the focus is lost."
When crafting the daily specials or a new menu item, Garcia taps into his talent for communicating with his ingredients. He experiments with them, listens to them, and lets them shape the dish instead of forcing them into a pre-conceived template.
Garcia belongs to the new generation of American chefs who see their work as an expression of themselves, as representations of they believe excellent food to be. For Garcia, excellent food above all means fresh ingredients and unadulterated flavors.
This concept extends to RioMar's presentation of food. "I'm not into every plate looking like a picture. I feel that's too contrived," he says. "I favor simple, straightforward presentations which are of course attractive but attractive for a reason: to show off the quality of the food."
To ensure that the seafood he prepares is indeed top quality, Garcia has developed personal relationships with RioMar's suppliers, not only in Louisiana, but in Boston, on the West Coast, in Mediterranean cities, and elsewhere. They know how particular he is... and how loud his voice can get when he has received an item that isn't up to his standards.
Quality is paramount. Garcia credits his commitment to serving the best, freshest seafood for achieving RioMar's high reputation in the competitive New Orleans dining scene since the restaurant first opened its doors in 2000. Leading up to RioMar, Garcia had been the mastermind behind the well-loved Criollo and had led the kitchen of Lucky Cheng's, the infamous French Quarter locale where fusion Chinese was dished out by drag queens. (Garcia, thankfully, always stayed in his chef's whites.)
The renowned Culinary Institute of American in upstate New York taught Garcia the basics, but his years in New York City gave direction to his talent. After stages in Spain and the U.K., the kitchens of celebrated, high-end restaurants such as the Russian Tea Room, the '21' Club, and the Water Club were his real training grounds.
Of course, his Panamanian heritage has played an important role in shaping RioMar's concept. "Other restaurants in New Orleans serve seafood, of course, but no one else does it from a Latin perspective," Garcia says. "What we do can't be found in a cookbook. It's not in a magazine either. RioMar is totally unique."
Nicolas Bazan III
In Argentina, where RioMar's co-owner Nicolas Bazan III grew up before moving to New Orleans as a teenager, meals have always played a central role in the culture. "Argentineans believe the dinner table keeps the family together," he says. "A meal in my household was the time to turn off the TV and enjoy each other's company so everyone could reconnect with each other."
This same idea of thoughtfully-prepared food bringing people closer forms an essential part of RioMar's spirit. In Bazan's opinion, food is meant to be shared. The lunch menu is always tapas, a Spanish style of eating which is inherently communal, and during dinner, appetizer plates stacked up on an iron serving tower invite everyone at the table to sample different dishes. At RioMar, the sharing of entrées and desserts is likewise encouraged.
Bazan, who oversees the front of the house while Chef Adolfo Garcia works his magic in the kitchen, strives to foster a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere for RioMar's guests. He considers one of his greatest assets towards this end to be his staff. RioMar's well-trained team of waiters and waitresses harmoniously work together, sharing tables and tips, as they advise guests about menu selections.
"Adolfo and I make sure our staff is educated about what we're serving," Bazan explains. "Not a day passes where we don't taste and talk about food and wine."
Indeed, wonderful wines are as important to the RioMar experience as the freshest seafood is. Bazan takes care of the ordering for the bar, limiting his selections to wines from Spain or areas formerly colonized by Spain-in particular Chile, Argentina, and California-so the wine list will complement the cuisine and atmosphere.
Of the fifty wines RioMar offers at any given time, a good forty can be ordered by the glass. Just as he encourages diners sample the variety of the delectable dishes emerging from RioMar's kitchen, Bazan feels diners should have flexibility in their wine selections. With so many wines by the glass, RioMar's guests can pair up different wines with different courses and indulge their palates by tasting a variety of grapes and regions in a single meal.
RioMar is by no means the first time Bazan has worked a restaurant. Before partnering up with Garcia, Bazan had passed through 15 New Orleans restaurants in a decade's time. He's grateful for his myriad experiences, ranging from busser and dishwasher to head waiter and manager, both in casual chain restaurants and fine dining establishments.
"All the different positions I've held have given me a wide view of what makes restaurants successful and how all the different jobs fit together," Bazan explains. He credits these experience with making him the well-rounded restaurateur he is today.
