Caribe

Stage #1: KJ’s Caribe Restaurant + Cantina, Part Three (With Recipe)

July 22, 2012 by arfoodie

It was time to party down. Just not for us. Yet.

As early as 8 p.m., crowds were showing up for the 9:30 event that Caribe was hosting as part of the Fleur Delicious Weekend: a crazy-awesome band in the restaurant’s event room, in the front of the building. KJ had decided that, due to the high volume the kitchen had already put out that night, the menu would be limited to the third page. We were running out of food and steam.

So, what could possibly go wrong?

The short version: The crowd orders food, moves around the room. Tickets get mixed up, and I help troll the crowd for whoever the heck ordered these flaming-hot cheese enchiladas that are burning my hands. The crowd continues to *ahem* enjoy the bar and the incredible music. Later, KJ shuts down the kitchen again, as we are completely out of cheese and enthusiasm. A couple (notably intoxicated) folks get upset, but quickly forget due to the aforementioned bar and incredible music. All ends pretty well.

Even when completely stressed out facing one of the busiest nights Caribe has ever seen, KJ’s community spirit is still there. Several folks pop into the kitchen to say hello, as is the case every night at Caribe. (I told you, she’s a community fixture.) One mentions that she never got a chance to eat, and after a brief hesitation, KJ scrapes something together for her. She loves these people too much to say no.

As midnight loomed, KJ, Keegan and I cleaned the kitchen. What a crazy night to have stepped in! I only wish I had come a little earlier to learn the menu, so I could help make more of the dishes. No matter, we had all benefited from the experience.

While KJ and Chris settled up the tickets for the night, I stepped into the event room for a little sit-down. The band was Earl and Them, and award-winning blues singer and guitarist Jimmy Thackery had dropped in to play with the band. The crowd was going nuts. I sat, alone, quietly enjoying the musicians (did I mention they were incredible?) and getting my mind around my crazy awesome first restaurant experience.

KJ has left her mark on me, as she has the entire community of Eureka Springs. The food she puts out at Caribe exudes love and passion, just as she does in person with every person who comes into contact with her.

Her generosity may occasionally get the best of her, but she’ll always come back for more. I know that I will.

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One of KJ’s vegetarian dishes uses marinated broccoli, the likes of which I had never seen before. She was generous enough to share some tips about the marinade, which I converted into a salad dish. Enjoy!

Caribbroccoli Salad (Marinated Broccoli and Pineapple Salad)

Caribbroccoli Salad (Marinated Broccoli and Pineapple Salad)
Inspired by KJ Zumwalt, Caribe Restaurant + Cantina

2 large stalks broccoli, cut into medium florets, about 2 cups
1 fresh pineapple (or, 2 cups diced pineapple and 1-2 cups pineapple juice)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 small red hot peppers, your choice (I used serrano), seeded and chopped finely
Note: If you don’t care for hot peppers, you can use 1/4 of a red bell pepper
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning (see note below)

If using a fresh pineapple, cut away the rough skin, base and top, as well as the tough inner core (I thought about this, you can get the best skincare experts). I put these extra pieces through my juicer to get the juice, but you could also use bottled pineapple juice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the juice, olive oil, peppers, lime juice, zest and garlic. Place the broccoli and pineapple in the bowl and gently turn the ingredients with a large spoon to toss. (Honestly, I just poured each ingredient over the broccoli and pineapple, and it was fine. Just make sure it gets mixed well.)

Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, preferably overnight. You can drain off the extra liquid before serving if you like, but it’s not entirely necessary.

Note: KJ uses a Latin Caribbean spice mix called adobo in her marinade, as well as many of her other dishes. I didn’t find it in my closest Kroger, but I found this easy recipe to make your own batch. If you find or make some, throw a half teaspoon into the salad.

Stage #1: KJ’s Caribe Restaurant + Cantina, Part One

July 16, 2012 by arfoodie

It was 4:55 p.m., five minutes before I was supposed to start my first stage, or mini culinary internship. I sat in my car in the parking lot of the wildly colorful building, having a mild panic attack.

I was at Caribe Restaurant + Cantina in Eureka Springs, or just Caribe, as the locals call it. It’s Fleur Delicious Weekend, the city’s annual celebration of food and fun with a French twist. And Caribe’s owner, KJ, was as laid back (and pleasantly wound up) as all get out, I could already tell from our email and Facebook conversations. So what was the problem, already? Just.go.in.and.COOK.

You see, ever since that terrible, awful, amazing class in culinary school called Food Production IV, where we did restaurant service every week, I’ve had this same paralyzing fear: What if I don’t really know how to cook? What if I’ve just skidded by so far, and they’re gonna find me out? I’ll have to go back into PR. And that’s not happening.

Anyway, I finally mustered the courage to step into the building, and I asked the server for KJ. She’s in the kitchen. Of course.

KJ Zumwalt is a fireball, if you haven’t heard. But if you’re from Eureka, you’ve heard. She’s a presence, one that I picked up on right away. She’s here to work like all heck putting out the restaurant’s stunningly beautiful Caribbean-style fare, strutting her stuff while she does it, and having a good time doing it.

No time for a lot of pleasantries, or even to show me how to do the dish she’d pre-assigned me, a lovely crab cake number. Orders had already started rolling in, and they were just about out of their famous guacamole.

“KEEGAN!” she hollered, with a mix of urgency and family sweetness. Keegan was the adorable sous chef/salad guy, the only other soul in the kitchen besides KJ when interlopers like me aren’t around. “Keegan! I need that guacamole like yesterday, baby.”

I stood awkwardly while Keegan slung salads and salsa platters from previous tickets. He managed to get out a bowl of ingredients to be prepped for the guac, and KJ had an idea.

“Hey, Christie’s got knife skills. Put her on it.”

So here I am, about 90 seconds in the door, and I’m making one of their most famous dishes. No pressure. Lemme just put up my hair and wash my hands right quick.

Despite my earlier doubts, I did remember how to use a knife and dispatch a couple dozen avocados, several onions, a handful of serrano peppers, lime juice and some other stuff. (Hey, I’m not giving you the recipe!) She told me what seasonings to work in. Done. Plated. And it was beautiful.

KJ started to show me a few of the entrees she was preparing, telling me stories about herself and the restaurant as she went. Another of her famous starters, the salsa platter, came from a rather unusual muse — Oysters Rockefeller plates.

A few years back, KJ and her partner, Panama-born Clary Perez, ran the restaurant in downtown Eureka, an entirely different experience (and real estate price point) than her current digs further down Highway 62. When they first started renting the rather expensive downtown space, the previous tenant’s dishes were part of the deal. The heavy, white dishes were shaped for holding Oysters Rockefeller. Six oysters, to be exact.

Guess how many salsas went into their salsa platter? Yup. With a dollop of sour cream in the middle and a basket of freshly-made corn chips and spicy wheat crisps.

Clary later passed away, and KJ moved from front-of-the-house operations to the kitchen, turning out all the dishes the community had grown to love. (Read Kat Robinson’s touching story about this part of KJ’s journey over at Tie Dye Travels. I didn’t know she had written this when I first connected with KJ for a stage; it was a great introduction to the restaurant and its history.)

KJ’s passion for her community continues to draw her in and hold her up, as evidenced by the very night I was there to cook with her. She had agreed to offer specials as part of Fleur Delicious, then host a large gathering that evening after normal service hours for a music event. This included feeding a good number of those involved in the project for free.

“We do a lot of charity events and dinners. You have to support your people, the community,” she said. “I’m totally into that. I’m not just doing this for the money.”

To be continued…

Fleur Delicious Weekend 2102 Kicks off in Eureka Springs

July 12, 2012 by arfoodie

An extended weekend of food, drink, music and art began today (Thursday, July 12) in the pleasantly beatnik town of Eureka Springs for the second annual Fleur Delicious Weekend. The event continues through Sunday, July 15.

The city, already known for its narrow streets, Victorian architecture and carefree attitude, has added several degrees of French-themed fun. Several area restaurants will feature French food and specials, and the streets will be active with live music, shopping and activities.

Some related events have already taken place, including one I wish I could have attended: “Uniquely Edible Arkansas” at the Dairy Hollow Writers Colony on Tuesday featured fellow blogger Kat Robinson, my former chef instructor Andre Poirot of the Peabody Hotel, and Margie Roelands of Raimondo Family Winery.

I’ll be participating by cooking — or getting in the way, depending on how things go — alongside the more experienced KJ Zumwalt and crew at Caribe Restaurant y Cantina (link is a fantastic story by the aforementioned Kat Robinson) on Saturday night. So if you’re in town, come have dinner with us and see how it goes.

Several hotels are offering specials for the weekend, so be sure to ask. And check the event’s Facebook page for up-to-the-minute photos and information.