Review: North Miami's Merkado 31 ceviches fall just short of its true potential.

 This is a Pre-Covid review. Many restaurants have changed greatly since the pandemic.

Merkado 31
1127 NE 163rd Street
Miami Beach, Fl, 33162

 The decor is modern but admirably modest: faux concrete tables, pale stone tiles with a bamboo fixture in the center. Warm toned recessed lighting contrasted pleasantly with the gray and tan shades, which only enhanced the vibrant colors of the dishes. The menu offers the usual items for Peruvian food in Miami, though at a lower price point.

Three ceviches were tasted: the Clásico, Mixto, and Mercadero. The Mercadero sauce was alluringly described as being made from small, potent red Peruvian chilies. Yet it was the ceviche mixto that bore a vibrant red color. What I presumed to be the Mercadero was in fact a creamy yellow. The Mixto and Mercadero's sauces followed the growing trend of being enriched with cream, serving to temper the acidity of the limes and carry fat soluble flavors. They were pleasant, but indistinguishable in flavor. The leaner clásico was assertive enough to compete with its fattier counterparts, and much lighter in texture. 

Despite this, the fish used was in a grey area of freshness: still within a safe margin, but the subtle gaminess indicated that it was perhaps just a few minutes past its peak. Furthermore, it had been inconsistently and often jaggedly cut. There is an art to cutting any animal flesh. This is particularly important in ceviches, where consistent size ensures even penetration of the solidifying lime juice. Cutting across the muscle fiber cutting presents a tender mouth feel and prevents one ending up with fish threads between the teeth. Most disheartening, the fish had the unmistakeable dryness among its fibers that gave it away as being frozen for too long, or too agressively thawed.

A grilled corvina dish in chaufa sauce came after, and stole the show. It was perfectly crisped outside, lean and pleasingly chewy within, with no hint of the just past peak freshness that haunted the ceviche. The sauce was unnecessary. It seemed to be made from flour, and too much of it. The texture was similar to prepackaged sausage gravy at a diner; anonymously seasoned, and heavy as a brick.

Despite a few flaws, Mercado satisfies and is worth exploring.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cheese Cauli (Cauli "mac")

Image
I try to avoid labeling things one thing when they are not. The resemblance to mac n cheese wasn't intentional. Though it's fairly low-carb as is, ketoers can use an alternate thickener to flour and use almond milk. Whatever your preference, you'll love this. Ingredients   -2 Tbsp all purpose flour  -2 tbsp unsalted butter (or about 1/4 stick)  -1/2 tbsp minced garlic, or less if you're squeamish  -4 oz block of sharp cheddar cheese, cubed or grated.  -A pinch each of black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and turmeric  -1/4 tsp whole mustard seeds, or a pinch of mustard powder  -Half a cup oat milk or regular milk, warmed.  -1/2 tbsp Kosher salt  -1 tsp sherry vinegar  -Whole head of cauliflower, leaves and core removed, coarsely chopped.    Procedure for the cheese roux      On a medium flame, melt the butter and add the flour, stirring continuously for a few minutes until it starts to darken to a tan color. Adjust heat so that it bubbles but doesn't
Read more

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Image
Ingredients   -One 12 oz. bag of whole fresh cranberries.  -4 oz. unsweetened applesauce (the same as in the little plastic to-go ones we use for lunch).  -¾ cup filtered water  -½ tbsp Raspberry vinegar, or substitute apple cider vinegar.  -1 tsp salt -3 ½ Tbsp white sugar.  -A shot of decent orange liqueur or triple sec (Gran Gala, Blue Curacao, Grand Marnier, Cointreau).    Ditch the atrocious canned version. Procedure    -Add all the ingredients in a pot, place on low heat on your smallest burner, and cover. If you have a gas range, a heat diffuser helps.  -Stir it once in a while. Once it thickens and the berries break up, correct for salt and sweetness to taste. Done.
Read more

In praise of the Radish

Image
 The humble radish is widely available in any grocery store, where it is sometimes sold along with its edible green leaves.  Though it's flavor is described elsewhere as "pungent," that may be an unfair description. It's flavor is like mild watercress. It's texture is firm, crunchy, watery, like raw carrot. As you chew it, you will get a mild, wasabi or horseradish-like aroma but without the eye watering kick. Indeed, they are a related species. And that striking color, which no camera can do justice, is due to anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid which may have several important health benefits. What's not to like about this fresh, colorful member of the mustard family?  At less than one calorie per radish, you'll get these flavonoids along with a modest but broad range of vitamins and minerals in a very inexpensive package. Like most brassicas, they will stay fresh for an extraordinary amount of time in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator. Here is a s
Read more