It may be stated the identify Casa Ya’ax accommodates the important ethos of Chef Omar Montero’s new restaurant in Wynwood, which opened in December. The phrase is a mix of each the Spanish and Mayan languages—casa, which means home in Spanish, and ya’ax, which means inexperienced in Mayan. Not solely does Chef Montero’s well-composed, soulful menu give an ode to each the Mexican and Mayan culinary traditions present in Montero’s residence nation, however the eating expertise additionally juxtaposes the camaraderie and comforts of residence with the inexperienced lushness of the jungle. The area is split into a up to date eating room and an unique outside terrace. The menu would possibly as effectively be a map, transporting diners on a journey by way of the completely different culinary areas of Mexico.
Parts of the Pacific seem in uncooked dishes just like the Kanpachi Carpaccio (a must-try). The buttery, mildly candy Kanpachi comes from the aquamarine waters off the rocky Baja coast of Mexico. It’s “cooked” ceviche-style in a ardour fruit citrus French dressing, with a lemongrass soy yuzu sauce, topped with creamy avocado and serrano pepper—an ideal concord of citrus acid, spicy kick and fruity sweetness.
Within the waters surrounding the Yucatán, lobster fishing is a vital a part of native economies. Thus, an unforgettable lobster dish seems on Casa Ya’ax’s menu. Candy, succulent items of lobster stability the smokey layers of taste in a coconut curry sauce. Served over an earthy succotash of lentils, orzo pilaf, grilled yellow corn and tomato, then garnished with a petite periwinkle edible flower, the dish is homey and undeniably scrumptious.
The Barbacoa de Pierna de Cordero provides a nod to central and northern Mexico. A braised lamb shank is seasoned with dried chilies and spices and served with contemporary radishes, white onion shavings, cilantro and salsa roja.
“Lamb is used so much in Guadalajara,” Chef Montero says. “I marinate it and cook dinner it for greater than 12 hours. All of the condiments and marinade go deep into the meat.”
From the Western coast of Mexico, Chef Montero elected to function the Pulpo Zarandeado—a Spanish octopus rubbed in dry pink Mexican chile adobo, served with white pinto beans and Kalamata olive puree, fingerling potato confit and Spanish chorizo salsa.
“Zarandeado” is a 500-year-old technique for grilling seafood, originating in Nayarit, a Mexican state on the western coast. On this custom, seafood is grilled over sizzling coals in a wood-fired oven.
Masa, or corn, a staple in each Mexican and Mayan traditions, is noticed all through Chef Montero’s menu in a number of preparations and dishes, together with masa tlacoyos (thicker than a standard tortilla), a white corn hominy unfold (like hummus), masa gorditas and naturally, home made corn tortillas.
Chef Montero’s intention behind that includes such a variety of Mexican cooking methods, regional Mexican substances and twists on conventional Mexican dishes was to assist re-educate Miami diners on genuine Mexican delicacies.
“All people at all times thinks that Mexican gastronomy is barely about tacos. They assume that Mexicans eat tacos each single day,” Chef Montero laughs. “At Casa Ya’ax we provide diners a complicated exploration of Mexico, wealthy in regional flavors. We are attempting to point out a little bit bit throughout Mexico, not just one area.”
This intention shines by way of each facet of Casa Ya’ax, together with the restaurant’s design. From the furnishings, which Chef Montero had transported in a delivery container direct from Mexico, to the constructing methods he used on the partitions of the salon, hails from Mexico.
“The hanging lamps and all of the decorations had been made inside miles of Tulum,” says Chef Montero. “The furnishings, which is 2 sorts of wooden, we introduced in from Mérida. Within the first salon, with all of the inexperienced partitions, the fabric is Chukum.”
Chukum is an historical Mayan approach that includes making a stucco from the leaves of the Chukum tree.
The dessert and cocktail menu likewise make the most of Mexican or Mayan symbolism, substances and types. For instance, the whimsical Catrina desert—a white chocolate cranium (referred to as a calavera within the Day of the Useless custom) melts open to disclose a dice of cornbread inside after a server fastidiously pours sizzling melted white chocolate over the scalp. Carmel popcorn provides a crunchy chunk to this stunning dessert.
Mezcal akul, produced from Mexican agave, is utilized in Casa Ya’ax’s Aku Mal cocktail. It’s combined with Nixta Licor de Elote (a corn liquor solely grown beneath the Nevado de Toluca volcano in Mexico), then mixed with lemongrass, pineapple and grapefruit.
The thoughtfulness of every element Chef Montero has included into the Casa Ya’ax expertise speaks to his deep appreciation for his household’s heritage in Mexico. It’s no shock he grew up within the kitchens of each his grandmothers. Within the afternoons after faculty, Chef Montero stated he would frequently discover himself serving to his cousins and grandmothers cook dinner.
“I used to be the one boy within the household,” says Chef Montero. “At one level I used to be bored and was like, ‘What’s occurring right here within the kitchen?’ Each Sunday we had lunch and dinner at a grandma’s home. However first, all of us went to the market to choose up the completely different substances for the meal. My grandma confirmed me tips on how to acknowledge an excellent herb and an excellent protein and style the completely different sorts of cheeses. She taught me tips on how to choose a pleasant, contemporary cream. On Saturday nights the query was at all times, ‘What do you need to eat tomorrow?’”
This early introduction to genuine Mexican delicacies led him to obtain culinary coaching in Mexico Metropolis on the College Anahuac (campus of the Culinary Institute of America and The Cordon Bleu). After he graduated, he was invited by famend Cuban-born Chef Luis Pous to interview for a place at Pous’ then-new restaurant in Little Palm Island within the Keys. Inside two months, Montero emigrated to america.
“All my family and friends didn’t take it critically in any respect,” Chef Montero laughs. “They thought I used to be going to Miami to social gathering—that I’d be again in two months. I’ve by no means gone again.”
The transfer to the Keys was an enormous transition.
“I had been dwelling in an enormous metropolis—Mexico Metropolis—and shifting to the Keys was a shock. I by no means was anticipating to actually go to a tiki bar in Florida the place everybody was sporting tropical shirts,” Chef Montero remembers. “It was an enormous, large change. I believe I handed that adversity as a result of I used to be specializing in what I wished for me and my profession.”
The transfer ended up being a sensible one. Below the mentorship of Chef Pous, Chef Montero refined his abilities and went on to work at a sequence of boutique lodges and eating places in Colorado, Minnesota, San Francisco and Napa Valley, earlier than ultimately opening his first private enterprise in Miami, La Santa Taqueria. La Santa Taqueria focuses on Mexican tacos and avenue meals. Casa Ya’ax, he says, is a a lot deeper illustration of his coronary heart and soul.
“I hope Casa Ya’ax makes you’re feeling heat,” he says, “Just like the welcome you get on the home of your grandma.”
Casa Ya’ax is situated in Wynwood at 51 NE 24 St., Suite 101. Metered avenue parking and valet can be found. Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 6 p.m. to midnight, and Thursday by way of Saturday from 6 p.m. to three a.m. For extra info go to casayaax.com or observe on Instagram @casayaaxmiami.
