Co-owner of El Sabroson, Pedro Ramos.
Ever discuss a painting by an Asian elephant on the wall above your table while sipping on Thai iced tea? You can at Aticha Thai Cuisine.
Named after husband and wife proprietors Ananwat Phutthasiri and Chalida Aupool’s 5-year-old daughter (the couple go by Tua and Kate), Aticha brings authentic Northeastern Thailand taste infused with garden-fresh flavor.
“Our herbs, the ginger, the garnish, the curries are all fresh and made by hand.” said Phutthasiri.
Massaman Curry, a dish CNN dubbed the best dish in the world, is guest favorite. “It’s a perfect recipe. We make each one fresh to order,” he said.
Turkish cuisine boasts a similar affinity for bold flavor and freshness that incorporates rices with lamb, seafood, fresh vegetables and spices to give it a world-class taste reflective of its European and Asian influences.
“Italians have different kinds of pasta, we have rice and lamb dishes,” said Istanbul Restaurant owner Burcu Mukus.
Another distinct ingredient in Turkish cuisine is denseyogurt that Wheeler said can be “sliced with a knife.” It’s even used in a refreshing drink that’s served chilled on ice.
Turkish coffee is also popular at the restaurant. It’s handmade, strong and served with the grounds in the cup, which are not ingested. In Turkish culture, fortunes are told after drinkers complete their coffee.
“In Turkey, when you finish drinking, you shake the cup, turn it upside down and see pictures in the grounds. Then your fortune gets told.” Wheeler said.
Like Turkey, Peru also benefitted from outside culinary influences—European and Asian.
“Peruvian food gets a lot of its influence from the immigrants who came to Peru,” said Dustin Kilgore, who with Peruvian husband, Pedro Ramos, owns El Sabroson. Dishes on the menu—like Pollo Saltado, a dish comprised of chicken sautéed in a soy sauce with onions, tomatoes, and freshly cut potato wedges served with a side of white rice—reflect this cultural amalgamation.
El Sabroson, which opened five years ago as a dining offshoot of the couple’s Tu Tienda market, also serves Mexican and Salvadorian cuisine. Kilgore put the three similar but differing ethnic flavors under one roof to serve a growing population of Mexican, Central American and Peruvian people.
“When I first moved into the area, there were a lot of Salvadorian families. As the Latino population grew they wanted us to offer a place for them to eat,” he said.
While Mexican food is familiar, Salvadorian food is known for its pupusas, a dish made with a thick corn tortilla stuffed with any combination of chicken, beef, pork or cheese, and vegetables or beans. Kilgore said that food is the one common denominator that makes all people the same regardless of ethnicity or nationality.
“The world is small and we all eat basically the same things. We just prepare it differently and spice it differently,” said Ramos. “As much as we’re different, [food] shows us that we’re all the same.”
