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Cafe Galicia83 Wall St. Norwalk 06850 203-831-8184 By LORRAINE GENGO Fairfield County Weekly Published: 12/2/2005 If one desires a quick culinary tour of Central and South America, without the bother or expense of international flights, it's an easy thing to accomplish. All one has to do is drive to Norwalk's old downtown district, an area of town that's on the threshold of redevelopment, where the Latin American community has put down roots and seems to be thriving amidst the intermittently unoccupied storefronts of Wall Street. El Mexicano, at the north end of Wall Street, has been doing a land-office business for years, attracting Fairfield County's Latino population to its bar/restaurant (and now Mexican grocery) with its excellent--and inexpensive--Mexican fare. In the past year or so Wall Street has also become home to Casa Maya, a Mexican-Guatamalen-American-style deli, and El Idolo, a homey restaurant specializing in the cuisine of El Salvador. A little over a month ago, Cafe Galicia opened its doors in a little storefront near the intersection of Wall Street and West Avenue, a few doors away from El Idolo. Based on its name and the statuette of a welcoming Gallic-looking chef placed in the display window, I guessed it might be another venue for Spanish, and perhaps even Basque, cuisine. Wall Street already boasts one of the best restaurants in that category in Meigas, co-owned by renowned chef Luis Bollo and Ignacio Blanco. However, a glance at the menu posted in the window revealed that wasn't the case. Cafe Galicia's menu splits its culinary allegiances between Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. So much so, in fact, that the same soup with literally identical ingredients is listed two ways: as sopa marinera (Ecuadorian seafood soup), and parihuela (Peruvian seafood soup). Although I can't claim intimate knowledge of any of those cuisines, I know plenty of people who live and work in Norwalk who can, and who would seek out a place that served soup with a specific kind of black clam, for instance, that's popular in their native Ecuador. Whether Cafe Galicia speaks to their culinary needs, I have yet to ascertain, but I can say that it offers neophytes like me a chance to sample interesting flavor and texture combinations in recipes that haven't been dumbed down for the American palate. Owner Cesar Carrerras has big plans for his cafe, which he hopes to expand into a full-fledged operation with two bars and lots more seating, now that a neighboring business has vacated its space. Carrerras has experience in such matters, given that up until six years ago he owned and operated Macarena, a nightclub/restaurant that served Mediterranean food in Stamford, now under new ownership. Cafe Galicia is not a fancy restaurant, despite its white tableclothes and "fresh" flowers on every table (which should be done away with altogether since dead or dying carnations--in fact, carnations in general--are just plain depressing). The so-called background music was too loud on my first visit, and I have to say that I preferred the sounds of the futbol game ("GOALLLLL") coming from the large flat-screen TV on my second visit to loud Latin disco. I felt compelled to try the house speciality--tripe--served two ways: in a dish called bandera , which means "flag," served with goat meat and shrimp cocktail; or by itself as a stew with rice. Mr. Carrerras dissuaded me from that choice, given I was short on time, and the dish takes a while to make apparently. I can't say I was disappointed. And the camarones al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce, $12) were actually what I was really hankering after. Even though I've had many renditions of this dish, Cafe Galicia's version offered an interesting twist. The shrimp had been lightly dredged in flour and browned so that they had a nice texture before being introduced to the sauce, a rich, mildly spicy concoction that contained red pepper couli, garlic and cream. A plate of ceviche mixto, seafood "cooked" in citrus juice, was a huge portion of what looked like tiny sea monsters, only some of which I could name ($12). Apart from the shrimp, scallops, mussels and hunks of white fish, there were lots of tentacles and suckers that didn't look like they belonged to any kind of squid I'm familiar with. I would venture to guess these were octopus parts, and they gave my masseter muscles a good workout (not that they need it, mind you). Still, if you're an intrepid seafood lover, you can't beat the price elsewhere. Soup here is a meal, served in a huge bowl garnished with fresh cilantro and wedges of fresh lime to bring out the flavors. Don't order it as a first course unless you intend to share it, otherwise you will have no room for your entree and dessert, which you will not want to miss. I had sopa marinera , a tomato and fish stock base filled with whole clams, mussels, chunks of fish, shrimp, squid, octopus and a spiny king crab claw. While I enjoyed chatting with Mr. Carrerras in Spanish and am still curious about trying his tripe, the main reason I will return to his cafe is to indulge in his tres leches, a deliciously moist Ecuadorian cake made from three types of milk. He spent at least five minutes explaining to me how it is made, and all I could decipher was it contains condensed milk, needs to be whipped thoroughly to make the batter light, and must be served chilled. I am not a huge fan of cake, but this one is food for the gods. Map | Printer-Friendly Page | Email to a Friend
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