Something Unexpected

Arcano Takes Flight With Tastes From Across “Hispanamerica”

You need no other reason to visit Arcano beyond their croquetas. Forgoing the traditional ham, chicken, and cheese variations, their trio consists of one with crab meat, one with shrimp, and one with calamari in black squid ink. All are creamy, stunningly delicious – and unexpected. Which is just what Arcano wants to add to the Coral Gables culinary scene.

“Arcano means ‘mysterious’ in Spanish, and the idea is to always have something unexpected in your experience,” says Lucas Warren, the general manager of the self-described “Hispanamerica” restaurant, who helped create a menu that draws from the cooking traditions of 21 Spanish-speaking countries. “We want you to taste something new and familiar at the same time.”

Arcano is located in the space formerly occupied by Tur, the fine dining, Mediterranean-focused restaurant on Giralda Street just west of Ponce de Leon. It shares the block with such notable eateries as Mesa Mar, La Taberna Giralda, and Terre del Sapore, and has a lovely arched veranda for outdoor seating. Inside it’s much the same as Tur, with high ceilings and an open-kitchen design, except the bar now opens onto the main dining space, the artwork is Hispanic, and the video screens show aerial shots of Central and South America rather than the Mediterranean.

The music is also noticeably different. “Music is an important element of Hispanamerica,” says Warren, “and it’s crucial to us.” On the first Thursday of each month they present live music with native dancers from different countries (Spain, Mexico, and Colombia so far, Venezuela next); in the meantime the soundtrack moves from sexy Argentine tangoes to upbeat Cuban salsa to Peruvian mountain flutes.

Like the music, the food is eclectic, and even more creative. Arcano is the place to take a jaded palate. Their ceviche, for example, is a mix of corvina, avocado, and red onions in a strawberry-lime sauce, with olive oil, coconut flakes, and cilantro. A refreshing new take on a traditional dish, with none of the tart citrus bite that ceviche sometimes has.

Another remarkable dish is the caldoso de calamar. Here the calamari is grilled and sliced, floating in a savory stock made from lobster, shrimp, and fish, mixed with bomba rice, aioli, and fondo rojo (red chili sauce). The calamari is soft and buttery, and the stock has such a rich, seafood flavor that you want to drink it; it’s what your abuela should fix you when you’re feeling ill.

The menu is separated into starters (hot and cold), plates (meat or fish), soups and salads (two each), and “street food,” which means hand-held. In the hot starter category, the croquetas hold sway, but we also tried their Calamares on “Fire,” a plate filled with roasted squid, chorizo, grilled pineapple, and two types of pepper, all chopped and dusted with hibiscus flower and cilantro. The idea is to stab the ingredients together with one forkful, with an optional red or green pepper. The red is slightly hotter, but with either one a chunk of sweet grilled pineapple balances the heat nicely.

Another hot starter we loved – probably because we’re obsessed with mushrooms – is the Setas de la Tierra, trumpet mushrooms and blue and yellow oyster mushrooms grilled with a honey-tamarind glaze. Like eating mushroom candy.

Left: caldoso de calamar – grilled calamari, floating in a savory stock made from lobster, shrimp, and fish, mixed with bomba rice, aioli, and fondo rojo (red chili sauce)
Top Right: calamares on “fire” – a plate filled with roasted squid, chorizo, grilled pineapple, and two types of pepper, all chopped and dusted with hibiscus flower and cilantro
Bottom Right: Setas de la Tierra – trumpet mushrooms and blue and yellow oyster mushrooms grilled with a honey-tamarind glaze

In the cold zone, the ceviche was our favorite, but closely pursued by the crudo de lomito – a pork carpaccio marinated in a coffee emulsion and topped with Honduran cheese.

Among the plates, the lamb shank, braised for seven to eight hours, is succulent and meant to be eaten with corn tortillas, pickled onions, and pomegranate gremolata. The duck with mole is also interesting, but a little too deconstructed for us. Our favorite remains the Caldoso.

Without going into every dish, also worthy is their Hamburguesa Arcano, a half-pound of juicy Wagyu burger on a housemade blackberry bun with hibiscus-caramelized onions and white cheese. An amazing combination of flavors. Also in the running is their crispy pork belly, wonderfully chewy and crunchy, eaten in a purple corn tortilla with a deeply flavorful charcoal-smoked avocado dip and pickled onions.

“The concept that we have here is about all the different Hispanic countries,” says Juan Diego Canahuati, who co-owns and operates the restaurant with his wife, Nicole. “Usually when you go to a restaurant you go to a Peruvian, or Spanish, or Mexican [place]. Or maybe a fusion from two countries. But not from all over the spectrum.”