Harvest Romantica
An autumn housewarming has a famed Mexican chef showing off his upscale Latin fare – and a Newport Coast house made for entertaining.
It is a Saturday afternoon and renowned chef Richard Sandoval is doing what he loves: cooking for friends. In the backyard of his Newport Coast home the ultimate outdoor cooking environment has been created to conjure the food that has made him famous fro Vegas to New York an, soon, Dubai. His friends – one a chef but all lovers of fine food – gather around the warmth of a custom-made adobe-style stove where lamb wrapped in banana leaf is barbecuing.
The evening air is cool as the sun goes down over the pacific, and guests settle in with raspberry mojitos to take in the view. “People beg to come over,” says wife Gabriella, surveying the scene of her sprawling Newport Coast veranda, an ideal spot to host dinner parties in to the wee hours. “And Richard is a very good host. He loves cooking when people want to taste his food.”
Tonight the Acapulco-born chef and his Venezuelan-Italian wife celebrate two milestones: a belated birthday for Gabriella and the first housewarming party since their Orange County move 18 months ago. The cliff-top home offers both a change of pace from their former residence in New York Coty and a respite for Richard from the high-pressure culinary world: his growing empire will include nine restaurants spanning both coasts along with a venture in Dubai opening next summer and another slated for D.C. (No immediate plans are set for Southern California, so San Francisco will have to do for now.)
From the fresh fruit mojitos at Isla in Vegas to the ceviche at Pampano in New York, Richard is leading the way in modern Mexican cuisine. Of all the locales, Southern California is Richard’s favourite – it’s also the perfect environment to test his fresh, innovative take on traditional Mexican flavours, the theme behind this autumn soiree.
Around him, friends dressed in elegant black nibble on tortillas and guacamole presented on silver Gabriella collected from Taxco. First up: Richard’s famed tuna ceviche marinated in tomatillos and chile poblano, followed by a trip of sopas and, next, elegant scallops piled atop caramelized watermelon soaked in habaneros and citrus. A bright orange sauce made from the paste of annto seed dissolved in lemon juice and mixed with truffle oil is the final inspired touch. “This is what I call modern Mexican; using traditional ingredients but making creative dishes,” he says.
The night’s real crowd pleaser is Richard’s spicy lamb. It’s served family style, just like in Mexico, alongside elegant platters of Mexican rice and made-from-scratch refried beans. But the simple flavors pack a powerful taste. After all, when your father is a chef (his restaurant in Acapulco was Richard’s early training ground), and brother Patricio Sandoval is chef-owner of NYC’s new Mexican eatery, Mercadito, you learn to prepare the most basic dishes with flair.
The music alternates between modern Mexican, Italian and “a little bit of Sade”, and as twilight fades and the moon rises Gabriella and Richard welcome a stream of late arrivals. Though they have just missed the caramelized flan, drinks are still flowing freely. For ease of entertaining, dinner numbers were kept to just 10. “So,” says Gabriella, “we just told everybody to come over later.” Her explanation is lost among the happy cacophony of friends enjoying margaritas made with the chef’s favored Herradura tequila. This is one crowd that doesn’t wind down with coffee. “At the end it is always beer.”