Spanish Cuisine – The Dish: Cha Cha’s debuts Monday in Palm Beach

Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 04:09 PM

As Spain’s culinary ouvre exalts in its primacy among the foodie cognoscenti and authentic Latin fare in general continues to rise in popularity, Cha Cha’s Latin Fresh Kitchen Tequila Bar opens Monday in Palm Beach on the second level of 150 Worth.

Finishing touches to the indoor-outdoor restaurant—the look is somewhat Spanish bodega-meets-South Florida chic—are underway, and the menu, emphasizing Spanish cookery but with nods to pan-Latin, is all set.

“We’re ready to go—the place looks awesome,” says co-owner Nick Coniglio, whose family also owns Cucina dell’Arte and Nick Johnnie’s in Palm Beach and E.R. Bradley’s Saloon in downtown West Palm Beach.

Cha Cha’s, which initially will be open for dinner only (plans call for adding lunch service by Nov. 1.), is located in the former space occupied by Trevini Ristorante, which has moved to Bradley Place and re-opens in November.

The menu features a wide variety of tapas ($3 to $12)—such as calamari, steak pinchos, cured meats and Spanish cheeses, grilled artichokes and papas bravas, a classic in Spain—plus such main courses ($19 to $28) as shrimp in green sauce, the Iberian translation of which draws its color from parsley and its impact from chilis, scallions and garlic.

An array of tacos—not the garden-variety Mexican-American restaurant kind, but cradles of fresh ingredients in prepared-to-order tortillas—also are offered ($3 to $4).

Cha Cha’s “signature” paella, which in its glory will achieve the socorrat (the thin crust that forms on the bottom of the paella pan when the liquid is rendered and the rice reaches its peak succulence), will be served in portions for three people ($35) or six people ($50).

“With the menu, we’re obviously going mostly to Spain, but tacos are Mexican and we wanted to have them because when they’re done right, everyone loves them,” says Kent Thurston, Cha Cha’s executive chef and co-owner. “We’re emphasizing sharing, like with our paella and our tapas.”

Thurston also is executive chef of Cucina and Nick Johnnie’s, in which he has an ownership position, too. Last April and May, he and Coniglio, with their plans gelling for Cha Cha’s, explored numerous Spanish and Latin restaurants in New York and Miami.

Both have long been passionate about authentically prepared Spanish and Latin cuisine and they’re keenly aware of its ascendancy in America.

Spanish cuisine has risen to the fore here ever since The New York Times in 2003 declared Spain’s Ferran Adria the world’s best chef and postulated the supremacy of Spanish cooking over French.

Last week, panelists of the “Latin Flavors, American Kitchens” conference at the Culinary Institute of America’s San Antonio campus concluded that Latin cuisine—particularly small-plate tapas and dishes rooted in bold (yet not overwhelming) flavors—are ideally suited for today’s changing and more food-conscious/adventurous consumers.

For more information about Cha Cha’s, call 833-8800; the restaurant’s website will be up and running soon.

This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)

Return to Home Page

Spanish Recipes with Bill & Sheila</a