Puro Ceviche Bar : A Newbury Street Treat
This weekend I had another opportunity to cross a restaurant off my wish list and got to visit the delicious Puro Ceviche Bar!
I had plans to meet a friend to do a little shopping on Newbury Street, so we decided to grab a late lunch at Puro and I am so glad we did. The restaurant is small but packs a huge punch, thanks to a number of custom murals painted on the walls:
The artwork was not the only thing that surprised us - the menu had tons of ingredients that don't immediately come to mind when you think of ceviche and tacos, especially in New England! We decided to start with the Sea Bass ceviche marinated in bell pepper, red onion, chili pepper, cilantro, lime juice, aji amarillo (yellow garlic, typically in a sauce form), and passion fruit!
The passion fruit was such a surprise ingredient in my opinion, but it was so bright and refreshing! Immediately upon arrival, the distinct scent filled the air, and the flavor of the ceviche was equally as intoxicating. I've had ceviche many times, but this one was unique and so perfectly balanced. The acidity from the passion fruit and lime juice cut through the bell pepper and red onion so they did not dominate the dish, and the chili peppers were perfectly incorporated. I'm not one to order super spicy foods and the spice level on this dish was just right.
An unexpected challenge of the meal was deciding which tacos I wanted to order, because there were so many delicious sounding options and again, so many ingredients that surprised me! The veggie tacos are filled with nopales - not something you see very often in Boston. To counter that, they have fried oyster tacos served with a smoked aioli, which is something you would typically find in Boston, but not necessarily on a taco! And the steak tacos come with a truffle aioli, which is not something you would normally associate with a restaurant serving Latin cuisine! This menu was full of great options and mouth-watering combinations, but I ultimately decided to go for the battered and fried fish tacos, served with avocado, salsa, and lemon aioli.
Let me tell you - I made a great choice. The tacos were served fresh from the kitchen so the tortillas (corn tortillas - not flour!) and fried fish were both warm when they arrived. The batter on the fish was the perfect consistency so it fried up super crunchy, without any of that unwanted gummy-ness that can happen when batter is too thick. The avocado was fresh and perfectly ripe (a challenge at this time of year) and the salsa had a little kick with the finely diced jalapeno. I thought the lemon aioli was nice and bright and acidic, but it is physically impossible for me to eat a taco and not squeeze fresh lime over the top. There is something about the extra acidity and fresh scent from the oils releasing that means its time to eat!
Everything I ate exceeded my expectations and I can't wait to go back to try more of their delicious food. With 7 ceviche options and 6 taco options, there is plenty more for me to explore at this trendy addition to Newbury Street. Next time I plan on sitting at the bar to admire another beautiful mural!
Tasty Tidbit: Puro has a sister restaurant in the South End called Kava Neo-Taverna. It's a Greek Mediterranean restaurant that I am dying to try. It's gotten rave reviews!
I had plans to meet a friend to do a little shopping on Newbury Street, so we decided to grab a late lunch at Puro and I am so glad we did. The restaurant is small but packs a huge punch, thanks to a number of custom murals painted on the walls:
The passion fruit was such a surprise ingredient in my opinion, but it was so bright and refreshing! Immediately upon arrival, the distinct scent filled the air, and the flavor of the ceviche was equally as intoxicating. I've had ceviche many times, but this one was unique and so perfectly balanced. The acidity from the passion fruit and lime juice cut through the bell pepper and red onion so they did not dominate the dish, and the chili peppers were perfectly incorporated. I'm not one to order super spicy foods and the spice level on this dish was just right.
An unexpected challenge of the meal was deciding which tacos I wanted to order, because there were so many delicious sounding options and again, so many ingredients that surprised me! The veggie tacos are filled with nopales - not something you see very often in Boston. To counter that, they have fried oyster tacos served with a smoked aioli, which is something you would typically find in Boston, but not necessarily on a taco! And the steak tacos come with a truffle aioli, which is not something you would normally associate with a restaurant serving Latin cuisine! This menu was full of great options and mouth-watering combinations, but I ultimately decided to go for the battered and fried fish tacos, served with avocado, salsa, and lemon aioli.
Let me tell you - I made a great choice. The tacos were served fresh from the kitchen so the tortillas (corn tortillas - not flour!) and fried fish were both warm when they arrived. The batter on the fish was the perfect consistency so it fried up super crunchy, without any of that unwanted gummy-ness that can happen when batter is too thick. The avocado was fresh and perfectly ripe (a challenge at this time of year) and the salsa had a little kick with the finely diced jalapeno. I thought the lemon aioli was nice and bright and acidic, but it is physically impossible for me to eat a taco and not squeeze fresh lime over the top. There is something about the extra acidity and fresh scent from the oils releasing that means its time to eat!
Everything I ate exceeded my expectations and I can't wait to go back to try more of their delicious food. With 7 ceviche options and 6 taco options, there is plenty more for me to explore at this trendy addition to Newbury Street. Next time I plan on sitting at the bar to admire another beautiful mural!
Tasty Tidbit: Puro has a sister restaurant in the South End called Kava Neo-Taverna. It's a Greek Mediterranean restaurant that I am dying to try. It's gotten rave reviews!
Comments
Post a Comment