3-minute read
NorthJersey.com
A building left vacant for years behind the Walnut Street train station will soon be the latest addition to Montclair's ever-burgeoning dining scene: Oso Felipe, a Mexican restaurant co-owned by the chef who established the popular barbeque spot Pineapple Express.
Oso Felipe marks the second partnership between chef Damon Wise and developer David Placek ? the latter owns Lackawanna Plaza, where Pinapple Express is located. But Placek has provided more than real estate this time. Oso Felipe's name is a reference to the cross street's of the developer's childhood home in southern California.
Placek, a native of the region known for its culinary cross-pollination with Chicano cuisine, said he has searched for quality Mexican food beyond America's southwest but had yet to find any befitting his standards. In a stroke of luck, Wise's dietary needs aligned perfectly.
"Mexican food is a natural fit for gluten free people," said Wise, who lives with celiac disease. "I can make a good flour tortilla without the gluten mix using tapioca starch. It gets really beautiful and crispy."
"We began to talk about what our dreams were and it was parallel," Wise said of his chance kismet with Placek that begat Oso Felipe.
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While a Mexican restaurant has not always been in the books for the two partners, the location has. The flatiron shaped building behind the Walnut Street station had seen better days when Placek purchased it five years ago.
"It was in complete disarray," Wise said, "It was hard to envision it as a restaurant,"
Although, the building served as an eatery and bar in the past, by the time Placek became interested, it had been dormant for close to a decade.
With no one minding the shop, the building was an easy target for petty delinquents who left its interior "lightly vandalized" in Wise's words. The chef poached whatever kitchen equipment he could for Pineapple Express.
Nevertheless, Placek never gave up hope on the location. Last year, his business partners purchased the building. Placek brought the idea back to Wise and asked what he envisioned. Without pause, the chef suggested Mexican food.
"It turns out we compliment each other well," Placek said of Wise. "He's more than a partner, he's a friend and one of the most driven people I know."
What's on the menu?
The food will strike a balance between Wise's creativity and both owners' longing for authentic Mexican dishes. The menu will feature a variety of seafood, which will be cooked on the restaurant's wood fire grill and served in a cocktail broth.
Other menu items will include oysters flavored with tomatillo sauce rather than the sea salt typical of the dish. The idea is to use creative sources for the traditional flavors of Mexican fare. Nevertheless, Wise has no intention of straying so far from authentic ingredients that diners won't recognize the taste of Chicano cooking.
"There will be some traditional stuff and I will be creative about it," he said. "When I was a younger chef I would think outside of the box but it wasn’t always good for the guests."
Each table will receive the standard chips and salsa made in-house.
Diners at the restaurant on the corner of Erie and Label streets can expect "casual food in a fine atmosphere," Wise said. But no reservations required. There will be plenty of room for walk-ins given the location's spacious capacity. The dining room on the first floor will seat 90 guests, along with 22 seats at the bar. A second dining area upstairs will seat 100 and a lounge that can seat about 22 more.
"It will be great for lunch and romantic for dinner," Wise said of the first floor. "It should be lively and fresh."
When dining upstairs, customers can expect "a more sophisticated ambience," according to Placek. The restaurant will also feature an outdoor patio during warmer seasons and a private room available to rent year-round.
Both bars are well-stocked with an array of tequila, sotol and mezcal from various distilleries and Mexican regions. Not sure which to order? Oso Felipe has you covered with tequila flights, so patrons can taste a combination of offerings.
The opening date remains tentative but Placek and Wise hope to welcome their first guests within the next two weeks.