Infusing Horchata Flavor Into Lobster
República | Portland, Ore.
Infusing Horchata Flavor Into Lobster
República | Portland, Ore.
By Patricia Fitzgerald
July 16, 2024
By Patricia Fitzgerald
July 16, 2024
Sabrina Quintana
The chef’s tasting menu at modern Mexican restaurant República is intended to convey the exclusivity of a one-of-a-kind dining experience, inevitably consigning its standout dishes to memory rather than menu permanence. That’s most fitting for the Lobster & Nostalgia dish developed by Sabrina Quintana, sous chef, who was inspired by her childhood trips to Ensenada in Mexico’s Baja California. There, her father would order a few fresh lobsters, flour tortillas and a pitcher of horchata water for the kids. Quintana’s Lobster & Nostalgia calls back to those simpler times, with approachable ingredients and flavors that, when combined, create a dynamic new taste experience.
The dish is an iteration of horchata served with a lobster tail poached in chai-infused beurre monté and a summer salad featuring white peaches, ground cherries and habanada peppers. It is finished with butterfly pea oil and roasted lobster shell oil and served with a rolled flour tortilla. For the duration that the dish starred as the lobster course on República’s tasting menu, it was clearly a guest favorite, chronicled for history in glowing reviews.
About the Author
Patricia Fitzgerald serves different roles on the Flavor & The Menu team, including writing custom content, Kitchen Collaborative chef spotlights and digital editorial content, as well as acting as a contributing editor for the print magazine. As owner of PFitzCommunications, she specializes in various areas of foodservice and hospitality, while also maintaining clients in other industries and professions. She can be reached at [email protected].
