Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Sailboat sailing in the Atlantic Ocean near Kennebunkport, Maine. getty During the pandemic, chef Rafael Zimmerman made a decision to curtail the detailed culinary school influenced food that he was creating in various restaurants in Portland, Maine. “I started thinking about what I really wanted to eat,” he says.
And what he wanted was a comfort food return to his Peruvian roots, to the food he grew up eating in his mother’s kitchen. Now, as the chef of Magnus on Water which he joined last year in the town of Biddeford, 20 miles south of Portland, he’s putting a creative, elevated spin on those dishes, adding another reason to stop off in this town, named by Food & Wine Magazine as one of America’s next great food cities. Amberjack sashimi with salmon roe, crispy quinoa and cherimoya leche de tigre at Magnus on Water in .
.. [+] Biddeford, Maine Brian Catapang Among the standouts on his menu: Striped Bass Sashimi with Passionfruit Tiger’s Milk, Avocado & Orange; Cabbage Salad with Aji Amarillo Fish Sauce Dressing, Sesame, Peanut & Lime, Chicha Morada Char Siu Pork Belly, Peruvian Baked Beans, Slaw and Cilantro ( an elevated form of his mother’s pork and beans) and the classic Tres Leches Cake with Horchata Whip, Cinnamon & Vanilla.
The restaurant is also known for Beverage Director Brian Catapang’s distinctive cocktails such as Black Mamba, a concoction of Blanco Tequila, Pear Eau de Vie, Caramelized Citrus,.