Profile

What passes for Mexican cooking in New York is a joke, though Zarela Martinez has never found it all that funny. So it's lucky for you that her fierce pride in her country's maligned cuisine is backed up by her fiery bravado in the kitchen. Taste her blazing poblanos rellenos, snapper hash, or her slow-cooked Oaxacan lamb, and you may suddenly have an urge to buy a great big Doberman pinscher on the outside chance that you might come across that Taco Bell chihuahua in a dark alley. Now, Zarela might find that funny. — Hal Rubenstein

Mon.—Fri., $16.95

Catering
Couples who have enjoyed romantic dinners at Zarela’s eponymous Mexican restaurant in midtown will appreciate the huitlacoche-crêpe casseroles, crab tostadas, and mango-mousse-filled cake she serves at weddings.

Tuna steak, $20; roasted duck, $21

Related Stories

Featured In

• Mexican Thanksgiving by Zarela Martínez and Aarón Sánchez (11/12/07)

Recipes at Zarela

• Brussels Sprouts With Chorizo (2007)
• Roasted Calabaza (2007)
• Savory Corn Bread (2007)
• Pumpkin Cheesecake (2007)
• Stuffed Roast Suckling Pig (2007)