Every now and then, poor time management leads me in a delightful direction. This happened on a recent vacation to San Juan, where I had to scramble for a last-minute dinner reservation. I settled on a wine bar, El Vino Crudo in Old San Juan, not even pausing for a beat to pore over the menu first, as I’m wont to do.
Upon my arrival, my eyes darted to the menu’s handful of vegetable dishes, and soon after, puffy ras el hanout-dusted cauliflower florets drizzled with two kinds of chutneys and a tamarind raita hit the table, followed closely by a platter of charred asparagus spears atop a layer of romesco, garnished with crunchy almonds and caper leaves that looked like eucalyptus.
With each bite, I thought about recreating a spread of shareable plates for myself. We have wine bar at home! (Required viewing: the “We have McDonald’s at home!” bit from Eddie Murphy’s 1987 stand-up special, “Raw,” which I won’t link to for language.)
Roasted Cauliflower With Sweet Chermoula and Yogurt
I’d crack open a bottle of something ice-cold and effervescent — a puckery pét-nat, a lively lambrusco — and then build my dream small-plates menu.
