Three line cooks bustle about a crowded metallic kitchen. In a large black pot, sauce is simmering while frying pans are moved quickly and concisely in and out of ovens and cooks flash-fry tender meat. Punk music wafts over the clanging of pots and whacking of knifes. A tall man with a red mohawk conducts the hectic operation with a calm but playful demeanor as he leans over to sprinkle sauces on a delicate fillet of Alaskan halibut.
“It’s a modern take on Latin food,” he said.
The man has talent and that talent has taken him to Red Agave. Gabriel Gil is the new executive chef at the restaurant and a newcomer to the Eugene area. He began working for the local Latin American-focused restaurant at the beginning of May. He has already established himself in the kitchen and created a new summer menu.
“I kind of wanted to make it diverse,” he said in reference to the menu. “Have it be more wine-friendly.”
Gil said with his cooking, it is all about the balance of flavors and combining different nuances and textures to layer them on top of one another. For him, the protein comes last.
“What I really think about is creating a harmonious whole,” he said.
Gil not only concocted all the ideas for the new menu, with the exception of the chile relleno, but also devised the appetizer and dessert selections.
He said the dish he’s most proud of is the Alaskan halibut with its Peruvian beans, morel mushrooms, black quinoa that’s been soaked and then fried for a crispy texture, and an aji amarillo emulsion lightly poured in swirls across the fillet.
Gil said the major change for the restaurant is that the menu now reflects a more Southern or Central Latin American feel, rather than the previous more Mexican and Baha-centric cuisine.
“Things are more subtle,” he said.
Gil and Red Agave owner, Brian Hebb, believe in using organic, locally produced fruit, vegetables and meats whenever possible. Basically, Gil takes local ingredients and adds a Latin flare.
The new chef also said he prefers working for small, independent restaurants, even though this means he’s cooking just as much as he’s supervising.
“Here I’m hands on; I cook all the fish and anything on the sauté,” he said.
Gil has worked in Portland, Santa Fe, Pasadena and is originally from Southern California. His interest in cooking came from his love of food and hanging out in his grandmother’s Mexican kitchen as a young boy. From there it was just a matter of time.
Hebb said he’s very enthused about the new chef. He just purchased the business this year, though it was originally opened in 2002.
Hebb said Red Agave will increase its outdoor seating and open at 1 p.m. in the afternoon, instead of the normal operating hour of 5 p.m., while the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials are here.
Red Agave is located at 454 Willamette St. in downtown Eugene. Visit the restaurant’s Web site at redagave.net or call 541-683-2206 to make a reservation.