SOMOS Means “We Are”--All The of Latin America, Now Open In North Arlington

North Arlington, NJ – November 2018 – SOMOS translates to the simple, inclusive phrase “We Are”: an inspiration to celebrate the world of Latin cuisines in a delicious and creative way; the guiding principle behind the new restaurant open November 2018 in North Arlington, NJ. Headed by owner/Executive Chef Juan Placencia, who has garnered much acclaim for his Costanera in Montclair, SOMOS will be a celebration of Latin American flavors with a global perspective. A lively bar pouring the full range of Latin spirits, a gathering place for drinking, dining, late- night entertainment, a new brunch destination…SOMOS will be all this and more.

SOMOS. We Are…the universe of Latin food…familiar flavors, new dishes, made from scratch: Chef Placencia is thrilled by the opportunity to present an innovative yet very accessible menu that includes both traditional flavors and unexpected mashups of multiple cultures’ cuisines, for dinner, lunch, brunch and late night. Guests will be delighted by a menu that includes Salads and Grains: Trigo (shaved zucchini, roasted carrots, crispy garbanzos, avocados, grilled tomato, eggplant, pickled onions, huacatay dressing); Small Plates: Pasabocas (Crispy snacks – cancha, garbanzos, favas, quinoa dressed with chilies and garlic butter); Cachapa (corn pancake, melted queso, roasted tomato); Appetizers: Sushi Crujiente (crispy sushi rice topped with ahi tuna poke, Rocoto salmon); Cubano Flatbread (mojo-marinated pork, jamon serrano, Monterey jack); Causas: De Calabaza (mashed winter squash, Aji Amarillo, topped with roasted mushrooms, piquillo peppers, Japanese eggplant); Ceviches: Black Bass (tomatillo, hoja santa, avocado, crispy tortilla); and Large Plates: Sudado de Mar (Fisherman’s stew, roasted tomatoes, grilled crusty bread, piquillo pepper); Locro Ravioli (butternut squash-filled pasta, wild shrimp, chupe reduction). For Dessert: Tres Leches Tropical (pineapple cake, coconut-rum sauce, passion fruit); Lucuma Panna Cotta (lucuma fruit jam).

The bar at SOMOS. We Are…all the flavors, and the full spectrum of Latin spirits—traditional like margaritas, sangrias, and endless combinations of agave, pisco, rum, cachaça, and more, created by award-winning beverage consultant Rachael Robbins: Carmen Sandiego (pisco, calamansi, ginger beer, cardamom, orange blossom); Miss Peruvian Pie (Cask & Crew Walnut-Toffee whiskey, acai, lemon, allspice); and a tribute to Chef Juan’s spouse, Tati’s Locks (Brockman’s gin, Pink liqueur, guava, pink peppercorn, lemon, violet, rose); Inca Bowl, for 8-10 guests (pisco, , apple, pineapple, lime, citrus, cinnamon, clove). Latin wines, craft beers, and more. Refreshing horchatas, morada, yerba mate limeade. Pitchers to share. Brunch cocktails. Flights. Spanish wines.

SOMOS. We Are…a welcoming, joyful, memorable space, filled with life, color, texture, art. Working in close collaboration with architect/designer Michael Groth, acclaimed for his subtle work in Manhattan restaurants, Chef Placencia is excited for guests of SOMOS to find their favorite spot in the restaurant on each visit, be it in The Plaza—the bright front room surrounding the SOMOS bar; The Taverna, a cozy area of banquettes; The Mercado— deep within the restaurant, a section for private events, and where a variety of lively entertainments will be held. Every space in SOMOS is illuminated by handcrafted ceramic light fixtures, or hand-woven shades (by Chef’s cousin); colorful tiles and coordinated wallpapers keep the space bright. SOMOS will also greet the warm weather with two outdoor spaces, Calle in front, and Cabana in the rear, surrounded by foliage and greenery. On the way out, guests will be able to stop in the foyer Bodega, for house-made food items (snacks, sauces, baked goods) or artisanal crafts and branded merchandise. Every guest, at every meal, will find that he or she is SOMOS.

SOMOS: 185 River Road, N. Arlington NJ 07031 / 201-621-0899 www.somosnj.com / @somosrestaurant

HOURS: Dinner 4:00PM-11:00PM Mon-Wed-Thurs, Sunday; 4:00PM-midnight Friday-Saturday Lunch 11:00AM-3:00PM, Mon-Wed-Friday Brunch 10:00AM-4:00PM Saturday-Sunday. Closed Tuesdays. Bar Hours 4:00PM-midnight Sun, Mon, Wednesday; til 2:00AM Thursday-Saturday DJ 10:00PM-2:00AM Fri-Sat. Daily Happy Hour 4:00PM-7:00PM Mon, Wed-Friday, Bar Area only (Taverna & Plaza) Reverse Happy Hour/Late Night Menu 11:00PM to close, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday

FACT SHEET

Location: 185 River Road, North Arlington NJ 07031 Telephone: (201) 621-0899 Email: [email protected] Website: www.somosnj.com Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @somosrestaurant Opened: November 2018 Executive Chef: Juan Placencia Chef de Cuisine: Roberto Carnero Beverage Consultant: Rachael Robbins Hours of Operation: Closed Tuesdays Lunch 11:00am to 3:00pm from Monday, Wednesday - Friday Dinner 4:00pm to 11:00pm Monday, Wednesday-Thursday, Sunday Daily Happy Hour 4:00pm to 7:00pm Monday, Wed-Friday, Bar Area only (Taverna & Plaza) Bar Hours 4:00pm to midnight Sun-Mon-Wednesday; til 2:00am Thurs-Sat (DJ Friday & Saturday, 10:00pm – 2:00am Reverse Happy Hour/Late Night Menu 11:00pm to close, Sun-Mon-Wed-Thurs Late Night Menu 10:00pm to midnight Friday & Saturday Brunch Weekends 10:00am to 4:00pm Industry Night – Sunday, with ID Capacity: Approx 150 + 50 add’l outdoor. The Plaza: 36; Taverna: 26; Mercado: 90; Calle: 20; Cabaña: 30. Concept: SOMOS means “We Are”--a simple, inclusive phrase that celebrates the world of Latin cuisines in a delicious and creative way. Design Statement: SOMOS is meant to evoke the sensations of Latin American urban life, in a design that pulls inspiration from Chile to Mexico and everywhere in between Designer: Michael Groth Cuisine Description: A menu that includes both traditional dishes and unexpected mashups of multiple cultures. Menu Prices: Lunch: $8-18 Starters: $12-16 Main Courses: $18-28 Brunch: $12-18 Cocktails: $9-13. Draft Wines & beers. Beverage Program: Cocktails feature the full spectrum of Latin spirits. Latin American and Spanish wines. Craft beers. Non-alcoholic beverages [agua frescas, chicha morada, jugos] Credit Cards: VISA / MasterCard / AMEX / Discover Dress Code: Casual Gift Cards: Yes Reservations: Suggested but not required Wheelchair Access: Yes Parking: Private lot PR Contact: Gail Schoenberg PR, [email protected], 551-486-9830

Juan Andres Placencia, Owner/Executive Chef

As owner and executive chef of the acclaimed Costanera Cocina Peruana, Montclair’s hip Peruvian restaurant, Chef Juan Andres Placencia’s skill and expertise quickly elevated the New Jersey dining scene. Now, with the November 2018 opening of his new SOMOS in North Arlington, he brings another desirable destination for Latin dining to New Jersey. As SOMOS’s meaning is “we are”, the concept allows Chef Juan to offer his guests the entire universe of Latin cuisine from his expert perspective. Juan’s culinary journey started early on. At the age of two, his parents, Willy and Ana Placencia, moved their family from Lima, to Union City, New Jersey to open their first restaurant, San Andres in 1989. This was the first of several popular Peruvian restaurants the Placencias have brought to the area. In 1996, they opened their second restaurant, Oh! Calamares in North Bergen. It was here, spending countless hours looking over his father’s shoulder in the kitchen, that Juan discovered his own passion for restaurants and the of his home country. In 2000, Juan turned his passion for food into a profession and earned a degree from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. Throughout his career, Juan has gained invaluable experience working for the most prominent chefs and restaurateurs in New York City. While at CIA, Juan interned for the renowned Jean-Georges Vongerichten at his dazzling French restaurant in Columbus Circle, Jean Georges. After graduation, He started as a line cook working under Tom Colicchio at Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern, serving contemporary American cuisine. A year later, he moved to Eleven Madison Park to expand his skills in dining room service. While learning this facet of the business was invaluable to a budding restaurateur, he followed the lure of the kitchen and in 2003 found himself working side by side with his father at the opening of the Placencias’ second Oh! Calamares in Kearny. In 2005, Juan returned to dining room service at the romantic Italian spot, Va Tutto, where working for Laurie Tomasino thoroughly assisted in refining his skill and knowledge of hospitality. After Va Tutto closed, Juan was hired as the Dining Room Captain at Gotham Bar and Grill and remained there for three years. He then moved on to Mario Batali’s Italian gem, Del Posto before seizing the opportunity to open a restaurant of his own. Chef Placencia’s lifetime of learning and frequent research trips to his home country makes him an expert in South American cuisine and he often demonstrates his cooking skills on various television shows. With a deep love of authentic Peruvian cuisine cultivated at an early age, Juan Andres Placencia offered his Costanera guests an authentic, but refreshingly new take on Peruvian cooking. Now, at SOMOS, he is thrilled at the opportunity to serve his own knowledgeable and delicious take on many of the world’s most distinctive and revered Latin cuisines.

Michel Coronado, Sous Chef

Once a Las Vegas dishwasher, young Michel Coronado kept an eye on the grill as short order cooks masterfully prepared Mexican food to hungry tourists. A head full of recipes, he longed to create and cook. So it came as no surprise to family and friends that he soon joined the line team and began what has turned into a brilliant career as a chef.

Michel was raised in Ciudad Obregón, the second largest city in northern Mexico’s state of Sonora. He earned his culinary school diploma from Universidad Zizcaya de las America in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico.

As culinary student, Michel traveled to northern Spain and interned with Basque chef Eneko Atxa at his three-star Michelin restaurant, Azurmendi, in Bilbao. Azurmendi has been named "the most sustainable restaurant in the world" by The World's 50 Best Restaurants Academy.

He has spent the past eight years with restaurants in and around Boston including Sous Chef for Acitron in Arlington. For the past three years, he was earning his way to becoming Executive Chef & Manager for Fitchburg’s Zapata Mexican Cocina, where he presented revolutionary food of Mexico to small-town Massachusetts.

Michel’s skill in fusing traditional Mexican flavors sent the Zapata chef on a month-long gastronomic tour of eight Mexican cities in 2016. Walking the streets while working his way into famous kitchens with notebook in hand, he would never pass up an inspiring aroma. Naturally he would track down its origin and make note. The tour was easy inspiration for testing new ideas, dreaming up recipes and creating unique Mexican dishes. He was inspired by Chef Pablo Salas at Amaranta, the contemporary Mexican restaurant in Toluca which, in 2017, made the 50 Best Latin America Restaurants list. Michel was also influenced by Lalo Garcia and his French-European fusion restaurant, Mexico City’s Maximo Bistros. Then north to Tijuana for Javier Plascencia’s Baja style restaurant, Mision 19 which The New York Times cites as “a culinary destination.”

Moving to New Jersey, Sous Chef Michel Coronado passionately presents a truly unique and diverse Latin American menu and more to an enthusiastic restaurant crowd. He lives in North Arlington and when not in the kitchen, which is rare, Michel is likely running around Holy Cross Cemetery, his perfect turning point for a daily five-mile run.

Rachael Robbins, Beverage Consultant Somos Restaurant

Rachael Robbins knew there was another life beyond the farm, so she packed her bags and left Putnam County for New York where she absolutely fell in love with bartending. Maybe that’s because her first job was at the Limelight in Chelsea.

She was no stranger to the ways of the world--she had moved to Australia with her family and graduated from high school in Sydney. Studies continued in New York at Hunter College, only to be drawn to South Beach and Florida’s very trendy bar scene of the moment. She was soon working at nightclubs like The Living Room, KGB, and the notorious Chris Paciello's Liquid.

Rachael packaged her experience and returned to New York working in popular high volume, massive venue clubs. She left for Los Angeles to work for night club legend, Ivan Kane. Ten years later she was back in Atlantic City designing Ivan’s cocktail program for his newly renovated burlesque club, Royal Jelly.

With partner Brian Dowling of Jersey City’s acclaimed Dullboy fame, Rachael opened her own cocktail lounge on the waterfront at Paulus Hook. At The Draper, Rachael was pouring all her bar experience into an amazing cocktail program with natural mixology skills emerging. Rachael continues to share her expertise running Chickologist, a cocktail consulting company for bars, restaurants and hip venues

Rachael brings a global mixology program to Somos, tailoring drinks to the neighborhood by adding some pretty surprising instagrammable elements to her cocktails. Her of the moment is anything with aged rum. It could be in an Old Fashioned or a Rum Negroni. She is intrigued by South American spirits and infusing regional brands into the bar program.

Strong family ties endure as she enjoys quality time back in Putnam County where she also enjoys antiquing, flea markets and thrifting for treasures. Lavishing her passion for interior decorating at home, she compensates at work by garnishing cocktails creating eye candy. Beyond the bar, Rachael gathers impressions absorbing so much of what life offers and adapting a bit more to the cocktails she serves.

Back home in Jersey City, Rachael may start her evening with a martini and cap the night off with a glass of anything sparkling, perhaps champagne. As the farmer’s daughter toasts life.

Brian Bode, General Manager Somos

As General Manager, Brian Bode brings 35 years of hospitality experience to Somos, most recently as Food & Beverage Director for the Minerals Hotel at beautiful mountaintop Crystal Springs Resort in New Jersey’s picturesque Sussex County.

Brian was born in Hoboken and raised in Jersey City where conversation about food and wine flourished around the table. Growing up in an Italian household, Brian was at home in his pivotal role for the acclaimed 340-seat restaurant, Carmine’s La Trattoria in Florida’s Palm Beach Gardens. He went on to become part owner as well as Food and Beverage Director for the Pelican Bar & Grill, a hugely popular club on the beach at the Quality Resort Hotel.

Returning to New Jersey, Brian opened the Holiday Inn Bistro Lounge in Secaucus for Alliance Hospitality. He went on to become Food & Beverage Director for a Crestline Hotels property, Englewood’s Crowne Plaza. Then as Food & Beverage Director for Tenafly’s boutique Clinton Inn Hotel & Event Center, he was mentored by international wine collector Charles Klatskin, the Inn’s Concord Hospitality partner.

Brian took his food and beverage role a step beyond while consulting for North Jersey restaurants. The hospitality pro enhanced the guest experience with live entertainment for Sushi Lounge in Totowa, Pinnacle Sports Bar & Grill in Fairview, and Hoboken’s Hotel Victor Bar & Grill. He was booking celebrities like NJ Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko, New York Mets left fielder Cliff Floyd, Cake Boss Buddy Valastro and actor Chazz Palminteri of A Bronx Tale fame, and more. Brian was further shaping lounge life tapping local entertainers and DJs for nightlife engagements through EROCK Entertainment Group.

Bringing such broad restaurant management experience to the team at Somos, Brian looks forward to leading and guiding staff as they make the Latin American restaurant a culinary destination North Jersey diners seek. Even hosting evening entertainment would undoubtedly be a regular feature that he would enthusiastically work toward. Brian resides in Lyndhurst and most enjoys leisure time with his family, especially an adored daughter. He is a fan of all sports and enjoys friendships ranging from professional athletes to many restaurateurs as he shares his enormous passion for the industry.

Design Statement

Designer: Michael Groth

In order to craft an authentic and complementary environment for Chef Juan Placencia’s food and drinks to shine, Michael Groth pulled inspiration from his Cuban heritage as well as recent travels and photographic documentary trips to Cuba, Peru, and Spain.

The space at Somos is meant to evoke the sensations of Latin American urban life. Like the food and drinks, the design pulls inspiration from Chile to Mexico and everywhere in between, remixing the colors, patterns, and textures into a new and cohesive whole. The main bar or La Plaza is the central meeting space, with a cathedral-like back bar, vaulted ceilings, and vibrant architectural facades inspired by Trinidad, Cuba. A mix of modern and traditional encaustic tile patterns ground the space. The adjacent cozy booths of La Taverna transport you to a dimly-lit Puebla, Mexico watering hole, perfect for sipping on a smokey Mezcal cocktail and people watching.

In the back of Somos is El Mercado, a bright and festive environment for private celebrations and public events alike. Light fixtures with hand woven shades, and rich, natural tones are modern nods to traditional crafts of Peru. An open kitchen and bar with colorful awnings anchor the space and create an open-air market feel. At another end of El Mercado is a performance space with a stage and a large wood-panel mural spelling out "Somos" in parallel curves, evocative of the iconic branding for the Mexico ’68 Olympic Games by Lance Wyman.