19 Dec 12th-Dec 18th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | West Coast to the East Coast.” Gomez’s passion for creating ocean- inspired dishes shines through the menu, which boasts an array of seafood favorites like lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams, crab, scallops and octopus. From the Steamers section, Gomez recommends the Thai Green Curry & Mussels. It’s a bowl of East Coast mussels in a fragrant green curry sauce with coconut, roasted garlic, shallots, scallions, chile flakes and lemon, served with purple rice. Another popular item from the Steamers is the Bouillabaise, with clams, mussels, salmon, gulf prawns, squid and octopus in a saffron tomato cream sauce topped with chile flakes, fresh parsley and lemon zest. The hearty $31 dish comes with toasted rustic bread to soak up every last drop of the chef’s version of the French classic. “We try to have different flavors,” Gomez explains, noting inspiration from Asian, Mexican, Latin American and Indian cuisines. Beyond the Steamers, his creative flair shines in appetizers like the Caviar Kettle Chips, topped with chile aioli, lime crema, capers, pickled red onion, tobiko and caviar. Then there’s the $12 Shrimp Sliders, inspired by his grandfather’s cooking, featuring Gulf shrimp, tomatillo avocado salsa, spicy mayo and a touch of sea salt served on Hawaiian buns. “Ceviche, I try to do it a little bit differ- ently,” Gomez explains. “Growing up, my grandfather and grandmother wanted to do shrimp ceviche on the chunky side, so you could see the shrimp. What I’m trying to give you here and showcase is the shrimp; we have a lot of aromatics and nice colors; it’s bright and playful. You have a tomatillo-avocado salsa, jicama, cucumber, a little lemon and the watermelon radish is my favorite.” A fan favorite, the chef says, is the Lobster Shrimp Roll. A freshly baked crois- sant is packed with a meaty East Coast lobster tail, Argentine shrimp and gulf prawns that are butter-poached. It comes with a side of hollandaise sauce and for $29, it’s quite a catch. Gomez is used to mixing things up and wowing diners and even judges, as he’s done on the Food Network multiple times. He competed in two seasons of Guy Fieri’s “Guy’s Grocery Games.” “I won $16,000 in one season and the other, I finished in second place,” he says. “And I had four episodes in a show called ‘The Ultimate Summer Cookout,’ and I was also on ‘Chopped.’” On these shows, the chef had to quickly come up with recipes and ideas that would set him apart. He’s applied that experience to creating Humble’s seafood menu. Inside the modern seafood parlor, subway tiles, warm wood accents and a concrete bar create a welcoming yet refined vibe. Guests can watch Gomez and his team handcraft their dishes in an open kitchen, adding a personal touch to the experience. “This is something that I wanted to come over here and create and give a little taste of the ocean,” Gomez says with a smile, “we have a really humble way of cooking that is just about the ingredients, getting the best ingredients possible.” With its ocean-inspired menu and spar- kling drink pairings, Humble Oysters & Bubbles is making waves in North Phoenix. Humble Oysters & Bubbles 5415 E. High Street Elegant Eats from p 18 The restaurant’s ceviche recipe was inspired by chef Jorge Gomez’s grandparents. (Photo by Mike Madriaga) Pair fresh oysters with sparkling wines from around the world at High Street’s new eatery, Humble Oysters & Bubbles.(Photo by Mike Madriaga)
