Among the opening words of "Please Wait to Be Tasted: The Lil' Deb's Oasis Cookbook" are these: "Welcome to our kitchen: It's hot and steamy here."
If the book's title, playful typography, riot of color and sexually tinged chapter titles — "Lubrication," "Foreplay," "Arousal," etc. — don't make it clear, in the Lil' Deb's world, whether at the Hudson restaurant or following one of its recipes in your kitchen, the acts of making and eating food are both sensuous and sensual. Years ago, during an on-air argument with a radio DJ about what he considered the "inappropriateness" of one of my descriptions in a dining review, I said, "If food doesn't make you respond that way, I feel sorry for your wife." He hung up on me.
He'd probably hate "Please Wait to Be Tasted," which was published in July, a few months after the restaurant was nominated for the third time for a James Beard Award (the Oscars of the restaurant world). The book is credited to Lil' Deb's co-founders Halo Kaya Perez-Gallardo (previously known as Carla Kaya Perez-Gallardo) and Hannah Black, with drinks by their mixologist, named Wheeler, though the latter two are no longer associated with the restaurant, leaving Perez-Gallardo as the sole owner.
"Our food (presentation) in the restaurant is pretty playful," said Perez-Gallardo — who now uses they/them pronouns — earlier this month during a phone interview after returning from a book-promotion and cooking tour in California.
Halo Kaya Perez-Gallardo, chef-owner of Lil' Deb's Oasis and co-author of a new cookbook of recipes from the Hudson restaurant.
Jessica Pettaway photo"We wanted to make sure that ethos was reflected in the book," Perez-Gallardo said. "The way we write is the way we talk, and we had to insist to the publisher, 'Every smiley face has to stay in,' and, 'Yes, every sentence in that paragraph has to end with an exclamation point!'"
The 256-page hardcover cookbook covers abundant cocktails, pantry items, starters, main dishes and desserts, with whimsy, insight and advocacy sprinkled throughout. Lil' Deb's was an early champion of the Black Lives Matter movement, and it is so determinedly an inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ communities that it was cited as an inspiration when Cafe Euphoria in Troy, run by a collective of trans and gender-nonconforming people, opened this past spring.
"We're not afraid to wear our politics on our sleeve," Perez-Gallardo said. "We believe it's important to be upfront about what we believe and how we do business, from our hiring practices to how we treat customers and how we give back to the community."
Lil' Deb's Oasis was founded by Perez-Gallardo and Black in 2016, taking over after a two-decade run of Debbie's Little Restaurant, with the new business' name an obvious homage to its predecessor. The pair got their start with a catering company that did pop-up dinners, and their mutual interests in food and art combined to create a restaurant that Times Union critic Susie Davidson Powell described in her 2017 review as a "fizzing punchbowl, vivid in color and flavor with Latin rhythms pulsing through the vampy space."
Each nomination for a Beard Award brings in new waves of customers, some of whom aren't ready for the vibe or the queer celebration that is Lil' Deb's.
"That probably happens on a weekly basis," Perez-Gallardo said. The presumed pedigree of a place repeatedly nominated for the prestigious award can, for some, feel at odds with the loose spirit of the place, Perez-Gallardo said. (In Powell's review, she noted servers sometimes pulled up chairs at tables, and there are so may regulars that "It's not always clear who's on staff and who's lending a hand." Among the regulars is the singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello, who wrote the cookbook's introduction.)
Perez-Gallardo added, "We fall between fine dining and casual." Referring to a tradition in upscale service, they said, "We might not always clear your plate from the left side, and that's on purpose. There's a lot of room for alternative models."
In Perez-Gallardo's view, many restaurant traditions need to be changed, and Lil' Deb's is eager to continue trying.
"Our job is to connect with (guests) and make them understand there is another experience to be had," Perez-Gallardo said. "We want to be a warmer, more inviting, kinder, more generous experience, one that doesn't rely on old tropes of class and 'fine taste.'"
Raw Shrimp in Tomato and Chile Pepper Agua
Quickly cured by tart lime juice and salt, these shrimp are sweet, tender and full of flavor. You'll find yourself surprised and refreshed by this delightful dish, bathed in a sea of piquant tomato agua. If you use habaneros, be careful — they are hot!
Serves 4
1 pound good quality shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut lengthwise in half
Kosher salt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice (from 4 limes)
1 ripe, juicy tomato, halved and core removed
1 or 2 fresh chiles, such as Fresno, jalapeno, serrano or habanero
Pickled onions (for garnish, optional)
Tortilla chips (for serving, optional)
On a medium plate, season the shrimp with salt. Cover generously with 2 tablespoons lime juice, tossing gently to coat. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
In a blender, combine the tomato and the remaining ½ cup of lime juice. Blend to combine, while gradually adding the chiles to build the heat to your taste and seasoning with salt. Continue blending until smooth, then push through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding any solids. Pour the liquid over the shrimp and toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. The shrimp will turn slightly milky in color but not opaque.
To serve, garnish with pickled onions, if using, and enjoy solo or with tortilla chips.
Whole Fried Fish
This is by far our most popular dish at the restaurant. We took notes from the way Carla's Ecuadorian aunties would fry fish in their paila, a huge brass cauldron. The addition of pea shoots and herbs, as well as our vinaigrette, was inspired by the whole fish served in many Vietnamese restaurants that's often delightfully smothered with ginger. We love to use branzino, black sea bass and porgy, but you should use what's local and seasonal. At Lil' Deb's Oasis, when the fish is brought to the table, we explain that the preferred way to eat this fish is to pour the sauce over the top and then just go at it with your fingers. Eating this dish with a fork feels wrong, so just don't do it!
Serves 1 to 2
For the vinaigrette:
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 (2-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice, plus more as needed
1 cup canola oil
For the fish:
2 quarts neutral oil (for frying, see Note)
1 whole fish (ask you fish monger to gut and scale)
⅔ cup rice flour
⅓ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 large handful pea shoots or any tender green, such as tatsoi or mustard green (for serving)
Cilantro, mint and dill (for serving)
Lime and orange wedges (for serving, optional)
For the vinaigrette: In a blender, combine all of the ingredients except the canola oil and blend until fully combined. With the blender running, gradually add the canola oil, blending to fully emulsify, 2 minutes. Taste and season as needed with fish sauce and lime juice until gingery and bright with deep umami undertones. Store, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.
For the fish: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the neutral oil to 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set near the stove.
Pat the fish dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, score the flesh, making 3 even strokes on each side and leaving 1 inch of space between each slit. In a bowl, combine rice flour, cornstarch and salt and mix well. Coat the fish in the fry flour, including under its fins and inside the cavity.
When the oil reaches 350 degrees, carefully add the fish and fry, turning with tongs or a slotted spoon, until golden brown all over, 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish. Use a knife to check for doneness, making sure the flesh is no longer translucent and easily lifts away from the bone. Transfer to the baking sheet lined with paper towels.
To serve: Create a bed of pea shoots and herbs on a platter and arrange the fish on top. Pour vinaigrette all over the fish, or serve it on the side if you prefer to dunk. Please, use your fingers, lifting segments of fried fish, dipping and eating, dipping and eating. Delight, laugh, and don't forget to lick your fingers.
Note: Two quarts seems like a lot of oil, but it's necessary to provide enough depth to deep-fry the whole fish, and it can be reused. Once the oil cools completely, pour it through a double thickness of cheesecloth set in a large, fine-mesh sieve, straining twice if necessary. Store in a glass container in a cool, dark place for up to three months, discarding if it starts to look cloudy. You probably won't want to reuse the oil to fry anything but fish or other seafood, as it might impart an undesired flavor, and doing so risks exposure for someone with a fish or seafood allergy.
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