Barrio Cafe

Barrio Cafe:

Full review with pictures in the blog, text as below:

http://endoedibles.com/?p=925

A native of a small town in the Midwest surrounded by farms heavily populated by Latino workers each summer of my youth I’m a bit ashamed to admit that overall my experience with “Mexican” food in general has been quite abysmal. Sure there were childhood experiences with Little Mexico in...+READ Barrio Cafe:

Full review with pictures in the blog, text as below:

http://endoedibles.com/?p=925

A native of a small town in the Midwest surrounded by farms heavily populated by Latino workers each summer of my youth I’m a bit ashamed to admit that overall my experience with “Mexican” food in general has been quite abysmal. Sure there were childhood experiences with Little Mexico in Detroit before or after games at Joe Louis Arena and yes I’ve visited a few of Rick Bayless’ spots in the Second City but beyond that and Border Grill in Los Angeles the closest I’ve been to South of the Border cuisine is Don Pablos…or perhaps Chi-Chi’s before they filed for bankruptcy. With these glaring omissions in my culinary education admitted and in part due to my overall lack of enthusiasm for spicy foods I promised myself going into this trip to Arizona that I would make an effort to at least hit some of the more upscale spots in order to “ease myself in” and the first of these stops would be at The Barrio Café.

Owned and operated by Beard Award nominated Chef Silvana Esparza and reportedly featuring refined modern takes on traditional Mexican cuisine The Barrio Café was recommended by many, including the local press, and with lunch hours fitting my schedule best I made the drive from Northern Scottsdale just after 1pm to find the small parking lot packed, yet with my loaner a Fiat I managed to squeeze in close to the door and making my way from the car I was greeted with myriad street murals and yet another triple digit temperature as I made my way around front to find the restaurant much bigger than expected, but still quite full. A Friday afternoon with many business sorts discussing weekend plans and friends already enjoying tequila and cervesa my entry to The Barrio Café at first went unnoticed but after a few moments browsing the ornate art collection out front I was greeted by a young Latina hostess who led me quickly to the only open seat in the house – a four-top in the second (larger) dining room.

Seated for mere moments before one of the back-waiters filled my water I was soon greeted by my primary server, Esequiel, a friendly man who seemed to be one of only two servers working the entirety of thirty tables. Perpetually with a smile Esequiel asked if it was my first time at The Barrio as if expecting an affirmation and on hearing my answer presented the menu with a brief description of the sections and told me he’d be back to answer any questions “in a couple of minutes.”

Having done due diligence with the online menu I quickly assured that my targeted items were present and with that took to watching the scenery and checking out the ornate paintings on the wall adjacent me as I waited for Esequiel to take another table’s order before a nod of the head brought him back. Inquiring about portion sizes as there were two entrées that I was interested in Esequiel, a large man, smiled and said “it’s a lot of food, but I like the way you think – I bet you can handle it” and realizing right then that we’d get along just fine my order was placed and I made my way to the restroom largely to check-out the myriad awards and newspaper speckling the back walls as well as the multitude of crosses and religious figures decorating the bathroom itself.

Returning to my table, sturdy but with chairs relatively lacking with regard to comfort, the same back-waiter who would keep my water brimming throughout the meal would deliver a basket of bread – chef Esparza’s father’s recipe from his days as a baker – along with a spread consisting of at least Chilies, Tomatoes, Olives, and Avocados plus a number of spices – a bit like salsa, but far more nuanced and texturally refined. Having never received bread in a Mexican restaurant before I have to say this was an interesting choice and while the bread itself was overall lacking in flavor the coarse crumb and thick crust were nicely suited for supporting the spread and soaking up sauces later.

Going light on the bread as it was somewhat uninspiring and the plates coming from the kitchen were surprisingly large it would be around twenty minutes after seating that my “appetizer” would arrive in the form of Tacos de Cochinita Pibil, four Mayan style slow roasted suckling pig tacos wrapped in house made tortillas with a side of Yucca fries, chipotle ketchup, and salsa Yucateca. Beginning first with the tacos I’ll simply say that while it may not mean much considering my lack of experience these were without a doubt the best tacos I have ever had. Double wrapped due to the moistness of the succulent meat each bite was savory and smoky with a light acidity kissing the tongue as the queso fresco tamed everything. Deftly spiced with any number of flavors foreign to my palate and going back and forth with the tasty fries I think the thing that really stood out to me with this dish was that while the “heat” was there, it served a purpose – pushing forward more unique tones like cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, and even sweetness from the meat.

With the tacos consumed with great zest Chef Esparza herself stepped into (and through) the dining room to say hello as the hour approached 2pm – apparently she was heading out to pick up some more peppers and rice – and moments later Esequiel would arrive with my main course; a dish titled Pato en Tamarindo or “Seared breast of duck in a striking sweet & sour tamarind & chipotle pepper sauce.” With my love of duck well documented and already quite impressed with the flavor profile of the preceding tacos I have to say I went into this dish with high expectations and was met only half-way. Beginning first with the accoutrements – mashed yucca with poblano peppers and asparagus with onions, both were tasty and well prepared if not particularly memorable. Moving on to the duck, similarly well prepared with the breast first pounded thin and then sautéed prior to a final sear, the issue with this dish would flash back to my complaint about “spice” because while the menu said “duck” my palate merely said “protein” as the flavors of the fowl were entirely obliterated by the thick notes of smoke, pepper, and slight bitters. A good dish, sure, but for someone who truly loves duck I simply wanted to be able to taste it.

With the duck now consumed and feeling reasonably full but certainly not “stuffed” Esequiel again stopped by with a big smile stating “Nice job, I knew you could do it. But did you save room for dessert?” – an obvious ‘yes’ which led to perhaps Barrio Café’s most famous dish arriving at my table just ten minutes later. Entitled “Churros Rellenos de Cajeta de Cabra” and trumping either of the previous dishes in overall mass this marvelous plate was composed of essentially five things and all five of them things I love; deep fried cinnamon doughnuts, chocolate, caramel, strawberries, and ice cream.

Beginning first with the Churros – flawless, light, and crisp on the exterior with molten goats milk caramel spilling forth as they were cut…in all honestly they could have stopped here and I’d have been happy, but instead opting to pair this with an enormous double scoop of fresh vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with more caramel, slightly peppery “Mexican hot chocolate” and fresh strawberries...sure it was $12 for churros, but it is $12 I’d gladly spend again as I ate every last bite of the crunchy yet creamy concoction and spent another three or four minutes scraping the plate clean with my spoon.

With Esequiel returning yet again and asking, jokingly, if I’d enjoyed the churros he inquired (I hope jokingly) if there was anything else he could get me and telling him no, that the bill, I waited for a few moments while my tab was calculated – an admittedly pricey $58 after tax and tip – and with the bill paid I thanked the my servers for such a great afternoon before making my way back out into the sun. Thankful for the meal that just was for opening my eyes in to a cuisine I’ve far too long overlooked I’ve no doubt that Barrio Café is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Valley’s Mexican scene, but considering what they say about first impression’s I’m glad Chef Esparza and her team made a good one.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (37 Replies) (by uhockey, created October 24, 2011)

I love chile en nogada too, one of my favorite Pueblan dishes, but since it's a seasonal dish, I don't think it's on menus right now. Barrio Cafe does have it in the fall. You may want to call to see if it's on the current menu.

Sorry, can't help you with rajas or chiles rellenos as those are things I tend to make at home. REPLY (8 Replies) (by Rubee, created April 18, 2010)

»Love Barrio Cafe

I love Barrio Cafe, I think the food is excellent. I particularly enjoy their brunch. The crepa de mariscos (a seafood filled crepe with a cheese melange) YUMMY! (by Blatina, created February 19, 2010)

I recently had lunch at the Barrio Cafe. I had the Guacaomole which was excellent with their crisp warm chips. For the "Platillo Fuerte" I had the Enchiladas Suizas. This was a variation of the traditional recipe with some sweetness to the cream sauce which I liked very much. The chicken filling was plentiful and very flavorful. The whole presenation was very well done. The garnish zuchini dish...+READ I recently had lunch at the Barrio Cafe. I had the Guacaomole which was excellent with their crisp warm chips. For the "Platillo Fuerte" I had the Enchiladas Suizas. This was a variation of the traditional recipe with some sweetness to the cream sauce which I liked very much. The chicken filling was plentiful and very flavorful. The whole presenation was very well done. The garnish zuchini dish was also well prepared and had a very fresh taste, in fact, everything seemed fresh, with clear flavor notes. Ambience and staff were also very pleasant. I live in Rosarito Beach, Mexico and eat a lot of Mexican food, but this was unusual and refreshing. I plan to return whenever I am in Phoenix. I want to try the Chiles en Nogada next time. Its a great dish and I want to try their take on it.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (10 Replies) (by rosaritoguy, created January 6, 2010)