It may be too soon to expect Like Water for Chocolate delights such as quail in rose petal sauce to define the Mexican dining experience, but at least those nightmare combination plates with refried beans aren’t the only thing around anymore. In fact, a restaurant named after Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is actually offering fusion cuisine with a Mexican accent. Combining the ingredients and/or cooking methods of two or more countries has been fashionable for a few years, but Mexican has rarely been part of the equation. Chef Gulmaro Florez, formerly at Davis Street Fishmarket in Evanston, has set out to change all that, wedding his native sauces to foods from other cultures and altering his cooking methods to produce lighter, more healthful renditions of classics. Those ubiquitous tamales, flautas, quesadillas, and empanadas are available only as appetizers.
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Even then they’re not the same old same old. The best, the quesadillas ($2.50), are filled with fresh grilled mushrooms, dry, salty queso anejo (“old cheese”) from Cotija, and epazote, a pungent, distinctively flavored herb/weed that gives them a blue cheese tang. Empanadas ($3.50), those traditional Oaxacan turnovers, are plump with a ricottalike requeson cheese and covered with a tomato sauce so long on oregano it’s positively Italian. Stay away from the flautas ($3.50), with their pedestrian puree of potato and white cheddar cheese, but make a beeline for the addictive salsa. It gets its distinctive deep color and smoky flavor from dark mulato and jalapeno chilis that have been charred, chopped, and then added, skin and all.
Margaritas and American and imported beers are the predinner beverages of choice, although inexpensive wines from Chile, Spain, and California are also available. Afterward go for the good, strong, freshly ground, premium gourmet coffee ($1.25), espresso ($2.25), and cappuccino ($2.50), decaf or regular, or Mexican hot chocolate blended with almond and vanilla ($2.50).
