The Rake Magazine

A couple of talented Mexican-born chefs have opened new restaurants in south Minneapolis that raise the local standards for Mexican cuisine.

Hector Ruiz, who trained with Alain Senderens at Lucas Carton in Paris, has added a third Latin restaurant to his collection: first El Meson, which features the flavors of the Latin Caribbean, then last year, Café Ena, which has a more South American lilt, and now Indio Mexican Cuisine (web site under development), which highlights the flavors of Ruiz's native Mexico. And elsewhere in south Minneapolis, Juan Juarez Garcia has opened La Chaya, "featuring the flavors of the Mediterranean and Mexico."

When they announced plans for Café Indio last fall, Ruiz and his wife/partner Erin Ungerman made it sound like they were going to open a very modest taqueria, with tacos, tortas, tamales and a few traditional dishes like pork in tomatillo sauce, and chicken adobo, but no wine, beer or alcohol, and everything priced at $10 or less.

Instead, they have transformed the former Pizza Nea space at 1221 W. Lake St. into a very stylish new bistro, decorated in vibrant colors with a full bar and an ambitious Nuevo Mexicano menu. Starters range from guacamole made to order ($8) and taquitos (small tacos filled with beef, pork or wild mushrooms, served with onions, cilantro and salsa ($9) to a Oaxacan-style tamal filled with chicken, and served wrapped in a banana leaf, accompanied by a mole sauce. Entrees range from duck-filled flautas in guajillo sauce ($16) and pork ribs in green mole sauce ($17) up to seared rack of lamb with roased poblano salsa ($23) , and huachinango, oven-roasted red snapper served with a tomato cucumber salad ($25).

I have been a big fan of Ruiz's cuisine over the years, but I must admit that I got a bit of sticker shock when I first glanced at the menu.Prices are markedly higher than at Ruiz and Ungerman's other restaurants, though the ambience is actually more casual.

I have only sampled a few dishes so far, including the guacamole, which was fresh and lively, and the ceviche sampler, three tasting portions of marinated seafood that included corvine soaked in lime and tequila; raw tuna with fresh avocado, and chopped shrimp and salad with onion, tomato, Serrano peppers and cilantro. I was underwhelmed by the pollo de olla, chicken stewed in a tomato and hominy broth, but really enjoyed the camarones a la diabla ($18), an assertively spicy preparation of shrimp in a sauce of morita (chipotle) peppers, lime and tequila.

There is a lot more that I would like to try, including the lechon (marinated pork tenderloin) and the ling cod, served in a roasted red pepper flauta with a huitlacoche sauce ($18). Huitlacoche, prized in Mexico as a delicacy, is a fungus better known in the the U.S. as corn smut.

Indio Mexican Cuisine, 1221 W. Lake St., Minneapolis, 612-821-9451.

At La Chaya, a former Kentucky Fried Chicken (or so I am told) at 4537 Nicollet Ave.S. has been transformed into a rather romantic bisto, with earthtones and open kitchen. Mediterranean flavors predominate, but the Mexican influence is in evidence in a variety of dishes, from the thick black bean soup of the day and the Mexican pizza (topped with refried beans, grilled chicken, chorizo and too many jalapeno peppers, $13.95) to the entrees of halibut, offered either baked in banana leaves with achiote and sour orange, or topped with a pumpkin seed sauce, and served over mashed potatoes with poblano pepper (both $22). I only sampled a few dishes, but I was impressed with the halibut in achiote sauce, and liked the black bean soup a lot. On a return visit, I would like to try the garlic cilantro ribeye with green caper salsa, and some of the Italian dishes, such as the artichoke, onion and prosciutto pizza ($13.95) or the housemade black fettucine tossed with shrimp and cherry tomatoes ($14.50).

La Chaya Bistro, 4537 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-827-2254.

^{Photo by the Associated Press.}

While in Italy earlier this month, my husband and I cancelled our trip to Naples and headed instead to the north from Rome.

We'd been going to visit the southern region mostly because we wanted to see Mt. Vesuvius and tour the wineries in Campania, where one of my favorite whites — Lacryma Christi, or Tears of Christ — is made. What kept us away? Garbage. It was, we heard, piled to overflowing on the streets of Naples, stinking up the entire place.

It comes out now, the trash may be doing more than just producing an odor and scaring away tourists. It seems to be affecting the quality of food produced on the Italian peninsula, particularly buffalo milk mozzarella, the region's most prized cheese.

Health officials in several countries have confirmed that there are elevated levels of dioxin, a carcinogen, in shipments of buffalo mozzarella coming out of southern Italy. The governments of France and South Korea have actually banned imports of the cheese until the problem is taken care of. And sales around the world are declining fast: Last week, they were down 40 percent from last year. With widespread coverage of the issue, it's likely they'll continue to tank.

Many local vendors have decided to stop carrying buffalo mozzarella from Italy and are recommending their customers try a domestic product instead.

"We are not importing Italian buffalo mozzarella right now because of the concerns with contamination," says Mary Richter, manager of the cheese shop at Surdyk's. "What we’ve found is even more popular is a company in California called Bubalus Bubalis that produces a very good buffalo-milk mozzarella. We can only get it in during the summer months, but if the demand is there, I think we’ll be able to start getting it pretty darn soon."

Meantime, public servants in Naples are posing for photographs in which they're very conspicuously eating Italian-made cheese and exclaiming over its superiority. And they always seem to be standing on perfectly clean, garbage-free streets. It's a miracle.

This is pretty short notice, but the Bedlam Theatre's Jim Bueche reports that today is Smyngus Dingus, a famous Polish holiday.

"It traditionally is a courting holiday" says Bueche; "a young man would ask the mother of a girl he fancied for access to their home in the early morning.  If access was granted he would come in with a bucket of water and dump it on his sleeping object of affection.  For the most part it seems the young ladies were happy to be fancied, and to show thanks they'd rise and beat the suitor with a pussy willow branch (Smingus.)  So, the full name for the holiday is Smingus Dyngus, with dyngus being the dumping of the water."

To celebrate, the Bedlam Theatre has a whole evening of activities planned, including a happy hour (4-7 p.m.), egg decorating (5-7), speed dating (7-8),  a $5 Polish mini-buffet (5-9 p.m.) and music, live and recorded, from 8 pm to 1 a.m. , featuring the amazing duo, Dreamland Faces: Karen Majewicz plays accordion, Andy McCormick plays singing saw, and the music they make together is both eerie and beautiful.

Bedlam Theatre,   1501 S. 6th St. (on the West Bank), Minneapolis, 612-341-1038. 

This Thursday, I plan to be at Via Café and Bar in Edina, along with my co-blogger and wine connoisseur Ann Bauer, for this month's Rake World Flavors dinner. This should be a fun evening - not just a great dinner, but also a chance to meet other Rake foodies, talk to Ann about wine, and her recent trip to Italy, or talk to me about food, dining and whatever else is on your mind. Chef James Foley's menu includes a warm cheese sampler with apricot chutney and roasted garlic; a braised baby artichoke salad with organic garden greens; smoked-coffee rubbed Kobe beef brisket accompanied by fingerling potatoes and roasted baby vegetables, and chocolate pot de crème and sour cherry biscotti for dessert. Cost is $60 per person, including wine pairings; you can purchase tickets online here.

I've got a great week of eating ahead of me, and I hope some of you will be able to join me.

On Monday, (March 24th) I am planning to stop by at the Grand Café, (3804 Grand Ave. S., Minneapolis) for their first ever cribbage night. (I actually majored in bridge in college, but I minored in cribbage.) I haven't decided yet whether I am actually going to compete in the double elimination tournament and compete for the fabulous prizes (gift certificates and other stuff, I am told) but I do want to dip into the buffet, which will include a lamb stew, vegetarian stew, cheese board, fruit, bread and crackers, and the Grand's legendary pignole (pine nut) cookies for dessert. The excitement starts at 6 p.m.

Here's the fine print Cost is $25 plus tax and tip, with tap beers on sale for $3 a glass, and wine for $5. Reservations are required - call 612-822-8260 - and you are requested to bring your own cribbage board if you have one - they'll supply the cards. Owner Mary Hunter cautions that this tournament is not sanctioned by the American Cribbage Congress, and that you need to already know how to play the game - lessons will not be provided. (It really isn't all that complicated: you can find the rules online.) Ordinarily, the Grand Café is closed on Monday nights, so don't show up two weeks from now looking for hot card action.