Adventurous Mexican fare at festive Blue Cactus
DINING OUT
Anne Palumbo
Mondays are traditionally a slow day for restaurants. Folks are spent from the weekend and often lack the oomph to head out again, myself included. So you can imagine my surprise when I visited the Blue Cactus Mexican Grille on a Monday night and found it hopping like a Mexican jumping bean.
Tucked off Fairport's Main Street, near the Erie Canal lift bridge, the recently opened grill is owned by Eduardo and Treena Moreno.The couple, who moved from the Yucatan to Rochester in 2005 (Eduardo is a native of Chiapos, Mexico; Treena is originally from Penfield), came here to be closer to Treena's mother, as well as to open a restaurant that would introduce Rochester to the authentic cuisine and culture
of Mexico.
"We owned a restaurant in Mexico and wanted to create something similar here," said Treena. "In particular, we're excited to expose people to dishes from the eastern side, the Mayan side, which has been doing 'fusion food' for the last
300 years."
Treena said she was also thrilled to have Chef Dave Treviso by Eduardo's side in the kitchen. A Rochester native and Culinary Institute of America graduate, Treviso recently worked as sous chef to Rick Bayless, a nationally known chef, restaurateur and cookbook author who specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine.
Grilled nopal? Achiote? Cebollitas? Right, this is not your run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. Blue Cactus is a restaurant where you can check your ho-hum taco cravings at the door and take your taste buds for a wild ride. Our adventure began with a margarita made with real lime juice, a mint-y mojito, and a complimentary basket of crispy tortilla chips with two savory salsas: a smooth chile-based salsa with a smoky kick and a lively pinto-black bean salsa with bits of onion and cilantro.
While sipping our drinks, we studied the menu - and I mean, studied.The menu, some Spanish but mostly English, warrants a good look. Heck, I wish I'd had a dictionary and I write about food! But, fear not, fellow diners, Treena is on hand to describe everything, and describe she does, in a way that just makes you want to camp out in the kitchen.
Although many of the starters and small plates briefly tempted us - the chorizo-cheese tacos, pork tamales, roasted corn and white cheese empanada - we were famished and barreled straight ahead to the "specialties of the house."
We began with an order of chiles rellenos, and all I can say is: Good thing there were two, and good thing they were huge. What were we keen on? Let me count the ways. We appreciated that the poblano peppers were roasted, not battered and fried, and arrived piping hot. We loved the slightly sweet meat filling, a complex mixture of ground beef, toasted almonds, raisins, chiles and spices. We marveled at the balance of heat and sweet between the meat, the pepper and the accompanying roasted tomato salsa. And, finally, we were cheered by the artistic drizzle of sour cream over the peppers. Deliciosa! Next, we dug into mole poblano, a savory dish of baked chicken smothered in a dark mole sauce. Mole, a chile-based Mexican specialty sauce made with a small amount of chocolate and thickened with ground nuts, is a "labor of love" according to Treviso, as it involves about 30 ingredients and takes about 6 hours to make. The succulent chicken, marinated first in an earthy achiote paste, brimmed with hard-won flavor.
Both entrees were rounded out with refried beans sprinkled with crumbly Cotija cheese and Mexican-style rice with peas.
Which reminds me: Dishes are nicely presented here. The chicken, for instance, came sprinkled with sesame seeds. The rellenos had a nice drizzle. The beans came embedded with two upright tortilla chips, and the rice was shaped like a
little pyramid.
House-made desserts include lime pie with mango coulis, flan with orange zest and sopapillas (fried dough) drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauces. If walls could talk, the walls of Blue Cactus - make that, the very colorful walls - might say, "Sit back, relax, you're in Mexico now and you're going to have a good time." Diners may sit in a lively bar area or a few steps down in a room that seats about 40.
A bold color palette infuses the stylish restaurant with energy; Mexican accents run tasteful; blonde wood brings levity; and lively Spanish music adds a festive spirit.
We experienced terrific service, including a warm reception by Treena, the owner.
From the detailed description of the evening's specials (they change nightly) to the prompt delivery of food, we felt well taken care of at Blue Cactus.