“I tell him, ‘Bernabe, once you perfect a dish, keep it the same,’ ” Ms. He made hamburgers but aspired to make chile en nogada and other creative dishes. Rojas cooked for his seven brothers in America, he worked as a corporate chef. Such craftsmanship takes a lifetime to develop.
That word does not apply, however, to the side of rice and beans, so carefully prepared that finishing it does not seem optional. The super-burrito is large enough to justify the “super” in its name, but it is ordinary. In contrast to the tacos with cecina, however, the fish tacos are unpleasantly salty. Rojas’s creativity is evident in other dishes as well: a chile relleno that delivers a fresh kick with every forkful, and corn tacos filled with either pork or cecina, a salt-cured, dried beef. Sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, it is as pretty as it is complex, and reasonable: $13.95 for a generous portion. Too many ingredients, you might think, but the dish perfectly balances its many flavors (sweet, sour and fiery) and textures (smooth and crunchy). A list of its ingredients gives you some idea of its complexity: a poblano pepper that he roasts to bring out its fruity flavor three kinds of meat (pork, filet mignon and ground beef) fruits (usually apple, pineapple and raisins) and an almond dressing made with goat cheese, which gives it a subtle tang. Rojas makes the dish with almonds and pecans.
The name connotes the presence of walnuts (nogal means walnut tree), but Mr. Rojas is more ambitious, and he couples traditional dishes with more inventive ones. Rojas supplies them: ceviche enriched with buttery avocado chicken in a mole made velvety with Mexican chocolate and skirt steak in a smoky chimichurri sauce fragrant with lime and cilantro. You expect to find familiar Mexican dishes in a restaurant named after a resort area in the Yucatán Peninsula, and Mr. Whether or not that is true, I liked this version because it was brazenly citric and sweet but also fiery, thanks to the use of both jalapeño peppers and spicier habanero and serrano peppers. Some Mexican chefs believe that a seasoned molcajete imparts a deeper, richer flavor to the guacamole. Start your meal with guacamole, prepared at your table in a molcajete, the traditional Mexican mortar, and ground with a tejolote, or pestle. “It will work, believe me,” she told him. Rojas said during an interview after my visits. “ ‘How can it be that color?’ he asked,” Ms. When she first proposed painting the walls a lively yellow, orange and lavender that reminded her of Mexico, her husband was skeptical. Erika Rojas, who is married to Bernabe Rojas, the owner and chef, bought most of the pottery and sculptures that brighten the two pretty dining areas during trips to Mexico, where she and her husband were born.
Perhaps word had not gotten out that in November, Riviera Maya Mexican Cuisine had switched from a takeout stand to a full-scale restaurant in which you could sit and have a splendid meal.Įven before I tasted the chile relleno, which turned out to be the best I had eaten in a decade, I was glad to be in a dining room that clearly had been designed by a person rather than a decorator. The wonder is that I was among only a few diners in that sunny, cheerful dining room in a forlorn stretch of Bogota. Last month, I ate dishes that were as memorable and authentic as the ones I had eaten at the taqueria. Sandoval is also credited for introducing Latin cuisine to the UAE, Qatar and Serbia.The last great Mexican meal I ate was in 2004, at La Super-Rica Taqueria in Santa Barbara, Calif., whose most famous patron was Julia Child. He is internationally acclaimed for his innovative approach in combining Latin ingredients with modern culinary techniques to create award-winning flavors that span 60 locations and 4 continents.Ī graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Sandoval has earned many accolades over the course of his career including Mexico's “National Toque d ’Oro,” Bon Appetit’s “Restauranteur of the Year,” Cordon d'Or’s “Restauranteur of the Year”, one of The Inc Magazine’s 10 Most Inspiring Business Leaders, a James Beard Semi-Finalist for “Outstanding Restaurateur” and received an Honorary Doctorate for Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University.Ĭhef Sandoval is commended for elevating Latin American dining in each market he has a presence with best-in-class concepts, with regular features in publications like The New York Times and People. His career as a chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur also includes serving as a television personality, cookbook author, brand ambassador and philanthropist. Chef Richard Sandoval is a global pioneer in contemporary Latin cuisine.
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