High style, Zacatecas style [restaurant review]
Maderos owner Rodolfo Garcia. Photo by JP Cordero
Decor sets expectations, but not always in an obvious way. If you enter a restaurant and see a display of wines, walls painted in tasteful contemporary colors, and stylish indirect lighting then you might expect the bill to be a bit heftier than the place with the bright lights and Formica counter down the street. That’s generally reasonable, and is why restaurateurs spend money on wine racks and nice lighting.
The less obvious part is that with some cuisines, people expect upscale to be inauthentic. Mexican food is a prime example, because we’re used to the idea of little cafes offering traditional delights while the mall chain Mexican eateries (not mentioning any names here, but I’m sure at least one will leap to mind) serve bland gringo-fied fare. That’s true up to a point, but misses something important. Middle class people in Mexico and in Mexican communities here don’t have every meal out in a place with bullfight posters on the walls, in the same way that we don’t always eat at diners, pubs, and old school steakhouses. Their communities have restaurants with contemporary cool styles, just like ours.
The beach cities have an example of upscale traditional Mexican at Maderos, the restaurant that replaced Hostaria Piave on Pacific Coast Hwy. in Redondo. You can’t tell from the street because there is a thick screen of shrubbery, but inside it’s sleek and modern with wine glasses on every table. (It’s also rather loud, so I prefer to dine on the patio.) Although examples of traditional pottery give a clue to the quadrant of the world being explored here, it’s a subtle hint.
The menu offers mostly Mexican standards, with unexpected omissions. You can’t get a tostada, though salads are offered, and there is only one burrito. There is a surprising amount of seafood on the menu given that the flavors here reflect the owner’s home in inland Zacatecas, but then again there are oyster bars in Denver too. The prices are a bit higher than at places with bullfight posters but not much, and main courses start at 13 bucks and top out at just over 20.
Meals start with fresh chips and three salsas, a thin red that is hot and somewhat vinegary, a medium green, and a mild chunky version. I have tried three of the appetizers, a quesadilla trio, crabcakes, and a cup of the best chicken tortilla soup I can remember. The broth was thick, rich, and satisfying. There were chunks of chicken and some white cheese melted in, and it was enlivened with a dash of cumin and other spices that added more depth of flavor than heat. After the visit where I tried this it was hard not to order it again, but in the name of science I had to keep experimenting.
The quesadilla trio had some very good flavors but was quite messy to eat because the cheese had been added abundantly and dripped a lot of oil. Since one of the quesadillas had added chorizo and another shrimp with chile arbol, there were many opportunities to drop liquid on my clothing. I took advantage of all of them and left looking like the loser in a squirt gun battle. I had this trio as a main course on one visit and found it a bit heavy, but it would be a decent starter split among several people who want to sample some flavors and really like cheese.
The crab cakes were more to my liking, and not just because I didn’t wear them home. The three discs of pan-fried crab with herbs and breadcrumbs were served with fresh pineapple and some smoky, spicy chipotle sauce, quite different from the usual accompaniments. The sauce is on the side, which is good because you will want a dab of it, but too much would overwhelm the delicate herbed seafood.
I have tried three main courses: a blackened chicken salad, shrimp wrapped in bacon with cheese and pan-fried, and broiled salmon with grilled vegetables. The salmon was moist but had a slight herb crust and was served with the same chipotle sauce that I had liked so much with the crabcakes. The mixture of squash, carrots, and pea pods had a different seasoning, and there was just enough of something in the herbed white rice to keep me guessing as I ate that too.
The salad was a good meal for one but might be a starter for three or four, a mix of lettuces, corn, and red bell pepper topped with black beans, cotija cheese, tortilla strips, and a substantial portion of blackened chicken. What tied it all together was a jalapeno ranch that managed the spicy-but-cool balance to perfection. If they bottled this, I’d take some home because it was superbly executed.
I was also happy with the five bacon-wrapped seasoned shrimp, which had the salt, spice, and richness from bacon and cheese to touch all the flavor bases. This is an item often done as a bar snack but rarely this well, and it was enhanced by a dip into the fresh guacamole. Spanish rice, black beans, and pico de gallo completed the plate nicely.
They serve beer, which is typical with this cuisine, and have a wine list that has a few very good choices but could use some work. The Rosado, a very pale blush wine, and the Vinum Chardonnay both worked decently well with the spice, but the Spatlese Riesling was a bit sweeter than is ideal. Some more semi-sweet whites and pinks to pair might add some depth to the list.
For dessert there were churros that arrived hot and crisp from the fryer along with caramel sauce. I much prefer bitter chocolate as a dip, and when I mentioned this to the owner he said he was considering making this an option. They were very good even with no dip at all, a perfect finish to the meal.
Maderos fills a niche in the area, a place that isn’t trying to be a fusion showcase, tequila bar, or party spot. It’s just a good place to enjoy very well made Mexican food in a nice environment, and that’s something we all need once in a while.
Open 11 a.m. daily, close 9 p.m. Sun.-Thu., 10 p.m. Fri. Parking lot, patio dining. Wheelchair access good, some vegetarian items. No website. (424) 350-7031. 231 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Redondo.