FOOD/NEWS REVIEWS/FOOD On one plate then the other ... BW sends two critics to one restaurant.
EL GALLO GIRO
LAU RIE PEARMAN
I have spent most of my adult life in search of good mole. It seems very Though Kuna has become a sprawling suburban town in recent few restaurants can find the right combination of sweet, savory and spicy, years, it’s still easy to find El Gallo Giro. Just follow Meridian instead turning out something that gives the distinct impression a Reese’s Road south, around the big right bend and onto Main Street, Peanut Butter Cup has been melted into a watery tomato-based sauce. where everyone slows down. El Gallo is the place on the right with But I had high hopes when I spotted pollo en mole ($9.95) on the menu the line out the door. at El Gallo Giro in Kuna. After all, the Mexican eatery is a landmark, The line is not just hungry Kuna-ites who don’t want to drive to occupying one end of Main Street. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. Boise. El Gallo Giro is a destination, serving some of the best MexiThe tender chunks of chicken swam in a sauce that slowly revealed layers can food in Southwest Idaho. My first visit there—during lunch a of flavor: first the sweet as it hit the tip of my tongue, then the earthy, and few years ago—I walked in and noticed two things: a full bar stocked finally, a smouldering spice that I only became aware of minutes later. with dozens of tequilas and a woman sitting on a stool at the taco bar That lingering sensation reminded me to respect the mole. pressing and cooking handmade tortillas as people passed through The mole discovthe line. ery was just the topOn a recent Satping on an altogether urday night, we had wonderful dining exto wait out on the perience. It’s not like sidewalk for about Gallo Giro is a secret. 20 minutes before a Most weekends, the table in one of the line waiting for a two large dining table snakes down rooms opened. It the sidewalk. But for was a perfectly warm the patient—or those spring evening and who call ahead—it’s we watched the big worth the wait. pickups stopping for The restaurant pedestrians, drivers seems like a teenager flashing the old twowho has just had a finger wave that has growth spurt: It’s been all but forgotlarger than you ten in the rest of the expect, a little gangly, Treasure Valley. but full of characOn the inside, ter. An assortment dozens of servers and of bright turquoise bussers and bartendbooths and tables fill ers scurried about the restaurant, the carrying oversized layout of which is the margaritas and apparent result of the steaming molcajetes EL GALLO GIRO slow assimilation of neighboring real estate. Families of shrimp and tongue. We ordered an ice cold Tecate 428 Main St., Kuna and large parties are the norm, and conversations rise to ($3.95), the margarita special (two shots of Milagros, not 208-922-5169 elgallogirokuna.com a cacophony punctuated with laughter. from mix, $9.95) and the guacamole ($6). Everyone gets Mon.-Sat, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. I hijacked my Meridian-dwelling parents for the the guacamole because they bring a cart to your table Sun., 10 a.m.-9 p.m. meal, and we started out with the signature appetizer: and make it in front of you (for tips). You can customize guacamole made tableside ($6). Arriving via a small the jalapeno factor and it’s served in an awesomely heavy wheeled cart, fresh avocados, onions, jalapenos and stone molcajete, the mortar part of mortar and pestle cilantro are turned into a finished product in a flurry of knives, whisks in which some of the best looking dishes at Gallo are served. Our and utensils before landing on the table with a thud thanks to the massive guacamole was a bit oversalted, but as with the salty rim of the big volcanic stone bowl in which it is served. We asked for medium heat, glass, the chilly margarita, which popped with fresh lime and wafted but the chunks of fresh jalapeno kept us on our toes, and the guacamole the scent of clear, distilled agave, salved all salty wounds. disappeared as quickly as it was made, especially when accompanied by a The mole at Gallo is not bitter at all and conveys many of the couple of house margaritas ($4.50) and a Negra Modelo ($3.25). flavors that a good mole should—you can taste the chocolate. Our My father’s meal made everyone turn to look. It was one of the signawaiter said the cooks take a mole base and enhance it with their own ture molcajetes—massive, three-legged stone bowls that arrive so hot, their spices, thus it’s not as good as his mom’s. The pollo en mole ($9.95) contents spit and sputter through the entire meal. His molcajete of choice, comes with a generous helping of chicken and tastes even better camarones borrachos ($14.45), was a concoction of massive shrimp saurolled up in a piping hot corn tortilla. ted with onions, jalapenos, mushrooms and tomatoes. The sauce had our The filete de pescado ($10.95) is served with a powerful dollop of spoons making raids across the table as we savored the rich, earthy spices roasted red chile salsa that brings huge flavor to the rubbed tilapia. and biting heat. Both the molcajete and the mole came with homemade The salsa is even better smeared on the fresh tortillas with chunks of flour tortillas so hot we had to juggle them between our hands. fish, Spanish rice and beans. My mother was impressed by her seafood burrito, the special of the El Gallo does not have to, but they still offer $1 tacos. day ($8.95), which was packed with real crab meat, shrimp and rice, and The cabrito—barbecued goat meat that looks like pulled pork, covered in a mushroom and red wine sauce—a surprising combination. comes overstuffed in a tiny double-walled taco and tastes like We scanned the impressive list of premium tequilas, but decided we the cobblestone streets of Michoacan—sent me over the top. No were pressing our luck. After all, it’s a long drive back from Kuna, but it’s desert necessary. worth every mile on the odometer. —Nathaniel Hoffman wants to know if the Cowgirls —Deanna Darr believes a good mole is holy. drunk bus stops for tacos. WWW. B OISEWEEKLY.C O M
Locavore’s come hither front entrance.
THE THREE B’S: BOWN, BASQUE AND BOTTOMLESS The white coats behind the popular Red Room Tavern and Pair dynamic duo have branched out once again, this time in Bown Crossing in southeast Boise. After opening and shuttering City Grill, then physically swapping Red Room and Pair (with a slight reposition of the latter), Christine Reid and Mitch Thompson quietly opened Locavore in the coffee shop and bistro space at Bown Crossing’s southeast corner. If the name isn’t an obvious tip-off to what you can expect from Locavore’s menu, we’ll spell it out for you: local-centric food and booze. While the snow melts and Locavore patiently waits for the tomato plants to go into the ground, Reid is focused on making local buys for the all-homemade menu. In addition to Ballard Family cheese and locally roasted Dawson Taylor coffee, Reid is up early every morning baking with Cloverleaf cream. Purple Sage Farms will supply the herbs and Reid is lining up local farmers to supply the veggies for Locavore’s menu of salads, sandwiches and soups. The restaurant gets an early start Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m. with Belgian waffles and a pastry case full of house-made breads and scones. The coffee also gets a homemade hand with white and dark chocolate ganache for lattes. Brunchers can linger over bottomless mimosas and eggs on Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch includes a giant selection of salads that, thankfully, gets beyond the usual chef salad business. Greek quinoa tops the list but a sampler with piles of three—choose from Greek quinoa, curry chicken, antipasto, Caesar, potato and house—is a mighty tempting entree choice. Paninis, a handful of sandwiches and a short list of nibbles round out the menu. In the coming week, expect news of a grand opening, as well as the addition of a dinner menu (“classic bistro fare,” said Reid) and beer and wine (with an emphasis on the locally produced). Cooking classes will gear up around Mother’s Day next month, and if you’re an artist looking for a space to hang new work, contact Reid at eatdrinkshare@ yahoo.com. Locavore, 3110 S. Bown Way, 208-338-8887. The next Basque Market Sheepherders breakfast is coming soon. Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 2, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. May’s menu includes sheepherders bread, chorizos, Basque potatoes, egg piperade, churros and bottomless bloody marys or sangria blanco. Visit thebasquemarket.com for more information. —Rachael Daigle
BOISEweekly | APRIL 21–27, 2010 | 27