Pick 3_Winter19_Ed-final.qxp_Road Trip_Cinci.qxd 11/29/19 11:42 AM Page 32
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5600 National Turnpike, Louisville, KY 502.632.2000
BY ROGER BAYLOR & MICHAEL L. JONES PHOTOS BY DAN DRY
hese days, diners in every part of America have easy access to the familiar satisfactions of classic, well-prepared Tex-Mex cuisine. But even at its best and most authentic, Tex-Mex represents only a tiny fraction of Mexico’s rich culinary tradition. As in the U.S., the regional cuisines of Mexico are both wildly distinctive — and deeply connected. And these days, many Louisville diners who already love what they know of Mexican food are eager to seek out new culinary adventures. Happily, Louisville chefs and restaurateurs are eager and proud to share the foods they love — both dishes they grew up with and imaginative hybrids of tradition and innovation. When Roger Baylor and Michael Jones, longtime F&D contributors, set out on a quest to discover some of those regional cuisines, they turned up some gems. Michael’s journey took him to Mexico’s far southern reaches and the vibrant Oaxacan flavors created by two brothers who serve regional and family dishes at Chilakiles. In New Albany, Roger visited Chef Israel’s Delicias de Mexico Gourmet, where the cosmopolitan cuisine celebrates the sophistication of Mexico’s capital city as interpreted by the palate of a rigorously trained, imaginative chef. Then Roger’s roving palate led him to Mi Casita Parilla Mexicana, where brothers Hernández strive to replicate homemade contemporary coastal seafood dishes and dishes that reflect the ancient Mayan and Aztec traditions. 32 Winter 2019 www.foodanddine.com
(from left) Ediberto Mendoza, Nestor Cruz, Gonzalo Cruz, Roberto Cruz
he Sierra Madre mountain ranges crisscross the state of Oaxaca in Southern Mexico, dividing it into regions with distinct climates and food cultures. This diversity led to the state becoming Mexico’s culinary capital. Oaxaca is celebrated for its beef, artisanal cheeses, and mole sauces, which are so varied that Oaxaca is also known as the “Land of the Seven Moles.” In 2010, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) identified the region’s cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Gonzalo Cruz, owner of Chilakiles Restaurant in South Louisville, grew up in Oaxaca de Juárez, the Mexican state’s capital. He and his brother Roberto learned to cook by watching their mother make Oaxaca staples in their home. Cruz admits his brother was more interested in the kitchen than he was, but Cruz still managed to pick up a few skills. After the brothers moved to Louisville in 2012, they were good enough to find work at a succession of topnotch restaurants – North End Café, Silver Dollar, and Con Huevos Restaurant. Cruz said one thing that bothered him about Louisville was the limited scope of Mexican cuisine being offered in local restaurants. In November 2018, he opened Chilakiles Mexican Restaurant in South Louisville, so he could share some of his favorite flavors from home. The restaurant’s name is a play on Chilaquiles, a dish of corn tortilla pieces that are fried, topped with tomatillo-based green or tomatobased red salsa, cheese, cream, and sliced raw onion. Chilaquiles are a popular Mexican breakfast item that probably originated as a way to use leftover tortillas. And chilaquiles and other breakfast items are a perfect component of Cruz’s menu because of the location, near several factories on National Turnpike. Cruz said the restaurant is popular with laborers who work split shifts — and crave breakfast at any time of the day, as well as culinary explorers who come in to sample a variety of Oaxacan dishes. “I wanted to break the stereotype of what traditional Mexican food is,” he explained. “Much of the Mexican food you see in this city is really Tex-Mex, and mostly the same dishes — tacos, tamales, and burritos. Chilakiles has lunch and
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