Best of a region, with a flourish
The shrimp appetizer is amazing: two perfect shrimp in a light sauce flavored with tequila and guajillo chiles, set on a spoonful of sweet potato puree. The sweetness of the potatoes, the delicate flavor of the shrimp and the subtle heat from the chiles play off each other in a complex, exciting way. And the dishes that follow, as well as dishes I try on other visits -- roasted corn and poblano chile soup, beef medallion with huitlacoche sauce, cheesecake filled with the soft Mexican caramel sauce called cajeta -- are just as nuanced and delicious.
La Huasteca, which opened in March in Lynwood's Plaza Mexico, a shopping center inspired by traditional Mexican architecture, is an ambitious outpost of Mexican haute cuisine, not another of those places limited to predictable Cal-Mex dishes. The only tacos and burritos served here are on the children's menu.
Chef-owner Alfonso Ramirez, originally from Puebla, Mexico, had intended to be a lawyer but set his degrees aside to enter the restaurant world, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up to executive chef and now owner. A good-looking, personable guy with silver hair, Ramirez walks through the La Huasteca dining room, stopping to chat with customers. On Sundays, he broadcasts a two-hour show from the restaurant called "Cocinando con Alfonso" (KPLS-AM 830 at 2 p.m.). He takes call-in questions, gives recipes and expounds on Mexican cuisine.
The restaurant is named for a region in northeastern Mexico that takes in portions of the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, San Luis Potosi and Hidalgo and very small parts of other states, including Ramirez's native Puebla. Most of the food on the menu is from the Huasteca region.
There is mole poblano -- chicken or pork smothered with a spicy, not overly sweet sauce made from scratch at the restaurant. If you don't order this, you'll taste the sauce anyway. It's drizzled over tortilla chips to nibble on while you study the menu. There's also a very good version of chiles en nogada -- fresh poblano chiles stuffed with beef, fruit and almonds and bathed in a cream sauce sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.
Ramirez's prix fixe menus offer a wonderful introduction to the restaurant. In Mexico, many restaurants offer a set lunch that enables them to serve customers quickly and at a reasonable price. Usually these comidas are confined to the afternoon, but Ramirez extends his to closing time. On weekdays, his four-course lunch is just $14.95 and a similar five-course dinner is $18.95. Both are great bargains, considering the caliber of the food.
