Cafe’s South American, Chilean cuisine muy Rico

John Volo

It was a newspaper advertisement that drew me to the Rico Cafe, which

specializes in South American and Chilean cuisine. The mention of

Spanish paella, pastas, beef and lobster empanadas, homemade desserts

and Chilean wine proved too enticing.

So, on a recent Saturday evening, we ventured over to the Rico

Cafe for dinner, accompanied by our friends Sean and Alison.

Rico Cafe is tucked away in an incognito strip mall near the

corner of Bushard and Hamilton. The intimate dining room is

tastefully decorated and can accommodate about 20 guests. While

perusing the menu, we munched on focaccia bread with a basil/cream

cheese/olive oil dip.

I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me as I looked over the

wine list. The dozen Chilean wines -- six red, six white -- were

priced at either $15 or $18 a bottle. Fifteen dollars! Half the time,

a restaurant’s corkage fee is more than that. We shared a bottle of

Santa Ema 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon that was absolutely splendid.

Our three appetizers ran the gamut from great (the beef empanada)

to disappointing (the lobster/seafood empanada). Somewhere in the

middle, was the scallop proscuitto wrap and caviar. That’s right,

caviar!

Obviously this wasn’t Beluga caviar (which sells for $200 an

ounce), considering the entire dish was less than $12. Nonetheless, it was sufficient for us four caviar neophytes. The caviar sat atop a

mound of Spanish rice, surrounded by three medium-sized scallops

wrapped inside a thin slice of salty proscuitto.

The beef empanada -- a homemade turnover prepared from scratch --

features a flaky, pastry-like outside with seasoned ground beef and

sliced hard boiled egg inside. It was warm and tasty, unlike the

lobster/seafood empanada, which was cold and bland. Although the menu

fails to list shrimp as an ingredient, baby shrimp were the dominant

filling. Serving the empanadas on a banana leaf was a nice touch.

Our standout entree was el pollo Latino -- a plump, juicy chicken

breast that was marinated in a delicious Chilean merlot wine sauce

and served atop spicy grilled corn mixed with paprika and onions.

Four golf ball-sized new potatoes on a skewer rounded out this

awesome dish.

The churrasco rolls, rolled skirt steak cooked in chimichurri

sauce (think Worcestershire sauce) were delicious by themselves. They

were served atop a Chilean salad (tomatoes, white onions, cilantro,

olive oil and salt) that, by itself, was fine. The two just didn’t

compliment each other very well. This entree could be a standout if

served with Spanish rice, perhaps.

The case of the lobster ravioli was very similar. Large, creamy,

square ravioli were topped with a tomato and baby shrimp marinara

sauce. On their own, the Ravioli and sauce held up well, but this

dish just begs for a creamy white sauce or, at a minimum, a blush

sauce.

Our huge plate of paella Valencia was artfully presented. This

classic dish combines plenty of mussels, well proportioned chunks of

salmon and tasty slices of sausage in a vivid Spanish rice.

We ended our dinner with two sinful desserts made from scratch,

just like all of their desserts. The dulce de leche had a sweet

caramel sauce inside delicately layered French pastry. It was dusted

with powdered sugar and garnished with strawberry halves. The banana

borracha is a whole banana sauteed in brown sugar, cognac and tequila

sauce. The banana is laid upon a cold vanilla pastry creme (think

custard) and dolloped with fresh whipped cream.

While we were finishing dessert, the owner popped his head out of

the kitchen (where his wife does all the cooking) and engaged us in a

conversation about the surprisingly pleasant qualities of Chilean

wine. On their next trip to Chile, he and his wife are actually being

picked up at the airport by the owners of the vineyard that supplies

their wine.

He also shared that two of their most popular items are the

Chilean sea bass (marinated in a Chilean wine sauce with macadamia

nuts and mango) and the camaron caribeno (sauteed shrimp served on

grilled pineapple). I’ll be sure to try both of these on a future

visit.

Our fantastic desserts provided a sweet finish to a nice dinner.

* JOHN VOLO is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, e-mail [email protected]