Opened Basante's, father from Nicaragua

The Nashville City Paper published this profile of Luis Fonseca, the executive chef of the elite Nashville City Club. Fonseca's father was born in Nicaragua.

From the profile:

“My father put me in with his chefs when I was 17,” said Fonseca, who now serves as executive chef of the venerable Nashville City Club.

But long before then, the career of Nicaraguan-born Luis Fonseca Sr. impacted an impressionable lad.

“He used to come home at about 3 o’clock in the morning, wake me up, spend time with me, get a little sleep — and then go back to work,” the younger Fonseca said. “I remember my father working 16 to 17 hours a day. He was on his feet all the time.”

The physical toil eventually sidelined the banquet manager, a respected member of San Francisco’s diverse culinary community.

About that time, in the mid-1990s, Fonseca Jr. was pondering a move to Music City, lured by the opportunity to open with a relative what would become Basante’s.

Labels: business, food, immigrants, nicaragua

The Tennessean heads back to Lime for this review. Among the good stuff: "one of the best margaritas in town" and the "excellent sangrita from scratch."

I didn't even know there was such a drink as a sangrita (I would have thought sangrita was a typo for sangria), but Wikipedia backs up our local daily on this one (article on sangrita here).

Photo by Michael Dietsch. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Labels: food

Fiesta Belmont, Nashville's Latin Music Street Fair, is scheduled for Saturday May 3, 2008 from 11AM-7PM at Belmont University's Center Campus at 17th Ave South & Wedgewood Blvd. For information about how to become a sponsor or how to have a booth at this event, call David Herrera at 615-460-6908 or visit www.latinstreetfair.com.

Labels: arts, events, food, music

Last week's Nashville Scene included this review of Lime, an upscale "Latin fusion" restaurant at 1904 Broadway. Raving about the food, the Scene noted rumblings of poor service that have been repeated elsewhere:

After two consistently excellent meals in the newly opened Lime, we’re looking forward to the summer months, when the garage doors rise and the sleek cocktail crowd pours onto the patios. But it’s worth noting that while our experiences were flawless, we have heard several complaints of inattentive or indifferent waitstaff. With pricey entrées as high as $44 and cocktails clocking in as steep as $13, it’s not unreasonable to insist on flawless service. When the fair-weather crowds storm Lime’s high-visibility patios and tequila bars, it will become even more challenging to deliver a top-quality experience to diners. Then again, Hyndman, who presides over the dining room with the sangfroid of Terry Benedict in Ocean’s Eleven, knows that better than anyone.

The Tennessean reported here that "[t]he menu draws from a multitude of Latin cuisines, including Mexican, Spanish, Cuban and Colombian."

Inside Vandy gave it this favorable review, including props to the wait staff and the attractiveness of the clientele.

Photo by Paul Takamoto. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Labels: colombia, cuba, food, mexico, spain

From Cheekwood:

FESTIVAL OF THE HOLIDAYS CELEBRATES FOUR MULTI-CULTURAL HOLIDAY TRADITIONS AT CHEEKWOOD DECEMBER 10

From the Akiva School Choral Ensemble to Vanderbilt’s Victory A Capella Choir, Sunday, December 10 will be a day of sharing the unique traditions of four year-end holidays as Cheekwood hosts Festival of the Holidays with interactive multi-cultural activities on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Navidad.

“This is a special part of our Season of Celebration events,” Jack Becker, Ph.D., president of Cheekwood “It is a wonderful time for families to learn about the year-end holiday traditions of others and do so with a grand variety of fun family activities, all in one afternoon.”

Activities, from 1:00 pm-5:00 pm, include everything from hands-on art projects to sampling foods and music associated with each tradition. All activities will be held in Cheekwood’s Botanic Hall. Cheekwood thanks CLARCOR, Inc. for their support of this event as the Patron of the Day.
Following are performance times:

1:15 pm – HANUKKAH Sababa
Akiva School Choral Ensemble

2:15 pm – NAVIDAD Aurelio Martinez & Jose Alegria
La Posada

3:15 pm – KWANZAA A Surprise Kwanzaa Performance

4:15 pm – CHRISTMAS The Victory A Capella Choir
Vanderbilt University

Interactive activities associated with each of the traditions include:

Kwanzaa: participants learn how to make Kwanzaa candles; sample foods such as Janita bread, sweet potatoes, and turnip greens, all associated with Kwanzaa. Sponsored by Pam Thompson & Friends and The Jack and Jill Club of Williamson county.

Hanukkah: participants learn how to make paper dreidels; and enjoy a treat of Sufganiyot and Chanukah gelt. Sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee

Navidad: participants sample Atole (hot chocolate), Buñuelos (Traditional Colombian Christmas food); Tamales; and learn how to make Paper Nativities. Sponsored by Woodbine Community Group & Catholic Charities – Latino Services.

Christmas: activities include making Clothespin Reindeer; and participants will be able to sample Christmas cookies and holiday punch.

Cheekwood’s Season of Celebration 2006 runs through December 31 and is a children’s wonderland of decorations, storytelling, cookie decorating, and musical performances as Cheekwood celebrates Christmas around the world.

Cheekwood inspires and educates by making art, horticulture and nature accessible to a diverse community. Cheekwood is located at 1200 Forrest Park Drive in Nashville, 8 miles southwest of downtown Nashville. Open Tuesday – Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For further information call 615-356-8000 or visit www.cheekwood.org.

Labels: arts, colombia, events, food

Free event features art, food, music, tours

The Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art will host its Eighth Annual Dia de los Muertos celebration next Saturday, October 27:

EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS AT CHEEKWOOD ON OCTOBER 27, 2007
NASHVILLE, TN – The popular Latin American family celebration, El Dia de los Muertos, will be held at Cheekwood on Saturday, October 27 with activities including live performances, a Mexican marketplace, and interactive art activities for everyone.

Now in its eighth year at Cheekwood, the day-long celebration is a premiere community event for Nashville’s Hispanic population as well as for families throughout the area. Translated as “Day of the Dead,” El Dia de los Muertos is a uniquely Latin celebration of families as they honor their ancestors.

The festivities, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, include activities for families of all cultures to learn about this noted Latin-American tradition and participate in a wide range of activities conducted in both Spanish and English. Cheekwood members are free and regular gate fees apply to non-members.

The schedule includes live performances by Mariachis Alma de Mexico, Serenatta, Danny Salazar y los Cuatro, Grupo Folklorico Hispanoamericano, and Sixto Reyes & Miguel. Art projects include making painting gourds, decorating “the family tree,” making paper marigolds, crafting family journals, making calaveras masks, a “tombstone factory,” creating paper cut-outs, and Spanish Bingo. A unique feature this year, the Alma de Mexico Mariachis will lead 2 parades throughout the grounds during the festival. Cheekwood will also have a resource room which will feature various books, materials, and movies documenting the history and culture of the El Dia de los Muertos holiday.

Available in the Mexican Marketplace will be traditional food, sweets, and arts and crafts. Community altars will be displayed in Botanic Hall and there will be bilingual tours of Cheekwood’s Museum of Art given by Belmont University Spanish students.

Labels: arts, education, events, food, mexico

The Nashville Scene published this review of Murfreesboro road restaurant Los Happy Belly's:

LOS HAPPY BELLY'S
895 Murfreesboro Road,
356-7757

...

Co-owner Jose Santos arrived in Nashville about five months ago from New York, where he immigrated as a teenager from the Dominican Republic. His business partners are fellow Dominican Alexandra Abreu and Guatemalan brothers Alfonso, Santos, Chavelo and Danny Perez, who came to the U.S. about a decade ago.

While none of them is from either Cuba or Puerto Rico, the owners would all be familiar with the flavors and ingredients that weave throughout the Caribbean and find their way to Los Happy Belly’s. Beans and rice are a primary feature of the buffet table, which usually holds moro rojo (red beans and rice), arroz con gandules (white rice with peas), congri (rice with black beans) and plain white rice.

...

Los Happy Belly’s offers a handful of specialties that are interesting, even delicious. Among them is the yuca frita (fried cassava root). The thick, deep-fried exterior of the tuber chunk melts in the mouth, and is made even more intriguing by a drizzle of garlic-infused oil.

...

Los Happy Belly’s opens 11 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday and closes 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Sunday. Saturday is Caribbean Night with dancing from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Read the full review here.

Photo by yasmapaz

Labels: cuba, dominican republic, food, guatemala, puerto rico

"If anywhere in Nashville represents the American Dream it is ... Nolensville Road"

Las Cazuelas stands out

The Nashville City Paper published this article lauding the ethnic food options on Nashville's Nolensville Road:

"[I]t is easy to make the argument that if anywhere in Nashville represents the American Dream it is the often maligned and misunderstood Nolensville Road."

"There is typically not a single square foot of retail space empty. In fact, more retail space is being built with small businesses opening in every nook and cranny. And, yes, if they are not national retailers, many if not most of those small businesses appear to be owned and run by legal immigrants."

"Take a drive down Nolensville and one notices a seemingly endless array of small eateries, representing a wildly divergent and diverse menu of ethnic cuisines. For all of the claimed diversity of other areas in Nashville, those seeking real diversity and choices in ethnic cuisine might consider actually going to where the city’s immigrants live and work..."

One Mexican restaurant is featured in the article - Las Cazueles at 4114 Nolensville Road - and described as "a cut above the rest" for its "fresh ingredients, more complex menu and preparation."

Labels: business, food, immigrants, mexico

Belmont University is again hosting its annual Fiesta Belmont party this Saturday, May 5 from 11am to 7pm. The event is free to the public and boasts "live music & over 30 Latin food vendors & performers" with "folkloric dance exhibitions."

For more information visit the official event web site.

Labels: arts, cinco de mayo, food

Mack at Coyote Chronicles visited a Middle Tennessee tamale kitchen and found treasure in the time spent with his neighbors:

Through the goodness of the Gods, I met an angel in the grocery store. Her and her mother were buying groceries, and from their selections I just knew momma was a first rate cook. I engaged them, and soon we agreed on a price for home-made tamales. (my current tamale connect is reliable, but the product has been sub-standard of late) So, yesterday, I arrived at their home with a good friend of mine in tow. The area of town that they live in isn’t particularly nice. It is mere steps from the railroad tracks, and this road is chock full of renters so many of the houses and yards are in a constant state of dis-repair. We knocked on the door, and Maria opened it, smiled broadly and invited us into the kitchen, where her mother and Aunt were just removing tamales from a large pot on the stove. There was food everywhere. The sights and smells were at once familiar and comforting. I was in my mother’s house again. There were four children present, sitting in chairs by the open back door, and speaking a beautiful mixture of Spanish and English, drawing or coloring and laughing most of the time. Their girls had their jet black hair brushed and braided and they had shiny things holding it in place. Their faces were scrubbed clean, their clothes pressed. The house was orderly and chaotic at the same time. The women smiled at us and made us sit at the table, and sample the tamales. Alicia took hers, freshly “shucked”, and sprinkled it with chopped lettuce, then ladled some fresh salsa over it and handed it to my friend. She warned that it was “hot.” I though she meant “stove hot,” but no, as my friend soon discovered, she meant hot in the way that hot can hit your stomach, then work it’s way back up through your lungs and ultimately engulfs you in a perfect capsicum laden cloud, causing your metabolism to accelerate, sets your heart to racing, and ends with you wiping your brow on your shirtsleeve. That kind of hot. Perfect. As I was enjoying this dish, I was struck by those faces over by the door. Each of them had the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. Large, oval and it may sound corny, but I saw the whole world in them. The oldest was born in Mexico, but came here when she was one yr old. Her brother and sisters were born here in the States. I was glad that my friend Andy was there, but I so wanted Kleinheider to be there as well. I wanted him to see this family. I wanted him to taste this food, I wanted him to gaze at these children, and then, I wanted him to explain to me what would be gained by him “walking them back over the border.” The preservation of the rule of law? Unjust laws are, and have been challenged throughout this Nation’s history. It’s intrinsic to the American experience. Welcoming and celebrating the presence of these people seems intrinsic to the Christian experience. I so want to challenge Adam to accompany me to this home, talk to this family, share a meal, and learn about what its like to live in the shadows...

Full story here

Photo by Steve Bridger

Labels: english, food, immigrants, mexico, spanish

The Nashville Scene reviewed El Tejado, saying the Mexican restaurant befuddled its gringo customers with authentic dishes not typically seen in more Americanized, Tex-Mex dining rooms:

"El Tejado, a new restaurant specializing in Oaxacan cuisine, does its best to decode the foreign language of Southern Mexican food. But even with a bilingual menu, a gringo can get tongue-tied navigating unusual listings such as grilled cactus, Mexican noodles and a dish known colloquially as “It Kills Mothers-in-Law.” Anyone not fluent in the delicacies of Oaxaca, one of the southernmost Mexican states, is bound to put her foot in her mouth—or, if not her foot, something else that doesn’t taste particularly good."

But the reviewer kept returning, finding the Oaxacan specialties and the friendly service particularly attractive.

Full review here.

Labels: business, food, immigrants, mexico, spanish

Photo:Palacio Salvo, Montevideo, Uruguay by Juan Cubilla

Labels: country music, food, spanish, uruguay

West End eatery features Cajun, Uruguayan flavor

This week's Nashville Scene has food critic Kay West returning to Nola's, the West End restaurant opened this fall by an Uruguayan chef with a cajun kitchen résumé. The chivito sandwich is a West favorite (see below), and it receives another helping of praise in this review ("such an extravagant sandwich it makes a meal"), as does the parrillada, the Milanesa Neapolitan, Crazy Victor’s hot dog, the Pampero, the cheese ravioli, and a linguine. West also gives high marks to the cajun side of the menu, including the "superb" crawfish étouffée and the oyster po’boy ("another reason to add Nola’s to your restaurant rounds").

West had previously covered Nola's opening in this review, which focused mostly on the chivito sandwich:

"Having never been to Uruguay, I can’t say that [owner Alexia] Cabrera’s chivito is a 100 percent genuine re-creation, but I can testify that it is just as deliciously decadent as the ones I had in small South American restaurants in Greenwich Village years ago, and that, had Nola’s been open one month earlier, it surely would have won the Scene Writers’ Poll for Best Sandwich, hands down."

Over on the Citysearch entry for Nola's, the first review says that Nola's has "the best steak sandwich hands down."

"Nola’s, 2912 West End Ave., 341-3693. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday."

Photo by H. Michael karshis

Labels: business, food, uruguay

The Nashville Scene published this announcement of Nola, a restaurant opening this month in the old Vandyland strip on West End. Owner Alexia Cabrera is from Uruguay, which borders Argentina and Brazil in South America.

"The Nola menu will lean heavily toward Cajun tastes, thanks to Cabrera's time at Patrick's, but she will also introduce locals to some Uruguayan and other South American specialties."

"Nola will serve from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 2914 West End Ave. Phone: 341-3693 or 341-3694"

Labels: business, food, uruguay

The Nashville Scene reports in this story that restaurants who compete with taco stands and other mobile food vendors are behind the Metro Council's proposal to ban the stands. The reason for the proposal is said to be the mobile vendors' lower health scores. Nashville Is Talking, however, compares the scores of sixteen mobile food vendors to those of more traditional restaurants, and the mobile food vendors scored better.

The ban is not supported by the Tennessee Restaurant Association.

"Council member Tommy Bradley, who represents an area in southwest Davidson County, and Amanda McClendon, whose district is centered at Thompson Lane and Nolensville Pike, where many mobile food vendors are located, both say that restaurateurs called them, complaining about a variety of problems, like customers parking on the sidewalk."

"The bill would limit the operation of mobile food vendors to no more than two weeks at special events permitted by Metro government. Vendors would have to notify the Health Department which events they would attend."

"The trouble with the legislation is that, intentionally or not, it hits minority-owned businesses the hardest because non-whites, especially Latinos, own most mobile food trailers in Davidson County, if not across the country."

In the Nashville Is Talking survey of recent Metro Health inspection scores, all the mobile trailer scores were between 85 and 100. In contrast, the following more traditional restaurants scored below 85:

BELLE MEADE BUFFET
BISTRO 215
CAFFE NONNA
CHILIS GRILL & BAR, WEST END
CRACKER BARREL, PERCY PRIEST
JUDGE BEANS BBQ
KRYSTAL CHARLOTTE AVE.
LONGHORN STEAK LYLE AVENUE
MCDONALDS DONELSON PK
MRS. WINNERS JEFFERSON ST.
RAND DINING HALL, VANDERBILT CAMPUS
SHONEY'S HWY 70 SOUTH
SHONEYS HARDING PLACE
STAR BAGEL

The mobile scores in the Nashville Is Talking survey were those available from the health department's web site. There are many more mobile food stands in Nashville, some that have serious health violations and low scores. The Scene article points out that some mobile vendors have scored so low as to be closed by the health department, but that the closings show that the current system is working.

"Those not meeting minimum standards are shut down. So why close them all? Even some restaurateurs don’t see the need to close all mobile food vendors—even if a majority are having a problem conforming to health codes. 'The state of Tennessee has very thorough inspection laws,' says Mike Kelly of Jimmy Kelly’s Steakhouse, who is chairman of the Tennessee Restaurant Association. 'If they adhere to the guidelines, they should be able to do business.'"

Labels: business, food

The Nashville Scene reviews the Back to Cuba Cafe and finds its atmosphere and food to be as authentically Cuban as Miami's Little Havana.

"In the years since Castro’s takeover, Americans have become increasingly familiar with Cuban cuisine, but until recently Nashvillians have had nowhere to sample it. Happily, thanks to Alex Martinez, himself a Cuban émigré, that longing is now being delectably sated at Back to Cuba Café. In the Trousdale Drive strip center adjacent to Mama Mia’s restaurant (which Martinez owns with his wife Rebecca), the little café is so redolent of similar places in Little Havana as to make visitors feel they have left Nashville on the other side of the door—at least my dining companions, longtime habitués of Calle Ocho, did."

"The culturally correct vibe set the bar high for the food, and we were not disappointed. Five adults and one child set upon the six dishes and Cuban sandwich we ordered like a pack of coyotes, and 30 minutes later, when every plate was virtually wiped clean, all we could do was smile at our good fortune."

Back to Cuba Cafe
4683 Trousdale Drive
837-6711
11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Tues. - Sat.

Labels: food

The Nashville Scene named 30 of its favorite local, independent restaurants for meals under 10 bucks:

"LA HACIENDA TAQUERIA 2617 Nolensville Road. 256-5066
LA HACIENDA MARISQUERIA Y TAQUERIA 3744 Nolensville Road. 781-2902
For families with kids and anyone who enjoys cilantro, lime or margaritas, the crowded, nacho-cheese-Dorito-colored Hacienda with its adjoining market is the mothership of cheap eating, especially on the weekends, when, more often than not, Hispanic-language cable channel Univision is broadcasting a soccer game or a ridiculous Gong Show-style game show while a diverse crowd noshes on house-made chips and salsa and sucks up fish-bowl margaritas large enough for a whole table. We’ve become addicted to the tostada ceviche, raw fish marinated in lime juice and served on a light, crispy tostada, and the posole, traditional Mexican pork soup made with hominy. (La Hacienda serves red, not green, posole.) A new location, La Hacienda Marisqueria y Taqueria, specializes in seafood. Careful, the chips come in bottomless baskets and are addictive."

"LAS AMERICAS 4715 Nolensville Pike. 315-8888
LA PLACITA 314 McCall St. 832-6811
Nashville is teeming with inexpensive, and good, Mexican restaurants, but far fewer places serve food from Central American countries El Salvador and Honduras. Of these two highlights, Las Americas is the standby, a place where you can fill up just by ordering two pupusas: flat cornmeal-dough patties stuffed with pork, beans and/or cheese. They come with curtido, a tangy cabbage-carrot slaw that your server will happily replenish when it runs out. Total cost, before tip: 4 bucks. A little closer to town, La Placita sits just off Nolensville Road, next to one of the city’s longtime ethnic standbys, Siam Café. The menu offers a broader range of platos Centroamericos, which incorporate grilled meats, earthy vegetables like yuca, and milder flavors than Mexican food. The enchiladas are markedly different from what you’re probably used to: tortillas wrapped around lightly seasoned ground beef, then topped with stewed cabbage and tomatoes and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Word of advice: don’t order the pork rinds unless you really love the melt-in-your-mouth sensation that comes from eating pure fat."

"BACK TO CUBA
When Castro took control of Cuba decades ago, Florida became the home away from home for émigrés who fled his regime. Alex Martinez traveled a little farther north to Nashville, where he and his Central American-born wife Rebecca have owned and operated Mama Mia’s Italian restaurant for more than 10 years. With the opening of Back to Cuba, Martinez pays homage to his native island. Cuban food isn’t spicy, but it is highly seasoned, as diners will discover in specialties like lechón (marinated and roasted pork), ropa vieja (beef stew cooked until the meat is in shreds) and pargo frito (fried red snapper, served whole with the head), all of them served with black beans and rice, and two different types of fried plantain, one sweet, one savory. The Cuban sandwich is nearly as good as any found in Little Havana—the classic construction of ham, pork, cheese, pickles and mustard is layered on a length of French bread, swiped with butter, and cooked on a sandwich press until the cheese and meats ooze together in gooey goodness."

Labels: el salvador, food

The Tennessean reports that a new restaurant called Las Cazuelas Mexican Grill is opening at 4114 Nolensville Road, near the intersection of Harding Place, and will set itself apart with its seafood menu.

"In addition to the typical enchiladas and burritos that can be found at many Mexican restaurants, the menu offerings include roasted pork shanks, oysters on the half shell and pina cantamar, a dish featuring pineapple stuffed with seafood."

Las Cazuelas is owned by Jose Gutierrez, who also owns the La Terraza Restaurant.

Labels: food

The Tennessean reports that La Hacienda, one of Nashville's best known Mexican restaurants, is opening a second location and expanding its menu to include seafood.

"The new location will be just [at 3744 Nolensville Road], a few miles from the present restaurant, in the former location of New Asia Restaurant and most recently Manbo Restaurant."

"In addition to La Hacienda's standard fare of homemade tortillas, tacos and margaritas, the new restaurant will feature more than 20 seafood offerings.

"A chef from California will whip up fish tacos, shrimp tacos and shrimp and fish soup, among other new items, said Theresa De La Roca, La Hacienda's accounts manager."

"Tostadas de ceviche, an appetizer that combines fish, onion, cilantro and lime juice, also will be on the menu."

Labels: food

The Tennessean reports that restaurants continue to cultivate careers in business and integrate Hispanics into the Nashville community.

"[Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Yuri] Cunza said Hispanic entrepreneurs are starting more restaurants and businesses in west Davidson County, and that plenty of area Hispanics work for a living - and work their way up to management positions and business ownerships - at eateries all over Middle Tennessee."

The article features the story of Cecilia Alva, who came to the U.S. from Peru and worked her way up in the restaurant business and is now a part owner in Fiesta Azteca, a Mexican restaurant on Elliston Place.

"Cunza said Hispanic entrepreneurs, who he declined to name, are also competing for a prime west-side restaurant space, the former Rio Bravo chain restaurant at 3915 West End Ave."

"Also coming soon to the west side are two other large Hispanic-owned Mexican restaurants - Cinco de Mayo at 358 White Bridge Road and Las Palmas in the Kroger Shopping Center at the corner of Gale Lane and Franklin Pike."

Labels: business, food

The Nashville City Paper reports that brother Carlos Figueroa and Gregorio Bahena will be opening a Cinco de Mayo restaurant at 358 White Bridge Road. This is the second Cinco de Mayo restaurant owned and operated by the brothers; the first is at 5770 Old Hickory Blvd. in Hermitage.

The target opening date is March 15.

Labels: food

The U.S. Labor Department has cracked down on Mexican restaurants in Tennessee, according to its district director Carol Merchant. Las Palmas in Nashville failed to pay overtime to 85 employees from March to October 2002, and has since paid over $130,000 in back wages. Las Palmas accountant Dennis Greeno said that the tradition in Mexico is to pay restaurant workers a flat rate for six days' work, and that even without time-and-a-half pay for overtime, all workers were paid more than minimum wage. The Las Palmas restaurant business started in 1990 with one location and has since grown to 12 locations with more than 400 employees. Las Palmas is not the only Mexican restaurant in the state under investigation.

Labels: business, food

Las Americas 4715 Nolensville Road 315-8888 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Review describes affordable Salvadoran specialties: pupusas, chile colorado, carne deshebrada, ceviche tostada, mojarra, sopa de mariscos, and pozole.

Labels: food

Nashville Scene dining guide features 14 Hispanic and Tex-Mex restaurants

"Coco Loco offers a dining experience as close to perfect as anyone could ask for. 4600 Nolensville Rd. 781-9050. Open daily for dining 11 am-10 pm, with club hours until 3 am Tues.-Sat. $$-$$$"

"Birria—steam-cooked goat in a stew served with corn tortillas and hot sauce—may be an acquired taste, but it's the specialty at Las Chivas. 4021 Nolensville Pk. 831-3595. Hours: 10:30 am-10 pm Mon.-Fri.; 8 am-9:30 pm Sat.-Sun. $-$$"

"Delivered steaming-hot off the grill, Dona Rosa's pupusas resemble more a stuffed pancake than a dumpling, but don't skimp on the filling, or the tangy slaw on the side. Parked in the lot of Zack's ExpressMart, 5101 Nolensville Road. Hours: 9 am-10 pm Mon.-Thurs.; 9 am-7:30 pm Fri.; 6-10 pm Sat.; and 7 am-10 pm Sun. $"

Other restaurants reviewed: Chez Jose, El Inca, Honduras Restaurant, La Hacienda Taqueria, La Paz, Las Americas Taqueria & Pupuseria, La Terraza, Qdoba, Rosepepper Cantina & Mexican Grill, San Antonio Taco Co., Super Pollo

Nashville Scene

Labels: food

Compean family serves south-of-the-border comfort food, fulfills dream at La Espuela restaurant

"A few years ago, Pompilia Compean came to visit a cousin in Nashville and fell in love with the city--both the quality of life and the opportunities it offered. After a brief stop in Idaho, where Eusebio Sr. managed a ranch, the family moved here, and Pompilia got a job in a factory and began putting away money. In July 2002, she opened her restaurant."

"For Pompilia, La Espuela is a gift she gives herself every day. 'There is a saying in Mexico, that it is better to cry for something you try and fail, than cry for something you never did,' she says. 'I will always know that no matter what happens, my dream came true with this restaurant.'"

"La Espuela has the basic Mexican dishes locals have come to expect: soft tacos, quesadillas, burritos, tostadas, chimichangas, flautas, enchiladas, fajitas and tamales. Believe the menu when it describes something as grande. The beef chimichanga grande--a platter-sized tortilla spread with rice, beans, flavorful shredded beef and cheese, then rolled, deep-fried and covered with cheese sauce--seemed nearly the size of a football and could have satisfied any member of the Titans' offensive line."

"Its warmth, charm and good home cooking will win the hearts of Nashvillians looking for comfort food with a south-of-the-border twist - carne y tres."

Nashville Scene

Labels: food

Jose Mata opens Pueblo Real restaurant in Franklin

"'I came to this country when I was 15. I could not speak a word of English. But I believed that if I worked hard and focused on my dream of owning a restaurant, I could do it. I love my country, Mexico, but America has opportunity,' said Mata."

"'I started out rolling silverware. I did everything I was asked. I learned about American quality. I worked and saved my money. Now I have this place I dreamed of since I was 12. My dad and my sister, they work with me here. My mother is still in Mexico, but she will come in January to see my restaurant.'"

Labels: english, food