| Sunflower Power |
| Written by Camille Kelly |
| Monday, 18 May 2009 14:36 |
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A fresh new restaurant is open in South Omaha with a menu geared to seafood lovers and south of the border fans. Los Girasoles, “the sunflowers” in Spanish, offers authentic Mexican cuisine and preparations unique in Omaha. The restaurant is unassuming from the outside; bright, comfortable and friendly inside. Embossed leather menus hint at the care and attention to detail the kitchen gives to the fare. Bright, cheery colors and the décor’s authentic relics link traditional recipes to fresh ingredients and preparations. The menu is in Spanish and we lumbered through unfamiliar territory on our first visit, taking our time, enjoying spicy homemade salsa and chips while deciphering things. An English version is in the works. On two subsequent visits I armed myself with my Mexican brother-in-law Jorge. Many of the words are already familiar: tacos, burritos, fajitas and huevos. The tacos are small, like those served by street vendors in Mexico. Some words new to me included tortas (sandwiches) with fillings varying from tripa (tripe), lengua (tongue) and jamon (ham), or chicken, pork or beef. Fillings for the tacos and tortas are prepared by asada (char-grilling) or adobada (flat grilling). Frita means “fried” and two popular sauces are ranchera (somewhat spicy) and diabla (very spicy). Some other items aren’t quite as easy, like mojarra (tilapia), huachinango (whole red snapper lightly breaded and fried), and Filete (sea bass fillet), camarones are shrimp — an ingredient that abounds on the menu. We had the huachinango ($13.99), which was very lightly battered, crispy on the outside and tender and juicy inside, served with fresh avocado, rice and vegetables. The Carne Campestre, ($8.99) thinly sliced beef served with grilled veggies, rice and tortillas, was similar to a fajita. The roasted jalapeno had a kick, so we got a horchata, (a sweet, milky rice water) sweet enough to be a dessert and milky enough to quell the fire within. Proprietor Victoria Ruiz hails from Las Palmas, Mexico (15 minutes from Puerto Vallarta). Her menu has obvious differences from others in the area. It’s equatable to the difference between northern and southern Italian cuisines. Omaha is a hotbed of northern Mexican food; here it’s pure southern. The menu is large, brimming with fresh seafood and out-of-the-ordinary offerings. Don’t miss the Caldo de Siete Mares (soup of the seven seas) ($12.99) containing camaron, pescado, pulpo, almeja, abulon, jaiba, and callo de hacha (a broth soup of shrimp, fish, octopus, crab, mussels) which six of us shared as an appetizer, and coctel de camaron, ($9.99) a cold shrimp soup similar to shrimp cocktail, served grandly in a footed clear dish. We shared the camarones autarchies, which are fresh shrimp ceviche cold “cooked” in a mix of spices and acidic components. Don’t be put off by the beautiful green sauce, somehow spicy, yet cool and refreshing at the same time. Ruiz learned to cook at home with her mother and has created a menu (with the help of her sister) that includes fresh combinations prepared to order.One family favorite is “burned hot sauce”, her grandmother’s “mistake.” After burning tomatoes while roasting them for her homemade hot sauce she decided to use the tomatoes, and to her surprise everybody loved it. “Burned salsa” became a family favorite and then a favorite among diners. Prices range $1.49 to $15.99; most items weigh in around the $8 range. There are children’s dinners (para los ninos) for $4.99, including rice and beverage. The restaurant has been open just a few months and Ruiz is still settling in. Planned menu additions include an old family recipe of sea bass stuffed with veggies and shrimp with hot sauce, more seafood dishes and an English version of the menu. , Los Girasoles, 3223 Q St., is open Sun.-Thurs., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and Fri.-Sat., 10 a.m.-midnight Limited delivery is available. Call 614.9706 for more information. |