Guaca Mole Cocina Mexicana

Holy Guaca-Mole is all I'm sayin'! Very happy to see Cristina & Fernando Martinez back home in Louisville. The interminable absence only made acceptable by their new restaurant located in a vacated Applebees at 9921 Ormsby Station Rd. Talking to Fernando last night he said it was in very sad shape when they got into the renovations. But they have done a very fine job in opening the space up and injecting it with color and vibrancy and removing any vestige of chain restaurant look. Tables and cushioned benches are well spaced and comfortable. Varied bowls, baskets, sculptures and lavishly colored paintings render a relaxed atmosphere. Particularly striking were the trio of skeleton sculptures adorned in Dia de los Muertos finery.
While the restaurant was very busy last night we didn't need to scream at each other to have a conversation, a recent trend in poor acoustics that have plagued us in some new eateries.

Enrique was our server and I'm looking forward to many meals under his care. Friendly, informative and unobtrusive were the trademarks of his craft. It's always a pleasure to see a friendly smile greet you and continue through the meal.

A quick glance at the dinner menu shows that while the familiar names remain the same the execution is what is eagerly anticipated. Of the extensive menu here is what we sampled last night:

We started with the Smoked Fish Taquitos which were presented in a wooden plank with individual place holders for each taquito. Think tiny tacos filled with crispy shallots, lettuce, capers, smoked fish, lemon oil with a pickled jalapeno perched on top. All the flavors balanced well with a fresh smoked fish flavor dominant. Love the pickled jalapenos.

Next up was the Queso Fundido. It comes with or without chorizo, substituting sauteed mushrooms for those preferring no meat. We went carnivore! It arrives in a cast iron vessel the size of a large fist. Alongside is a basket of fresh corn tortillas. Gooey Oaxaca and jack cheese, sauteed onions and rajas on the side. Queso on steroids!

A trio of guacamoles arrived all in a row on the serving dish. The traditional style, a Yucateco and a Con Chicharron. The Yucateco has grilled corn, roasted poblano peppers, pickled red onions and plantain totopos. The Con Chicharron included radish, queso fresco, pepitas and crunchy pork rinds. All 3 were imaginative and delicious.

For our mains we were all headed in the same direction: Carnitas! Since the wife and son ordered them I decided to veer into the taco selection. I ordered Al Pastor tacos. Marinated pork, cilantro, onions and smoked pineapple salsa. Three of a perfect pair (sorry, King Crimson flashback) arrived and these were served on top of masa tortillas. Sweet pork meets smoky pineapple. A bowl of white rice and delicious black beans rounded out the order.

When the carnitas arrived for the son and beautiful bride I'll be honest and say I wished I had ordered it. Moist pork morsels with a crisp outer skin rested on a tomatillo sauce cushion. A wavy line of crema and pickled onions adorned the top. A bowl of rice and black beans also complemented their order.

When our son took his first bite of carnitas he actually put his fork down and turned to me wide eyed. I quote him here, "That is the best thing I have ever tasted." Here sits a young man that has eaten all style and cultures of food in many different places and countries. Not a snobby gourmand type, just one who loves the flavor and brilliance a good meal and what it means to people. I turned to him, frankly amazed to hear that. He said "You must taste this". Wasting no time I forked up a bite. Now, I can honestly say that I have a short list of adjectives that are all tired and over used and none of them would adequately describe the flavor combination I was experiencing. I could only think of one word: Transcendent. Smoky, moist, crunchy, sweet, pickled sour, tangy all pinpoint balanced on the taste buds. I may never have anything else from the menu again.

I can't seem to recall much more after that. We finished the meal with a trio of house made ice cream. Pistachio, Pina Colada and Cajeta which were all very good.

A warm, heartelt welcome home to the Familia Martinez! Well done to all of you. We look forward to many more enjoyable meals together.

Oh, Ed. The food sounded divine. Can't wait to eat there. Thank you for sharing.

We attended a preview night and had a fantastic evening!

Fernando and Cristina were wonderful hosts. We love what they've done with the space: as previously mentioned, it's a vibrant, colorful space that ends up feeling upscale; it also has one of the nicest bars in the area- I can definitely see this becoming a hotspot for the area, like Mojitos is for it's area.

Most of Fernando's dishes were taking a authentic mexican classics and making them his own- in a fantastic way. We started with the Queso Fundido, with excellent housemade chorizo and housemade corn tortillas. This is not your traditonal queso- it was a smallish portion topped with grilled onions- wrapped in the corn tortillas, it was a excellent starter.

The menu excels in offering "samplers " of multiple flavors- one of our favorite ways to eat. There were trios for both guacamoles and seviche. We went with the 3 seviches, which were very good ( and served with great house corn chips); our favorite was the shrimp in a wonderful, somewhat spicy red sauce. Fantastic ( !) - we will definitely enjoy this again with a drink at the bar.

For dinner we ordered the chicken w/ poblano mole ( 1/2 roasted local chicken with excellent mole- very mild), paired with dry rose ( at Cristina's suggestion)- an excellent pairing. And we had the carnitas ! What can I say that Ed hasn't already said?.... They were incredible- melt in your moth tender inside, with this wonderful crisp crust. And the tomatillo sauce and pickled red onion were a perfect counterpoint. These are my favorite carnitas ever.

The entrees are in the $11-14 range- very well-priced for this quality of food. A kid's menu is promised, and will be much more than " typical" kid's food.( Yay!) I asked about Oaks & Derby ( this would be a great festive casual place to go to after track), and Fernando promises they'll be doing something special. We are THRILLED that this place is so close to our house; what a fantastic addition to the area!

They are opening this Wednesday night, folks! Go check it out and welcome Fernando & Cristina back to Louisville.

Deb

We attended a preview night and had a fantastic evening!

Fernando and Cristina were wonderful hosts. We love what they've done with the space: as previously

They are opening this Wednesday night, folks! Go check it out and welcome Fernando & Cristina back to Louisville.

Deb

How long until we assemble the advance team?

We also attend a preview night. Hubby got the carnitas. Ditto all the previous comments. I of course had volunteered to eat on behalf of Louisville's vegetarians. A girls' gotta take one for the team, yaknow.

We started with the chips and salsa which comes as a selection of three salsas - tomato based chunky, tomatillo, and a third, I believe based on haberneros. Loved the third, but each was excellent. We followed that with the trio of guacamoles. You should consider this dish required eating. Three different guacs, one traditional, one with pepitas and pork rind (I just tossed those on hubby's plate) and a third with roasted corn and picked onions.

I chose the vegetarian tamale. I love tamales and so rarely can get them as they're usually filled with pork. This was an explosion of flavor - plantains, masa, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, crema and more.

For dessert (we're troopers) we had the flan and the chocolate tres leches. The flan was FABulous, perfectly cooked (it can be tricky, but Fernando's got the technique) with a pina colada ice cream and raspberry coulis. Save room.

I had the tres leches. Now let me say that I've had reportedly excellent tres leches at the La Fonda hotel in Santa Fe. I could certainly appreciate the fine chocolate used in this version (callebaute). My issue is texture, I think. To me it's just soggy cake. If you like that sort of thing, then I predict you will love the chocolate tres leches. I can appreciate it as a fine example of the genre.

We talked with Christina quite a bit and she is absolutely delightful. She and Fernando are the perfect hosts.

I predict this restaurant will be packin' 'em in from opening night forward. The space is lovely, the price point is extremely fair, the food is flavorful, expertly prepared and beautifully plated.

Our server was one of the best we've ever experienced, anywhere. Unfortunately I didn't get a name.

And I think I've crossed over into curmudgeon territory, as I said "The music's too damn loud" about 8 times. My first clue was when the hostess, taking just one look at us said, "I was going to sit you over here near the band, but I'll bet you'd prefer to be on the other side of the room away from the band, yes?"

The short review is, "Go."

We need an offline.

How long until we assemble the advance team?

Holy frijoles! It's rare to see such rave reviews for a place that's not even officially open yet. David drop me a message if you decide to go here soon and want some company. This will have to be a solo visit for me otherwise! Cheers

Is this finally a place I can send all my Texan, Arizonan, and New Mexican friends so they'll quit whining about how we don't have any decent Mexican food in Louisville?

Is this finally a place I can send all my Texan, Arizonan, and New Mexican friends so they'll quit whining about how we don't have any decent Mexican food in Louisville?

Jeff-
It depends on what they are looking for. MY answer would be a raving " Yes", but the foods all have a delectable twist to authentic recipes. For example, I'm told the Taco el Pastor has a smoky pineapple marmalade on it; carnitas are not in the taco, they are served along aside of them and served atop a tomatillo sauce and topped with a drizzle of crema and picked red onions.
( Am I making you drool yet? )
Deb

I agree with all the reviews. We sat at the bar and had a great dinner listening to a fabulous band. Again the acoustics are perfect. Our guapo cubano bar tender was no other than Fernando's son. He just arrived from Cuba a few years ago and I was amazed to know he learned English in just that time. The atmosphere is light and airy. They really did a good job changing that venue into their own look. Ahhh...and the food. From the little appetizer tacos to the seafood combo seviche everything was great. This restaurant will do very well.

Are they open for business now?

Wednesday 4 April is opening day.

Are they open for business now?

Wednesday 4 April is opening day.

Excellent. I was about to ask when all us plebes were gonna get in, hahah.

I'm hoping to have the menu later today to share with you all.

Deb

Wonderful dinner last night. The seviche trio was very good- the shrimp was so good I could bathe in it, the salmon was buttery with a pop of beet.
The duck flautas were rich and delicious. I got my carnitas on a sopa and they were as special as everyone has said. So were the tacos al pastor- pulled pork with a fabulous smoked pineapple relish.
The scallops were perfectly cooked and served with pepitas and a (maybe) tomatillo salsa with pickled fennel. Very light and refreshing with all the meat.
Thanks so much to Fernando and Christina for bringing new interesting Mexican to Louisville.
I can't wait to go back.

I was finally able to coax the menu out of Cristina ; she wanted it posted here first:

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Guaca-Mole_Dinner_Menu_Page_2.jpg

Yum!
Deb