What:
Nuevo Latino cuisine
Where: Next to Jimmy Buffett’s
Price Range: $$$
Cover: $7 after 10:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday
Hours: aily 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for food; club stays open until 2:00 a.m. Thursday to Saturday
Reservations: None
This restaurant and part-time nightclub salutes one of the newer ethnic groups to get stirred into the cultural menudo that is the United States — the natives of the 21 Spanish-speaking nations that lie south of the border. It does this most notably through its pan-South-American cuisine. If you’re thinking of Tex-Mex cliches with their heavy leaden sauces, think again. The cooking style here draws its inspiration from traditional recipes but reinterprets them in very modern fashion.
The large, two-level space with its arching blue walls creates the illusion of a sultry tropical night in the ruins of an ancient city. The first-floor stage is flanked by two massive Aztec gods and backed by what surely must be the Andes. Upstairs, a balcony seating area looks down on the spacious dance floor in front of the stage.
The food here is hearty but unexceptional. The kitchen makes a stab at so-called Nuevo Latino cuisine, with its elaborate presentations, but falls far short of the standards set by the best restaurants in this genre.
Among the appetizers ($8 to $13), the cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped grilled shrimp is a real winner. Salads ($4 to $13) are delicious and make an excellent choice if you’d like a light meal. Try the chicken breast or the grilled Chilean salmon over greens.
The entrees ($10 to $28) were designed with the he-man meat-lover in mind. The Churrasco Skirt Steak takes the humble skirt steak, rolls it up into a tower and serves it over a bed of garbanzos, ham, and chorizo. The Gaucho Steak is a massive rib eye steak served with roasted garlic boniato mashed potatoes. Among the seafood entrees ($18 to $26) the more interesting choices include the Caribbean crusted mahi mahi and the Paella Latin Quarter, a mélange of shellfish served over Spanish rice. They also do a daily special with Chilean sea bass that is worth considering. There is a separate menu section highlighting a variety of fajitas ($15 to $17).
The desserts ($6) include a caramelized banana custard and mango cheesecake. To ease the strain on the family pocketbook, a kids’ menu featuring $6 meals is offered.
Drinkers have their choice of a lengthy menu of specialty drinks that salute various Latin American countries ($7 to $9). Mixed drink enthusiasts could do worse than set a goal to sample them all. For the less adventuresome, beer is also served and it makes an excellent accompaniment to most of the dishes. A small wine list is offered ($24 to $48).
In the evening, on Thursday (Ladies’ Night) through Saturday, Latin Quarter features low-key, live entertainment. Typically it will be an excellent flamenco guitarist, playing on the outdoor patio when the weather cooperates or indoors when it doesn’t. At 10:30, Latin Quarter turns up the heat with a Latin D.J.
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