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Restaurateurs in other cities are realizing that many jaded urban diners eat out expecting to be entertained and want some spice in their surroundings as well. Richard Melman brings a sense of theater to all his Chicago theme restaurants, from '50s-style Ed Debevic's Short Orders/Deluxe to the Italian Scoozi. His new Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!, decorated in a contemporary Spanish style with a cobblestone court, features more than 35 tapas served by waiters in punk-toreador coats. "People want to be transported to a party in Spain," says Melman.
Or to a Latin American holiday. Such is the spirit of New York City's hot Cafe Iguana where a 16-foot crystal iguana named Ava Gardner dangles over the bar. The restaurant is divided into seven "vacation spots," including a tropical bar complete with a thatched roof. Proprietor Joyce Steins calls the offerings "vacation cuisine, or performance food," with a Tex-Mex accent. An interesting touch: a garnish tray with chopped black olives, onions, pickled carrots, jalapeno peppers, pico de gallo and cilantro is placed on every table. Observes Steins: "Americans crave an alternative to catsup. We place these condiments on the table the same way other restaurants place salt and pepper."
For diners who care less about being educated or entertained than being superbly fed, there are a growing number of upscale restaurants serving exotic delicacies with a Latin twist. At Dallas' luxurious Routh Street Cafe, Chef Stephen Pyles offers the ultimate in cross-cultural fare: lobster enchiladas with red pepper creme fraiche and caviar, and fillet of salmon with ancho chili tomatilloes. At Tamayo's, a $2.5 million restaurant located on the edges of East Los Angeles, appetizers include grilled marinated octopus and onion on corn tortillas, followed by such entrees as baked marinated milk-fed kid with ancho and arbol chili, or seasoned shrimp cooked in a stew of capers, olives and tomatoes. Says Tamayo's managing partner, Stan Kandel: "We've had people coming in saying, 'Where's the Mexican food, where are the burritos?' " There were, he admits, a few concessions to Anglo tastes. "We were very conscious of the spicing, that it not be too hot for some palates."
Once converted, however gently, to a variety of Latin flavoring, more and more cooks are trying their hand at home. According to industry analysts, Mexican food sales in the U.S. have jumped from $200 million in the early '70s to more than $1 billion last year. Grocery stores and produce markets are beginning to stock everything from taco shells and frozen burritos to such produce as jicama, cassava, cherimoya, yucca and papaya.
Albuquerque's Bueno Food Products has built a new plant to produce its microwavable frozen green chili stew and blue tortillas for sale nationwide. Campbell Soup has bought Puerto Rico-based Casera foods, and is considering introducing its line of Caribbean-style juices, beans, sauces and soups into mainstream markets. Goya Foods has chosen five easily marketed products for non-Hispanic consumers: nectars, Cream of Coconut, Sazon, Adobo and beans.