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Having just returned from my 11th excursion to central and Pacific coastal Mexico, and having, for the 11th time, consumed three times my weight in that glorious cuisine — street and otherwise — the opening of Chino Latino (“Street food from the hot zones”) in Uptown Minneapolis more than piqued my interest. What would they be offering from my beloved Mexico? Would it be the roasted corn on the cob, sprinkled with chilis and lime? Or would it be the steamed pork tacos, stuffed with bits of onion and a mere swipe of salsa? Had the owners actually gone to Michoacan, to Uruapan or Morelia, and sampled the street pancakes, grilled and served with caramelized goat’s milk? Maybe there would be chicharrones, so popular in the public squares. Or possibly someone had figured out a way to duplicate the ice cream sold from carts on every street corner. Could Parasole Restaurant Holdings (Manny’s, Figlio, Oceanaire) really bring the cuisine of the street to the people, with the look of the street, the price of the street, the best flavor of the street? The answers to those questions must wait until I tell you about Los Portales Restaurant, a new Mexican café near the intersection of Lake and Minnehaha. Opened only a few weeks ago, Los Portales’ kitchen is putting out fine Mexican fare (much of which you’ll find on the streets in that country), with a minimum of fuss, and even less of décor. That’s not to say the place is unappealing or the presentation and preparation is less than it should be. On the contrary, the plastic-over-colorful-cloth topped tables and the bits of wall decoration (a few hats, flags, and plants) make you feel at home if you are a regular South of the Border traveler. This cozy environment (only 20 or so tables) is perfect for sampling a fairly wide range of typical Mexican choices. Every table gets a basket of hot tortilla chips and a couple of excellent salsas — one great dark red with specks of ground chili, the other a delicious tomatillo with onion. If you want a refill on this overflowing basket, it’s $1.85. There is a variety of pleasing botanas (appetizers) for a light meal or as a prelude to the larger entrées. For a mere $2.25, the sweet/smoky Tostada de Tinga — a fried corn tortilla piled with moist shredded chicken blended with chipotlé pepper and tomato — is a good accompaniment to sides of rice ($1.50) and beans ($1.50). Taco platters are in the $6 range and include rice and beans and three generous tacos on good tortillas. All the street favorites can be found on the taco list: carnitas (roasted pork), pastor (barbecued pork), asada (charbroiled steak), chicken, chorizo and lengua (tongue). No brain tacos (very common on the Mexican streets), but the list is quite adequate and gives you a good idea of what comidas (meals) are available outside the Mexican home. There are a number of soups, including the ubiquitous (but with a variety of different appellations in Mexico) caldo de pollo (chicken soup or broth with shredded chicken and a variety of additions — Los Portales’ version uses rice and vegetables), caldo camaron (shrimp soup) and menudo (tripe soup or stew). These soups are giant meals. You won’t need to order anything else with them, and at the $6 to $7 range, they are real bargains. More street food comes in the way of ceviche tostadas ($2.85) (fish cured in lime juice and mixed with chilis, cilantro and tomato), and various sopes (small masa shells filled with pico de gallo, cheeses and meats), one of the best and most common types of street fare to be found in Guadalajara. All of the entrée platters are enormous (in the $7 to $10 range) and can easily feed two people. From grilled shrimp in ranchera salsa to delectable homemade meat-stuffed tamales (as good as the steam wagon street variety), from the humongous tortas (meat, onion, avocado, jalapeno stuffed sandwiches for $5.95) to the burritos the size of boats, everything is simply prepared without a whiff of “presentation.” The only unpleasant surprise — and quite a large surprise! — is the kitchen’s use of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Why is an authentic Mexican restaurant not using authentic cheeses in its recipes? But that’s the only major gripe. The service is good, and one of the servers is excellent. He went above and beyond the call of duty when he discovered that the restaurant was out of fresh squeezed orange juice. He apologized, and then asked me if I would like some fresh limeade. He said, “I would be happy to make you some,” and he returned 10 minutes later with a whole pitcher for the table. On the streets of Mexico, for just a few cents, you can buy fresh limonada (sometimes limeade, sometimes lemonade) and it is given to you in a plastic bag with a little plastic straw sticking out of one corner. This was as good as the street stuff, and the whole pitcher cost a mere two bucks. Back to the “Street foods from the hot zones” at Chino Latino. While Los Portales does it simply, Chino Latino is mas complicado — with its high concept and its Uptown location across from the Gap. It is unfair to compare menus by the numbers, because there’s a few more tropical zones being covered at Chino Latino than at Los Portales. (I dare say there is a bit more financial backing behind the latter, too.) At this point, though, Chino Latino should come to grips with its own concept. If it is indeed a street food/tropic zone feel it wants, then someone erred big with the Disney/techno/tropic décor. The space is anything but “street”; the feel is big (there are several dining areas), the fabrics and wall adornments feel minimalist plush, and the day-glo guayabera shirts on the bus people are ridiculous rather than fun. The first thing you notice on the tables are the bouquets of Chino Latino emblazoned chopsticks. Don’t take one home — they are for sale ($4). So are the guayabera shirts (in mango or lime for $20). So are the wineglasses ($5), martini glasses ($5), pint glasses ($5), Chino Latino posters ($3), wristwatches ($39.99) and Chino Latino satin jackets ($150!!). (See the menu under Accessories.) The menu runs the gamut from “Little Dishes to Share” to “Bigger Dishes to Share” and a lot in between, covering Mexico, Indonesia, China, Cuba and a few other hot spots. It’s difficult to decide — the selection is large and interesting — but you would do best choosing items from several categories, keeping in mind that the portions are often large enough for two to four people. Two of us spent $55 ordering one tostada plate, one cup of soup, one sandwich, one basket of tortillas and one dessert. You get the picture? The Tostada Veracruzana, a hash of red snapper, capers and green olives on three crisp tortillas ($8.50) was mouth-puckering tart, but the fish was quite moist and flavorful. A garlicky and smooth-textured Cuban Black Bean Soup is $3.50 a cup or $11 a bowl. The Cemita Poblana (a submarine sized sandwich of barbacoa, avocado, queso fresco, cilantro and chipotlé) had fine flavor, but it lacked what the real Mexican street version has: moist meat, with good fatty meat sauce soaked into the bread. Chino Latino’s barbacoa is powdery dry. Fresh corn tortillas tasted old; they were warm, but dry and tasteless. (Our server told us they are not made on the premises, but someplace in St. Paul.) Only the Tres Leches (three milks) cake was as close to the original as I’ve ever tasted. But it’s $9 and the size of a paving brick, and Tres Leches cake does not keep well for the next day. So unless you are a party of 6, you’re really wasting food here. Chino Latino has a full range of satays, noodle dishes, stir fry, paella, and even a whole glazed suckling pig listed as the Bali Fertility Feast. The price of these large dishes averages $20 a plate. Chino Latino’s service is exceptional, from host to busperson. The drink list is extensive and well thought-out. But Parasole management needs to get back into the field — or on the street — for a little more research. Street fare is simple. And cheap. And nothing to be afraid of. And a classy cuisine in its own right. They might also consider taking down that insulting, tasteless, mean-spirited Chino Latino billboard on Hennepin Avenue. What were they thinking?

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