G
uaca Mole, a
new addition to
an expanding
number of ethnic restaurants in Louisville, opened
its doors in the spring of
2012. It is billed as a Cocina Mexicana, but in reality it is much more than that. It can aptly be
described as a Fusion Latino restaurant because
of varied Hispanic culinary influences. It is located in an area of North Hurstbourne Parkway
across the street from UPS headquarters and
flanked by many other corporate offices in a
location that used to be the site of an Applebee’s
restaurant.
The décor is warm and inviting with brilliant
tropical colors; walls are painted with green,
lime, orange and yellow colors. An Aztec calendar graces one wall along with sculptures of
tree frogs and other Latin artifacts scattered
about the restaurant. Next to the bar are life-size
skeletons in party regalia commemorating the
Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos), reminding us to enjoy and relish each day of our brief
lives fully (viva la vida).
Fernando Martinez, his wife, Christina Martinez, and his cousin Yaniel Martinez are the
brains behind the day-to-day activities at the
restaurant. Their story is an amazing success
story of immigrants to the United States who
have the willingness, entrepreneurial spirit and
wherewithal to attain their dreams in this land
of opportunity. Born and raised in Cuba, they
drew inspiration and looked forward to their
grandmother’s Sunday dinners and learned
cooking techniques by watching her intently
in her kitchen. Fernando came to the United
States in 1994 on a self-built raft with his family
but was stopped by the Coast Guard near Key
West. After spending a year in Guantanamo Bay,
his asylum application was approved and a permanent visa granted. He came to Louisville and
worked at Ernesto’s and later opened his own
highly successful restaurants, Havana Rumba in
2002 and Mojito’s in 2007. After a decade, Yaniel
had joined him at his businesses. Wanderlust
for exploring new opportunities and learning
new culinary techniques compelled Fernando
to sell his two restaurants in 2009. He traveled
to Paris to study at the Le Cordon Bleu College, moved to Venezuela to start a new hotel/
restaurant venture (local politics squashed that
dream, however), went to Peru and Oaxaca,
Mexico, and Florida to explore New World cuisine with Hispanic influence. After several stints
as a regarded chef at some fine establishments in
Florida, he decided to move back to Louisville
and opened a unique restaurant, Guaca Mole.
Guacamole is a ubiquitous dip in Mexican
restaurants (and also in some Mediterranean
restaurants like Grape Leaf on Frankfort Avenue), with mashed ripe avocados, onions, cilantro, tomato, garlic, peppers and lime juice.
Guacamole at the namesake restaurant comes
in three different renditions. We have faithfully
stuck with the traditional guacamole, but two
others called Yucateco (with grilled corn and
roasted poblanos) and Con Chicharron (with
pumpkin seeds, radish and pork rinds) or a
sampler of all three are available. Corn chips
with three kinds of salsas are unique to Guaca
Mole, and the cost of $1.99 is most certainly
worth it. Ceviches are seafood dishes that are
marinated in lime juice and other condiments
and include salmon, mussels, calamari and scallops. The lunch menu includes several sandwiches with generous portions and includes
smoked fish, adobo chicken, carne asada (beef
tips) and vegetarian. Fries can be had with dark
chocolate-based mole sauce and cheese.
I have always enjoyed the presentation of
their varied dishes. Many customers can be
seen taking pictures of the dishes with their
handy smartphones. I particularly like the Short
Ribs Enfrijoladas, braised beef ribs delightfully
tender and savory with black bean sauce and
rice, and Salmon Pibil, pan-roasted fish steak
with rice, plantains and poblano cream sauce.
My wife, Sally, has enjoyed (and I have sampled)
the Carne Asada, grilled skirt steak with garlic
thyme marinade and corn tortillas, and Pepian
Verde, seared scallops with toasted pumpkin
seeds, pickled fennel and orange salad. One
can make a meal out of the tapas, including
appetizers (fish tacos, for example), sopes (small
corn shells with toppings like short ribs, chicken
tinga) or one of various salads.
Dining at Guaca Mole is a fulfilling experience with superb service, friendly waiting staff
and expertly prepared and beautifully presented
unique Fusion Latino fare. LM
Note: Dr. Seyal practices Cardiovascular Diseases
with Floyd Memorial Medical Group-River Cities
Cardiology.
RESTAURANT
REVIEW
Guaca Mole
9921 Ormsby Station Road
Louisville, KY 40223
502-365-4822
http://on.fb.me/guaca-mole
Reviewed by M. Saleem
Seyal, MD, FACC, FACP
January 2014
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