One of the hardest things for a restaurateur to ever do is to admit that their concept isnt working and to start from scratch. Its rare, but it happens, and one need look no further than Main Streets El Caminos for proof of it. You might already know the busy 45-seater as a place serving quality cocktails and Latin American street food to nightly packs of Riley Park cool kids, but before this past April it was the quiet Latitude, a rather slick and clean-lined Latin-themed wine bar serving prettily presented dishes inspired by the cuisines of Latin America.
If those two concepts sound remarkably similar, thats because they are. Aside from overhauling the food and drink menus, owners Wendy Nicolay, Nick Devine, Nigel Pike, David Nicolay (the same crew behind The Union, Habit Lounge, and The Cascade Room) only changed the name and fiddled slightly with the décor. Those small moves completely changed the vibe of the place, and the neighbourhood came in like they never had during Latitudes three-year existence.
Just the name change alone makes it more accessible. It might mean The Road in Spanish (minus the Spanglish possessive apostrophe), but El Camino entered the Canadian lexicon as something of a Hollywood stereotype, or at least as the vehicular extension of one. You might recall that an El Camino is a classic Chevrolet muscle car with a cult following, particularly in Southern California, and when most Canadians hear the words they likely picture Latino actor Danny Trejo cruising the barrios of Los Angeles in a souped up 1975 model while listening to Wars hit single Low Rider.
Translation: its a cool car, and a much better name than Latitude (which sounds straight up French for The Attitude). Beyond the name, theyve improved the interior by introducing a little whimsy. Theyve also kept the back wall of red wine-stained wood blocks, which was the restaurants main talking point motif until they emblazoned the wall with the words Nada como una revolución para curar la sed y el hambre, or Nothing like a revolution to cure thirst and hunger). How very fitting.
Of course, none of that would matter if the food is bad, but it isnt. The real trick is that it never was. The menu may have changed (its substantially more Mexican than pan-Latin), but its basically the same small and sharable concept, albeit with the much sexier, de rigueur suggestion of street food and a liquids emphasis that has shifted away from wine to cocktails.
Im particularly glad that theyve kept the golden brown chickpea fries (or a thinner facsimile thereof with smoked paprika aioli, and knocked a buck off the price (to $6). The most expensive items such as the full pound of zippy anillo del fuego chicken wings and the messy Peruvian stir fry on patas fritas weigh in at $12 apiece. Not bad when you remember that Latitudes prices went as high as $20.
I loved the empanadas, especially the ones stuffed with chorizo and squirty guasacaca a (an avocado-based condiment with some zing to it). Each of the five tacos are worth trying. The taste of the slow roasted pork in the carnitas version came close to being overwhelmed by a pickled escabeche but was saved by a bridging queso blanco. The same pork showed better in its arepas incarnation, when it is combined with a punchy chipotle slaw and banana peppers inside a grilled corn pocket. The best taco of the lot was the carne asada with its tender, well-seasoned and perfectly grilled beef topped with horseradishy Jack and a swamp green plop of guasacaca.
Two of the big sub-style sandwiches aka bocadillos stood out. One was a chimichurri and short-rib monster with manchego cheese and a load of arugula (impossible to finish), and the other was the vegetarian Verdurajo, which saw layers of avocado, manchego, lettuce, and tomato amplified by fire roasted peppers and a punchy corn salsa.
To supplement a shared supper, go in for one or two of the little side dishes, such as the papas chorreados a Colombian combo of potatoes, cream, cheese, onion, and tomato. And for drinks and dessert, stick close to any of former Bartender of the Year Nick Devines cocktail creations (or just go traditional with a proper margaritas), and give in to the mindless indulgence of their flourless chocolate cake with coconut gelato and chocolate ganache.
The service is casual, quick, and pragmatic as in the bartender will deliver a drink to a table while shaking another for a different table. It was fine before, but it feels better somehow.
Bottom line: EI Caminos is nothing fancy, which is to say that its the ideal neighbourhood restaurant. Everything about the place just clicks, and when that happens, you dont change a thing.
ElCaminos.ca | 3250 Main |
604-875-6246
