[Restaurant Review
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The Heart of Oaxaca in the Heart of Little Italy
Nestled in among Little Italy’s quaint streets, Indigo Grill does anything but blend in with its surroundings. Amongst the street lamps, and twinkling lights, cactuses dot the sides of the building leading up to the door. The excitement slowly builds to the burst of Southwestern flair that greets us as we step inside. Warm earth tones of brown and taupe, dotted with symbols reminiscent of ancient runes, add an out-of-the-ordinary zest to the space. Clear glass mosaic figures and squares, strategically placed in parts of the restaurant, lend a modern touch to the Southwestern decor. Despite this exotic atmosphere, the inviting smells give a feeling of home.
Much of the inspiration for the restaurant as well as the food comes directly from Oaxaca, Mexico, a place close to Chef Deborah Scott’s heart, and a place where she’s spent a lot of time. But infused with that southwestern Oaxaca flavor is a bit of Native American and many other flavor and style infusions from across the Western U.S. It’s easy to see that a lot of heart and soul went into putting together every intricate detail. The bar in the middle of the restaurant appears to attract an eclectic crowd, welcoming a variety of middle-of-the-week celebrants. Tiny flickering candles on every table transform each space into an intimate private world, within the bustling sea of activity.
The place is pretty full on this Tuesday night, although it doesn’t feel overcrowded. As we sit eagerly at our table by the window, anticipating the meal that awaits us, I am amused by the amount of guests I see staring in awe as their dishes are brought to them. Our server, Theresa, recommends some of the popular drink selections. We choose the Cucumber Black Pepper martini, a cocktail containing Hendricks gin, dry vermouth, simple syrup, and cucumber with a black pepper rim. The smell of cucumber is the first thing I notice as I bring the drink closer. A splash of the liquid spilling over my lips brings an instant bite from the black pepper and the gin, after which I am left with a pleasant aftertaste that reminds me of the snacks my mother used to fix my brother and I as children-- simple slices of fresh cucumber with pepper sprinkled on top. With each sip of the drink, however, a different flavor comes out; it proves to be a spicy yet refreshing start to our evening.
We are brought the popular Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, which reflects the Oaxacan influences the restaurant, with similar Mexican design motifs in and around the liquid. The white uneven shape of the enormous bowl is accented by a corn husk sticking out of the middle of the soup, imprinted with the name of the restaurant. The combination of these two shapes is reminiscent of a sailboat out of the ocean. As we dig into our “ocean”, I can smell the nutmeg, cinnamon, and various spices used to add a wondrous blend of flavor to this decadent creation. Garnished with cilantro, pepitas, and a succotash of bell peppers and corn, and a slice of warm flatbread on the side the dish pays a sweet homage to Oaxacan flavors while simultaneously referencing San Diego, with the sailboat shape akin to those in the Coronado harbor. I am at once overwhelmed by the amount of tastes blended into one soup. The spices are very homey and comforting, like the kitchen during the holidays, which, along with the sweetness of the butternut squash, make for an expert blend of sweet and spicy, that complement without being overpowering.. The smooth texture of the creamy soup glides down easily while the pico de gallo and pepitas add texture and crunch. The flatbread is also a nice dipping partner for the soup, adding hints of salty parmesan and biting scallion. Although we already begin to feel full from this substantial soup, we try to pace ourselves in anticipation of the next dish.
The Stacked Beet Salad is another generous portion of earth tones. The vibrant segments of orange stand out among the greens and reds of the rest of the salad. Dried beets are served on top of warmed beets, and various greens are drenched in a caraway lime vinaigrette. A breadstick in the shape of a tentacle looms out of the salad, possibly part of one of the Oaxacan creature designs we see throughout the restaurant. The warm beets add concentrated flavor, and between those and the dried beets, would urge any non-beet-lover to come around to this unique vegetable. The lime vinaigrette gives a subtle refreshment to the salad, an “ahh” for my mouth. Shaved fresh fennel adds to the flavor by giving it even more texture, and a slightly sweet crunch. We pace ourselves with the salad though, for it is fast filling us up.
During our meal Chef Deborah Scott herself pops in to say hello, and gives us a sample of another popular soup, the Tortilla Soup. This has almost the same texture as the butternut squash soup, but a very different flavor. It is delicious creamy concoction, with tortilla strips sticking out of it and adding a crisp crunchiness, and a taste that is like biting into a warm corn tortilla.
For the main course, my guest and I select two different delectable entrees from our helpful server’s recommendations. I choose the Pipian–Rojo Chicken Breast: two towers constructed from whole chicken breasts and polenta cakes, resting on two neat, little spaghetti squash boats. They swim in puddles of the pipian-rojo sauce, which wafts up to my nose in a mixture of sweet, spicy, and hints of cinnamon before I can even take a bite. After disassembling the towers, the stuffing of goat cheese, bacon, cranberries, and arugula ooze out of the tender and plump chicken pieces, offering little surprises for my mouth. The bitterness of the goat cheese complements the sweet marinade of the chicken, while the cranberries and bacon offer parallel salty-sweet complements. The polenta cakes add a tad more sweetness to the dish, while still allowing for their glorious corn flavor to come out.
My guest’s dish is the Flat Iron Chimichurri. The eye-catching arrangement of the food resembles a mosaic of colors on the plate. The steak is cut into slices and artistically dispersed on the plate with the beans and honey-chili glazed quesadilla ”painted” with white sauce designs. We both sink our teeth right into the flat iron steak. It is fabulously tender, with just a hint of flavor from the Chimichurri, a marinade for meat from Argentina, made with chopped parsley or cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, apple, and paprika with olive oil. It is well accented by its sides: the sweetness of the honey mingles with the salty cheese in the quesadilla and the creamy white sauce adds richness to beans, while the pico de gallo and the Indian corn pudding additional side dish add doses of spice.
My guest and I both gape as we see our dessert heading toward us and mouth to each other, “Is that ours?” Our Chocolate Volcan is a massive mountain of caramel ice cream topping a brownie cake with swirls of chocolate spattered everywhere. Perhaps most impressive, though, is the enormous white chocolate sculpture sticking out of the dish. Our server informs us that each sculpture is different for each customer, meaning that the white chocolate is made fresh. Our figure resembles a shrimp or some sort of crustacean, with design motifs reflective of the heart-of-Mexico theme of the evening. The brownie is still steaming as we cram our spoons into it eagerly, trying to get both the brownie and ice cream together. The caramel in the ice cream is subtle, and mixes well with the warm, gooey chocolate explosion of the brownie. We each break pieces off of the white chocolate figure, adding a bit of a sweet crunch to the rest of the dessert. We slowly savor this invigorating treat, mostly because we are too full to eat too fast, but also because we don’t want this delicious meal to end.
When the crustacean figure that we are trying to eat around finally falls over for lack of support, we decide the time has come to end our meal. As we walk out, I savor the last few minutes of the warm earthly glow we’re leaving behind, and enjoy the stomach full of hearty food I am taking home with me.
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