In case you haven't noticed, lower State Street is undergoing \Burritofication."" The newest chain restaurant to hit the neighborhood, Chipotle, 658 State St., dishes out tacos and/or burritos at their slick, modern operation.
With lots of ""authentic"" Mexican artwork, stylish lighting and furniture that would make Andy Warhol proud, Chipotle certainly appears to have coolness down to a formula. This should come as no surprise, since Chipotle's majority owner is McDonald's.
While Ronald and Grimace are nowhere to be seen amongst the fake-industrial fixtures, the place definitely has a canned feel. The menus, whose most prominent features are the Chipotle logo, seem more like direct marketing than dining guides.
This is all well and good, however, because apparently their food is decent and cheap, and they buy from local food distributors. Personally, I have yet to try anything at the place. Something about the focus-group oriented philosophy of McDonald's latest brand doesn't quite sit right with me.
Instead of eating test-marketed, boutique-friendly, quasi-Mexican food, I prefer authentic Mexican cuisine. At the very least, the restaurant in question should have some concrete connection to the Old World.
This isn't exactly the case with Chipotle, which was started in Denver, hometown of its founder, Steve Ells, who trained at The Culinary Institute of America.
By contrast, Ismael Moore-Barbosa, a native Colombian, founded Madison's own Amigos Restaurant after years of getting his hands greasy with salsa and refried beans.
Barbosa worked in Milwaukee, home of the area's top Mexican restaurants, learning recipe secrets at La Fuente and Jalisco, two of the city's best. Amigos Restaurant is the culmination of a decade of learning and hard work.
Clearly, it is a work still in progress, but one that shows promise. The exterior of the restaurant would likely make Steve and his pals at Chipotle snicker, as it is a chaotic mess of an unfinished paint job accented by poor signage.
Upon entering the restaurant, the d??cor seems to be slightly more organized, but equally eccentric. A giant rubber shark stares down with comic ferocity and a giant fishnet adorned with rubber seafood gives the bar a supermarket feel.
Still, the place exudes a warm honesty impossible to find at a fast-food joint. Grass fronds give the booths a nice ambience and a roll of paper towel at every table hints that Ismael and his amigos don't mind if you make a mess.
I made ample use of the towels as I tore into complimentary chips and salsa. The homemade chips feature a crunchy texture, but are also a little too much on the dry side. Ismael's own salsa could also use some tweaking, as it suggested lots of flavor with an aroma that hints of cilantro and garlic, but it was too watery to bring out much taste.
Perhaps this is a trick by Ismael, who probably learned a few sneaky moves in Brew Town restaurants. The disappointing salsa immediately had me yearning for something more substantial, and I was immediately gratified when I tried the chile con queso.
With a sweet base of saut??ed poblano peppers and onions oozing with buttery Chihuahua cheese, the queso made me immediately forget the salsa. Having worked at a Mexican restaurant and dined at dozens more, I can still say Amigos has the best chile con queso I have ever eaten.
While the waitress was friendly and somewhat attentive, I did have to ask for more chips after I extinguished the first basket on the queso. Still, she got my order correct, and I gladly accepted the heaping mass of food.
The tostada, while serviceable, was a little disappointing, as the shell was too dry and it needed more veggies. Still, the pork was excellent, lightly seasoned and cooked to a tender, juicy texture.
Better suited to the pork was the flauta, a lightly fried enchilada. The shell was fried expertly, crisp on the outside and doughy in the middle, combining well with the meat inside.
My taco was most definitely prepared in the Mexican style, two leathery but soft corn tortillas warmly wrapped around a nice ensemble of lettuce and tomato. I opted for a veggie taco, and the beans, refried vegetarian-style (not in lard) were a nice hearty balance to the sweet rice, seasoned with tomato and chile powder.
Everything was generously coated in Monterey Jack cheese, and was entirely filling. Luckily, I had enough room for sopapillas for desert, which along with the queso, was the meal's highlight.
The traditional favorite featured bananas and strawberries mashed together in a nice gooey paste, wrapped in an enchilada shell and fried. The deserts are then covered in chocolate sauce, and the combination of different sweet textures is delectable.
On the whole, Amigos was a totally enjoyable experience and I wish Ismael much success in his second year of operation. He serves a much more authentic product than any corporate franchise ever would, and he deserves your business.
