Frida's: The art and heart of Mexico served to Napa

By SASHA PAULSEN
Napa Valley Register

Sometimes your fate can be decided by a haircut. This was the case of Arturo Delgadillo, who had been working as a chef at Compadres in Yountville for 20 years when he learned the restaurant would be closing at that location.

Delgadillo had been thinking about going out on his own and opening a restaurant, and he said he began wondering if this might be the time.

Then he went for a haircut at Pueblo Beauty Salon, owned by Maria Fernandez. Fernandez, also the owner Costa Rio restaurant in Napa, was dividing her time between the two businesses, while her husband, Yul Vierra, manned the stoves. Vierra, however, preferred working the front of the house in restaurants.  "I like talking to people," he explained.

Fernandez was thinking about making some changes, even perhaps selling the restaurant — until she overheard Delgadillo talking about the upcoming changes at Compadres. And she got an idea.

As a result, Fernandez, Vierra and Delgadillo joined forces to open Frida's Mexican Grill on Trancas Street, and word spread about the dynamic partnership — and the outstanding food Delgadillo is creating in the kitchen.

The inspiration for the new venture is the brilliant and flamboyant Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

"Since I was little I was interested in Frida," Fernandez told the Register. "When I was 16, I went to her house in Cuernavaca."

Fernandez and Vierra, with help from their family,  renovated the old restaurant, and repainted it in "Mexican colors," Fernandez said, "especially cherry red, which was Frida's favorite color."

 They painted the tile floor a warm terra cotta and added paintings, including portraits of Kahlo. The piece de resistance, however, is the life-sized mural, painted by Fernandez and Vierra, that greets visitors arriving at Frida's: A portrait of the artist in traditional Mexican dress and holding a letter to one of her many lovers, Leon Trotsky "con todo mi amor ..."

"I want to give credit to my brothers, Juan and Martin Hurtado," Fernandez said, for their extensive help renovating.

Fernandez grew up in Zamora, Michoacan, where her father owned a restaurant for 35 years. "All the family worked in the restaurant," she said. She learned to cook from her father, she said, but she readily admits with a laugh, "when someone else knows how to cook, I let them."

Her father also taught her, "don't work for someone else, if you can work for yourself," she recalled, and after she came to Napa she kept this in mind. "I started picking grapes," she said, "but I wanted something more."

She went to beauty school in Napa and opened her shop 13 years ago. "I love to transform people," she said, "to make people feel beautiful."

Still, she kept the idea of opening a restaurant in mind and three years ago was able to open Costa Rio, but with the opening of Frida's and the partnership with Delgadillo, the plan is to take Mexican food far beyond the typical burritos and tacos offered as standard Mexican fare.

"Arturo is an excellent chef," she said, "but I  know about business." And with Vierra managing the front of the house with style and grace, they're a powerhouse trio.

A dazzler of a menu

Delgadillo gives credit to Alfonso Narvarro of Compadres who taught him much about cooking. "I am really grateful to Alfonso Navarro," he said. Still, even while he was cooking at Compadres, he was getting ideas for changes he'd make to some of the dishes.

For Frida's he's designed an extensive menu that includes traditional offerings with his own special touches — a daily freshly made tamale; seven kinds of enchiladas, including a vegetarian version ($7.95 for one; $12.95 for two); deep fried chimichangas with a tomatillo, avocado and ancho chile sauce ($8.95), a burrito made with the "best carnitas in town" ($9.95, served with marinated vegetables and cole slaw) and tacos, made with marinated port, canitas  steak or chicken  ($5.95 for two, $6.95 for the carne asada or $12.95 for a combo platter of one of each kind) — along with other dishes that provide "some things that are different" to give an idea of the rich variety of Mexican cuisine.

"We have moles from Oaxaca, carnitas from Michoacan, and ensalata from Jalisco, fish tacos from Baja," he said.

But there's more, much more.

Here's the place to find meats cooked al pastor marinated in a delicious blend of spices. "People think of al pastor as being for pork," Delgadillo said, "but it's also really good with chicken."

His Pollo al Pastor is one half of a chicken, marinated 24 hours, baked and then finished on the grill. It's served with a grilled corn on the cob with chipotle butter and a Caesar salad ($13.95).

He also creates a platter of five flautas of pork al pastor, wrapped in corn tortillas, lightly fried and served with beans, rice, avocado, tomatillo sauce and guacamole ($10.95).

Pollo mole tops chicken with the simmered sauce that gets an intriguing flavor from the addition of chocolate ($10.95). Another savory chicken dish is the Pollo Encebollado ($11.95), chicken breast sautéed in salsa verde, garlic, onions, white wine, lime juice and cilantro.

Seafood also gets great treatment on this menu. The fresh fish of the day is prepared in the grilled Veracruz style or al mojo de ajo, with garlic, white wine and lime juice ($17.95) with black beans, Mexican rice and pico de gallo. Seafood a la Diabla, ($17.95) is a spicy, fajita-style serving of prawns, fresh fish and scallops with bell pepper, onions and tomatoes. Prawns are also prepared two ways, al mojo de ajo, or with a ranchera sauce ($18.95).

Delgadillo also combines chicken and seafood for a really delicious Paella a la Mexicana, a version of the traditional Spanish rice-based dish, which gets a Mexican touch with the addition of chiles, black beans and achiote spices (a prepared blend sold in Mexican markets), and garnished with cilantro and avocado.

This is only a smidgen of the dishes Delgadillo is turning out. On his menu you can also find pork ribs ($16.95), chile verde ($10.95), and a dish that is a hit with vegetarians, queso fundido, a fondue made with three kinds of cheese, onions, tomatoes, chiles, and an adobe chipotle sauce ($6.95). There are several varieties of salads and soups, including one of the best versions of tortilla soup ($7.95) this writer has tasted, a rich broth filled with chunks of chicken, and vegetables, including fresh zucchini, cooked just right. Loved it.

Delgadillo noted that in the kitchen he is benefiting from the help of his two brothers,  Gerardo and Ricardo.

And while he is "very happy" to be creating his own dishes and menus, the chef is also putting in 14-hour days, seven days a week to launch the restaurant. "I'm working hard, but I am happy," he said. "Especially when you tell me you like my food — it makes me glad, because I am making other people happy."

There is also a dessert with caramel and chocolate caramel flan, and banana chingalingas, deep fried in flour tortillas.  The wine list offers wines by the glass and bottle and includes Raymond and Ceja wines —  and the Margaritas are superb.

Frida's Mexican Grill opens at 8 a.m., daily. It's at 1533 Trancas. For reservations, information and food-to-go, call 252-3575, 252-7178.

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