|
Margarita's fuses local flavor with authentic Mexican cuisine
|
by Ronna Sweeney, KUAM News
Sunday, May 04, 2008
|
KUAM Video requires Flash 8.
download it Here.
|
|
This Monday is Cinco De Mayo, and if you're looking for a place to grab some tasty Mexican food, the recently opened Margarita's Burrito's and Barbecue is looking to please your palate. Since last November, Margarita's has been serving up a fusion of local favorites intertwined with traditional Latino-inspired cuisine.
Owner Wanjoo Kim, who also owns the popular nightspot Fishbowl in the nearby Acanta Mall, says a Mexican eatery was an idea he'd been thinking about for years. "I thought it was an opportunity that to me seems pretty natural for the local palate. You're talking about rice, and pica and meat," he explained. Like any typical Mexican restaurant, of course burritos, tacos, nachos and quesadillas are all on the menu.
But as Kim explains, besides traditional fare, Margarita's offers a whole lot more. "We like to think that we're making really fresh food. For example, our beans are not canned. They're all made from scratch," he said. "Now that we've been open almost six months, we've been able to add to the menu. We have a little bit more upscale items. We have a seared salmon with mango salsa."
Instead of using Mexican rice, Kim says they they've incorporated red rice into their dishes. Plus, as much of the food as possible is made from fresh and local ingredients. As an alternative to cilantro, margarita's uses culantro bought from an organic farmer on Guam. Said Kim, "I guess I would like to impart the fact that we do as much homemade cooking as we can and I think people appreciate that."
"It's been good," he noted of his business thus far. "It's been very nice to see we get a lot of people coming back and also a lot of new faces."
Kim says Margarita's Burritos and Barbecue will have a special menu in celebration of Cinco De Mayo. Plus if you eat dinner there, you can head on over to hear the salsa band Caliente playing at Fishbowl with no admission charge. The Tumon restaurant is open daily from 11am to 10pm.
|