Wednesday, January 18, 2006
El Palenque -- better location and the same great food
Larry Bly
Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.
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Neither the world's most restrictive diet, a cold rain nor a cracked molar kept me from visiting the new digs of El Palenque, a longtime favorite Mexican restaurant operated by Frank and Yolanda Galvan and their two sons.
Palenque is truly a family operation with Frank and his son Roberto holding forth in the kitchen much of the time, while the lovely Yolanda bakes up the world's best desserts. Don't believe me? Just give a look at the cakes and other delights behind the glass of the refrigerated case as you come through the door.
The personality of El Palenque and the drive behind this family business is none other than Frank Galvan, who has the personality and smile that can light up a room. (This comes in handy when the electricity goes out.)
Frank readily admits that they chose poorly in their previous location on Hershberger Road. The move to the current location on Brambleton Avenue, which was previously occupied by Chico & Billy's Pizza, makes more sense. And apparently they're seeing a huge spike in business since their Dec. 23 opening. The dining room has been painted, some Mexican artwork hung and tables are now festooned with real tablecloths.
What hasn't changed is the authentic Mexican fare that comes from the kitchen, all freshly prepared to order and a bit different than the "typical" Mexican food available here. Yes, there have been a few exceptions made for we Valley folk: chips (not really a Mexican delicacy) have been added to the menu, as have the taco salad, nachos and a few other items that I expect when I go out for "Mexican."
In fact, I once asked a local Mexican restaurant owner how much of his menu would be eaten in his home, to which he replied, "Not very much."
My recent lunch at El Palenque saw more people packing the place than I used to see for dinner on a good night. That's a good thing because I'm sure Frank will have some bills to pay after this move.
The lunch menu starts with appetizers: quesodip (cheese and jalapeno peppers), fresh guacamole (fresh and yummy), quesofundido (I thought this a dance), baked cheese topped with pico de gallo and served with chips), nachos (I had chicken nachos with a white cheese -- the best in town) and avocado salad.
Classic entrees run 10 in number and include, to name few: fajitas, enchiladas suizas, entomatadas, flautas, tamales, chilaquiles, grilled borrito and so on. I opted for one the "specialties" on the back of the menu: mole, which is grilled chicken breast topped with roasted pepper-peanut sauce, served with rice and refried beans. (Warning: This is a big meal for lunch, so come hungry.)
The mole sauce, which is a dark brown mixture of sweet and sour, is a perfectly balanced "gravy" for the chicken that accompanies it. While I've not always been fond of mole sauces, this one was perfect.
My dining partner, in a rare moment of bravery, ordered something called carne guisada -- he loved it. That's amazing considering his mashed potatoes and beans yearnings. Prior to this experience he thought "ethnic foods" were something like spaghetti.
The dinner menu includes a host of other specialties as well: asado de puerco (roasted pork marinated in pasilla and ancho chiles, served with rice and refried beans), camarones aladiabla (shrimp sautéed in white wine and chipotle pepper salsa) and huachinango ala veracruizana (say that three times in a row with your mouth full) that features red snapper topped with red salsa, jalapenos and green olives.
There are lots of other dinner offerings that all feature exotic sauces and great combinations of Mexican flavors. I think a lot of people are going to discover what a few of us have known all along -- El Palenque rocks!
And now for the desserts. Mexican restaurants are not known for their desserts, which often take the form of pre-frozen or prefab with a small selection. It wasn't until I ran into the lovely Yolanda that I discovered what dessert ought to be.
Yolanda has won nearly every dessert-making contest she's entered (I've been the judge of a few of them and no one comes close). She won "best in show" a few months back at Center in the Square's "Affair In The Square" by showing up with a whole tent-full of cakes and an incredible assortment of baked items.
You can regularly choose from foot-high cakes with three inches of icing with the likes of chocolate Cognac cake, chocolate rum cake, cajetapecan (a cake with pecans all over it), treslches and flan.
I'm just certain that for the right price, she'll make about anything you would like to enjoy. If I were in her proximity for a mere few days, I'd weigh 600 pounds. Frank tells me that after a while, you just have so much food around that you ignore it. Yeah, sure.
I'm happy that Palenque has moved into my neck of the woods. I'm even happier that this very excellent restaurant will hopefully attract a whole new following. It's Well deserved!
EL PALENQUE
3334 Brambleton Avenue
Roanoke, VA 240l8
540-769-2130
