aGreatChef.com Blog – Food Blog of Chef Robert Conaway

Arriving in El Paso, under the cover of darkness can be surreal. Living and growing up in San Diego, I am used to a border town and the security that takes place when you approach the border. The one thing that interests me is that the freeway, and for the most part the city of El Paso run parallel to Juarez, MX. In San Diego you drive into Tijuana, coming from the north and not along side it before entering. Guess I like looking to my left and seeing MX, and to my right the USA.

So after a long drive in from Dallas, with the disappointment of not finding our BBQ restaurant in Abilene and the Odessa meteor crater being closed we were hoping for a great dinner at Cafe Central, a James Beard nominated restaurant in the heart of ol’ El Paso.

iPhones being iPhones…the GPS wasn’t on as it usually is (least I had reception in West Texas!). So we again found ourselves at the correct GPS destination, but no restaurant. Fc@k! Not again I am thinking to myself. I plan well, especially when it comes to restaurants when traveling and I have been shut down hard on the trip so far. So I do something I don’t like doing…I call.

As a chef, I am always on the phone…vendors, managers, staff, owners, customers, electricians, blah…blah…blah the list goes on so I try to not use the phone when ever possible. After talking to the Maître d’ I come to find out that we are just around the corner. We adjust our direction and head for the parking lot adjacent to the restaurant.

Downtown El Paso reminds me of downtown San Diego when I was a kid. It’s old, it’s derelict, it’s vacant. Now don’t get me wrong, I like that feel and all but El Paso was like flashing back on San Diego 20+ years ago. A city center without the one piece that makes a city a city, people. No one lives down this way, no one was out on the streets, buildings empty, boarded up or in some stage of renovations. A James Beard nominated restaurant down here…mmm.

Cafe Central was a bit busier that I thought it would be for a Monday night. Mariachi’s strumming guitars and fiddles, amber lighting bathing the dining room and attentive bread service. We walked in, met the chef and the GM, exchanged pleasantries and sat, very hungry from our day driving.

As a chef, I try and be as polite as possible to my fellow culinarians. I do not bash, I do not berate and I will not talk smack…unless someone has started the war first. From my memory, this is what we had;

• App – Fried mozzerella balls with marinara dipping sauce.
• App – Sampler. Spice Rubbed Sashimi of Saku Tuna, Tuna Tare Tare Wonton “Tacos”, Asian Squid Salad, Pickled Ginger & Radishes
• App – Lump Crab & Avocado Tower with Lavash Cracker & Greens
• App – Cream of Green Chile soup
  
• Entree – Broiled Miso Marinated Chilean Sea Bass on Sweet Ginger Jasmine Rice
• Entree – Special. Filet tips, mash and some brown sauce…sorry I forgot as it was not mine!
• Drinks – a couple of beers.

OK…so I picked the descriptions from their menu. Soup was good, sampler was OK, fried mozzarella balls…please, Sea Bass OK, but not worth the $$$, filet tips, pass, ahi tower, pass, beers cold, keep!

So overall, for El Paso I am sure that this is “the bomb” restaurant, and by the looks of the place it is great for folks from EP or Juarez to come for a special night out. James Beard nominated, congratulations! Count your starts that you are in Texas, you would not get noticed here in Cali.

So time to bolt…pay the tab and it’s back to the empty parking lot. Guess the parking lot is for the restaurant now as the hotel above was closed (for a while by the looks of it) for renovations.

We find a Hilton off the freeway, check in, watch a movie and crash out. Morning comes way to quick, run down for the free brekkie and the race is back on! El Paso, Texas to San Diego, California in 14 or so hours. Oh what will this part bring? I researched no restaurants from this point on, so it’s wildcatting our way through some uncharted culinary territory, stay tuned.

chefRob