When Eduardo Pria gave up the range at Eduardo de San Angel a few years ago, he wanted to spend more time with his family in the suburbs. Now, he’s back at his namesake restaurant, and his many fans are delighted, especially because he’s also made sure part of his legacy survives in the suburbs.
The suburb is Coral Springs and the legacy is thanks to Eduardo’s brothers, Jose and Luis. They managed the original restaurant during Eduardo’s sabbatical and now team up at Anita’s Grill Mexicano with results that don’t reach the heights of Eduardo, but still bring much to recommend.
Anita’s Grill is in one of Coral Springs’ ubiquitous strip malls, so there is the inevitable serpentine labyrinth of lots to negotiate before parking. Inside, the restaurant lacks the intimate atmosphere of Eduardo’s, opting instead for a simple rectangular dining room with white walls and a few bits of Mexicana on the walls. It’s a bit plain, as is the welcome at the restaurant, which has an unfortunately low level of energy from dour management despite a friendly and informative service staff.
The food sizzles, thanks to a proven winners adapted from Eduardo de San Angel. Crab cakes ($10) made with chunks of blue crab combined with bright kernels of corn and finely chopped sweet peppers united with a guajillo chili sauce. The other must-try appetizer is a tantalizing take on the traditional chile relleno ($9.50). Here, the chilies are a roasted poblano filled with a mousse of salmon and moderately hot pastila chili. When the assembly is cooked, the mousse firms up and the flavors turn deep and complex, hot enough to handle and be thrilling.
The nopal, a grilled cactus leaf (spines removed, of course), is served with onions and two kinds of cheese ($8.50) and makes a flavorful as well as intriguing opener. It’s a bit overcooked and not as intriguing as Eduardo’s original recipe with a bit of pork loin added, but it’s still good.
Rock shrimp empanada with green tomatillo ($8.50) and a tiny iron skillet in which chorizo is cooked up with poblano and cheese ($9) are good but less-exciting options.
Anita’s features several salad starters as well, and one deserves special mention. A plate of baby spinach, quickly sauteed with garlic and chili oil ($6.50), is satisfying enough to make a worthy entree in a triple portion.
Anita’s is one of the few places in town you’ll find the delectable corn ear fungus called cuitlachoche. Think of it as a maize truffle and you’ll be on the right track, but Anita’s cilantro-flavored crepes that incorporate the fungus ($18) don’t frame the flavors as assertively as one might hope. It’s a surprisingly bland dish that can’t hold a candle to some of the kitchen’s adventures with yellowtail snapper. I love the fillet pan-seared with sesame seeds ($20) and a firm, grilled fillet with green tomatillo and jalapeno salsa ($20). Both strike a fine balance between the fish’s delicate flavors and assertive spices.
Meat dishes are also good, particularly a slow-roasted duck with shiitake mushrooms and chilies ($20) that falls off the bone at first touch, and lamb chops grilled with rosemary and salsa ($24). The kitchen also offers a chicken breast with mole ($18), but Anita’s version of the redoubtable sauce of bitter chocolate, ground nuts, spices and herbs is cloyingly sweet. One bite is intriguing, but two bites is one too many. Opt instead for the beef tenderloin pan-seared with poblanos and a smoky chipotle sauce ($22).
Anita’s Grill Mexicano invites comparisons with Eduardo de San Angel, but it should be more than an intriguing downsized version of the original restaurant.
Of course, the concepts come from the same revered source, the Pria brothers’ mother, but Anita’s works best when comparisons are not inevitable: There just isn’t another Eduardo in town. Taken on its own, however, Anita’s is a decidedly welcome culinary reality check in Coral Springs.
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