Calif. The duo of TV Food Network's Too Hot Tamales fame borrows from Mexican for dishes like Turkey Tamales with Fresh Cranberry Salsa, and Salmon Baked in Salsa Verde. They relish in coming as close or straying as far as possible from Mexican, Southwestern or Tex-Mex food. Stephan Pyles, chef-owner of the Star Canyon in Dallas, has been lauded for melding Mexican and Southwestern flavors with French techniques to create his own style. Dinner at the restaurant may be punctuated with an eclectic range of ingredients, from chipotles, jicama and rabbit to rib eye, lemon grass and cumin. Earlier this month, Pyles sold the restaurant to Dallas-based Friday's Hospitality, the company that owns T.G.I. Friday's.
Plans are to produce spin-offs, adding another dimension to the expansive Mexican arena.
But industry experts also see room for restaurants showcasing regional Mexican food, a trend similar to the way Italian cuisine has evolved with distinctive fare from Tuscany to Sicily. Zarela Martinez of Zarela's in New York has won acclaim for showing off food native to the southeastern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Her knowledge of food comes from her mother and growing up in Mexico but Martinez's cooking reflects her own creative style. One thing popular on the menu now is manchamanteles. The food at Zarela's is adventuresome and reasonably priced.