When I heard that an “upscale Mexican restaurant” was going into the old Gregory’s location, I immediately got excited. My mind wandered back to the two visits to Rosa Mexicano that I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy. My favorite restaurant is known for its tableside guacamole, homemade tortillas, and menu items from a thinking Mexican woman’s kitchen. The late Josafina Howard didn’t open Rosa Mexicano to serve another enchilada in Manhattan. She set out to serve fantastic, difficult to prepare foods that blend well and make the diner think about what they are eating. It was such a success that not only is Howard’s restaurant expanding down the Atlantic coastline to cities like Washington, Atlanta, and Miami, but the concept is sprouting up with fantastic imitators.
Jibarra (warning: link contains music) is more of a Mexican version of shabashabu than it is “Raleigh’s version of Rosa Mexicano”, but that’s not all bad by any stretch! Much like shabashabu the interior is plainful chic with its deep red, brown, and beige walls that need just another element to give them the warmth we are all expecting in a restaurant in this price range. Also like shabashabu the music could be categorized as atmospheric electronica, reminding us how chic they aspire to be. Jibarra (pronounced hi-BARLRLRLRLRL-uh) is proud of its Tequila lounge where they serve 100% Blue Agave Tequilas. Don’t expect to order a pitcher of margaritas, though. It isn’t “that kind of place”.
The menu is truly exciting. Several excellent entrees and salads warm diners up to a splendid selection in the menu’s entrée section. From salmon to lobster to monkfish, the Pescados y Mariscos section of the menu offers some excellent options. The Carnes Y Aves section looks like role call from Noah’s Ark. Lamb, foie gras, duck, rabbit, squab, goat, chicken, and ribeyes cooked with fascinating sauces make Jibarra’s menu one of the most interesting in Raleigh.
I started with the outstanding Flautas de Barbacoa de Conejo, a seasonal special consisting of “crispy, rolled corn tortillas filled with Mexican barbequed rabbit served with lettuce, Mexican cream, queso fresco, and salsa borracha”. The floutas were fried perfectly; not greasy. However, the rabbit taste much like chicken. (I actually had forgotten about the rabbit until I reviewed the menu later.)
I then moved on to the Crema Negra soup; “Black bean cream soup served with chile morita croutons, parmesan cheese, bacon bits, and chives.” While a bit heavy, this soup had plenty of snappy peppy to make things interesting. The blend of flavors made the soups ingredients virtually unidentifiable. The addition of a giant waffle cheese chip offered a whimsical textural diversion to the very smooth soup.
Perhaps the best items of the night came in small packages. The chef’s complementary appetizer consisted of a steamed clam with avocado cream sauce topped with a delicate application of a sweet, cherry-like granular candy. Outstanding! Even better, however, was a cornmeal tart filled with a tomatillo and green chile mixture. I ordered 45 more of them, but the waitress kindly refused (uh, that part was actually a joke, ha ha).
As my entrée, I picked the grilled chicken breast stuffed with huitlacoche, corn kernels and epazote, seved over mashed potatoes and creamy poblano pepper rajas. I rarely order the baked chicken in restaurants. It’s usually the most boring move one could make, however I was motivated by the inclusion of huitlacoche. When I last visited Rosa Mexicano I got the “cuitlacoche”-stuffed chicken enchiladas with poblano pepper sauce and it was phenominal. Cuitlacoche, they explained, is a delicacy fungus that grows on the blue corn in Mexico. Whether or not cuitlacoche or huitlacoche is right, it nevertheless tastes like a mushroom with a metallic hint, just what you’d expect in a delicacy fungus! I just HAD to get this dish. Who else in the Triangle is serving huitlacoche, right?
My entree was very good, but not outstanding. The stuffing was interesting, but not extraordinarily different than a mushroom/spinach stuffing I’ve had in other places. The chicken was a little overcooked, which didn’t help the subtle flavors of the stuffing escape the chicken one bit.
The presentation of each dish was impressive. Jibarra’s use of asymmetrical china and careful placement of each dish’s delicate pieces creates a piece of art one can savor before picking up a fork. (See their website’s impressive slide show to see what I mean).
One trend I noticed during a second survey of the menu is the use of brightly flavored acids and creams in the appetizers while the meats tend to get treated with dark, heavy mole-type sauces. I’m eager to return to Jibarra, however, and try something from the seafood section. I imagine that I could pick something randomly and enjoy it.
Jibarra is probably too far outside the beltline to get some of the young, chic clientele that shabashabu gets regularly. However, once people hear about the success the restaurant is having with their ambitious menu, they will drive from fairly far to have a great experience like I had.
