Mexican cuisine in San Diego is likely to spark some common images: high-screaming, accordion lugging Mariachis, plates overflowing with shredded lettuce, beans and rice, and the 2am taco shop run (or more likely, crawl).
This is what we have come to know and love, but El Vitral in East Village is reintroducing Mexico’s traditional fare, and turning the San Diego dining scene on its cabeza.
El Vitral (meaning stained glass in Spanish), is holding strong to a Mexican culture and tradition that is a world away from tourist-heavy Tijuana.
Located on J Street in a refurbished brick building resting at the mouth of Petco Park, El Vitral’s décor is bathed in cultural colors of blue, purple, orange and yellow amid thriving agave plants that line the foyer, a centerpiece stainless steel kitchen, mirrored columns, warm lighting, and floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open to the outside patio and an unparallelled ground view of Petco Park (and a view of the big screen during game nights and post-game fireworks show).
Heading the El Vitral kitchen and concept menu is Chef de Cuisine Norma Martinez. Bearing a resemblance in both style and appearance to world-acclaimed Mexico City Chef Patricia Quintana, Norma studied at the Instituto Culinario de Mexico in Puebla, Mexico, and comes from a long line of matriarch cooking mentors.
Menu highlights include Cochinita Pibil: a Yucatán dish of spicy pulled pork with orange Achiote sauce, bright red pickled onions and served atop a decorative banana leaf, and Ravioles En Nogada: Poblano pasta with ground pork, dried fruit, walnut sauce and pomegranate reduction that is sweet and smothered in flavor.
El Vitral offers three types of Ceviche and Guacamole, including Guacamole El Vitral: avocado, jicama, mango, bell pepper and a dash of soy sauce for mouthwatering tang. Desserts include traditional flan, as well as Empanadas De Ate Con Queso: candied quince, cheese and a berry balsamic reduction. Also available are 10 different salsas—from mild, roasted green chile, to eye-watering habanero varieties.
Taco shop favorites such as burritos and tacos can still be found here, but the ingredients are switched up a notch. Ground beef has been replaced with juicy steak or tomato-chipotle chicken stew, and typical chicken dishes are made with marinated duck or slow-roasted pork infused with earthy spices and old-world preparation. El Vitral also offers a lunch menu including signature dinner selections, and Brunch serving up sweet mimosas, Mexican pastries, chilaquiles, and omelets.
And now for the cocktails. Among a nice collection of wine and imported Mexican beer, El Vitral offers over 200 brands of Tequila that are displayed on shelves within the stain-glassed bar—turning the white and gold liquid into hues of teal and cherry. Of the countless unique margaritas on the menu, Jamaica Me Loco, made with Tequila blanco, Curacao, fresh hibiscus, orange juice, agave nectar, and rimmed with homemade hibiscus salt, is a flowery taste sensation.
All margaritas are prepared with homemade simple syrups and dusted with freshly prepared salt combinations. El Vitral also offers a $300 margarita made with premium Clase Azul, for those with extra change.
Owner Pablo Becker comes from a family who currently operate renowned restaurants in New York, Las Vegas and Denver. Active, involved, and completely dedicated to this new venue, Pablo sees El Vitral as a chance to reintroduce Mexican cuisine to a culture that may have forgotten it, or to a non-Latino society that doesn’t know it exists.
“As the next generation of Latin Americans, I think we have dropped the ball on our culture in a lot of ways, and I think we are responsible for that,” explains Pablo. “I want El Vitral to offer Mexican cuisine from real Mexican tradition, not the adapted version everyone knows.”
And Pablo doesn’t plan to stop with the food. “We want to hold events for traditional Mexican holidays such as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and maybe start some of our own, like Dia de los Nino (Day of the Child).”
Insider Tip: Happy hour is from 4-7pm offers $3 beer and $5 wine by the glass. For more information visit El Vitral in San Diego.
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