Saturday, March 15, 2008

Dinner at Blue Corn Cafe


We hadn't dined on Ninth Street at Blue Corn Cafe--touted on their website as "Durham's only Latin-American Restaurant"--in a long while and decided to have dinner there a couple of nights ago. We were seated in the newer section where there is a bar now, even though it appeared that there were tables available on the other side (the non-bar side). Frankly, the newer side seemed noisy and overly bright for a dinner seating, and our being seated next to a large noisy table of eight or so didn't help.

The service was efficient and pleasant, and my food was delicious. My dining companion didn't think her dish was all that great, however; mainly because she recalled, after it arrived, that eggplant is not such a personal favorite.

My dish was Plantanos con Pollo and I had no complaints, other than the black beans, which were dry and bland. The tangy mango and plaintains more than made up for that though:

My companion had the Grilled Eggplant & Roma Tomato Quesadilla:

There was a nice explanation clipped to their menu about the water restrictions and how they now charge $1 for a bottle of water. It seemed smart to include such an alert for any who may not understand how dire things have been recently during our drought and the aftermath.

Seems I remember that Blue Corn used to serve a basket of pretty multi-color tortilla chips and some salsa complimentary during the wait for the food to arrive. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore, however.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

folks,

I'm forwarding this note with permission of the author...

> Thank you for choosing Blue Corn Cafe as your destination. I am happy you and your dining partner enjoyed most everything in your meal, we always pride ourselves in using the freshest ingredients and take all feedback serious. We have been on Ninth St for 11 years and are frequented by many locals. We are so thankful to our community for the support. We do still serve our tri-color chips and salsa but since the first day of operation we have charged for them, the reason being is all chips and salsas are made here on site with all fresh vegetables and no canned ingredients, with this being said it is to expensive for the restaurant not to charge for all these ingredients (which most are organic). As for the loud atmosphere we hope you understand that is what has made us popular, local children running around playing with neighbors, loud music and a fun festive feel. I thank you and our community for the feedback and hope we can improve always so our community enjoys coming.

PS... We also own Tosca Ristorante Italiano much more quiet, romantic and dark. Give it a try just as delicious but a bit more romantic. The number there is 680-6333 call for reservations.

With warmest regards,
Blue Corn Cafe

Anonymous said...

I can't believe I still have never eaten here before. I'm definitely seeking it out next time I'm on Ninth Street!