The Mango Lassie

Cousin Ketchup graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota on Saturday. Mango Mama, Trader Joanna and I flew into Minneapolis from our respective homes for the event. We all found the stark ugly buildings of downtown Minneapolis to be bland, boring and positively depressing. But on the Friday night before the big day, we went with Ketchup, the rest of his family and his girlfriend and her family to the hip Uptown neighborhood. We had a reservation at the very happening Chino Latino.

The two-story restaurant was packed with scantily-clad women sipping mojitos and men looking to pick them up. Music and clothes were as loud as the restaurant’s flashy spangled decor. Chino Latino’s management labels the cuisine “Street Food from the Hot Zones.” This means a smattering of food from equatorial countries around the globe. Tacos from Mexico, curries from Thailand, sushi from Japan and chicken from the Caribbean. In other words, the fusion occurs on the menu, not in each individual dish.

We started with mojitos, which at $10 a piece should have been three times stronger. They tasted like sweetened lime juice and seemed to contain next to no rum. Things got better when the food arrived. We started with a sampling of tacos, including barbacoa, chicken tinga, el chingon (shredded chicken in tequila, chipotle salsa and al carbon. These were definitely good and fairly authentic in fresh corn tortillas and without American ingredients like cheddar cheese. Still, they can’t quite match up to the small shops in Chicago like Empanada Boy’s favorite Erick’s Tacos.

After that we went Asian, trying a tasty shrimp and coconut curry and two noodle dishes. One was the lo mein, pictured here. It was decent, with fresh vegetables and pretty little mushrooms. The Phuket fried noodles were basically pad Thai, which we ordered with shrimp as well. These were more flavorful than the lo mein. The bottom line is that all of these dishes would have been better in a good restaurant specializing in the given cuisine. But none of those restaurants would have the youthful, chic ambiance of Chino Latino. The latter is what attracts so many people.

Our order left Asia for a brief moment with the banana boat chicken. It was a boneless chicken breast coated in a plantain crust and served with jasmine rice. A sweet, but slightly tart passion fruit sauce came on the side with sauteed peppers and onions. The boat effect was achieved with a skewer stuck into the meat, bearing banana leaves like the sails on a boat. This dish was tasty, but it would have been better with more flavorful meat and a stronger sauce. Still, I thought this dish was original and distinctive, standing out amidst what seemed to be mostly Asian and Latin American entrees.

Finally, Ketchup’s sister, Leftovers, decided we needed something lighter, so she ordered some sushi. The platter had two kinds with raw fish— a chipotle salmon roll and a tuna ball with rice inside. The other rolls and nigiri were made with shrimp and mangoes.

And so it was that what began as Latino, became Chino, then became Latino and then became Chino once again. Perhaps there’s some deeper meaning to the concept of this restaurant. Or perhaps it’s just a slightly gimmicky excuse for eating a lot and having a great time. Congratulations on your graduation, Ketchup!

Chino Latino
2916 Hennepin Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612.824.PUPU