Mod Mex Hits The Burbs

Edited by Bob Krummert

VIBRANT: The mole poblano (l.) , an organic chicken breast paired with plantain rice, is typical of Cantina Feliz fare—i.e., a dish from Old Mexico that’s been reworked with modern flavors. The private dining room (below r.) accommodates a party of 12 and offers a fireplace and flat screen TV.

So why mess with success — especially when it's your first time out as chef/owner? After all, Spinner had helped define the basic concept while at El Vez (as sous chef) and Distrito (as chef de cuisine). His Cantina Feliz business partner/beverage guru, Brian Sirhal, is a Distrito alum, too. It was tempting for these two to go crazy and show the world what they could do when they went out on their own. But they stuck close to the script instead.

Smart move. Spinner and Sirhal saw something Starr and Garces had overlooked. El Vez and Distrito are located in downtown Philly. Each draws a mix of urban dwellers, nearby workers and tourists. Spinner and Sirhal figured they could make this sort of hip downtown restaurant work just as well if they opened one up way out in the suburbs.

The pair found a building in Fort Washington that formerly housed chef Alison Barshak's upscale Alison Two. Here the partners hoped to attract the upscale demographic that lives and/or works nearby.

The idea was that these folks already drop big money at places like El Vez and Distrito, only they have to drive a half-hour-plus each way to downtown Philadelphia and find a place to park when they want to drop it. Spinner and Sirhal decided to bring that downtown experience right to their suburban door.

PROPRIETORS: Co-owners Brian Sirhal (l.) and Tim Spinner (r.) have been friends since high school.

The rest of the menu offers a blend of well-crafted Mexican standbys and more adventurous fare. Starter items on the “antojitos” section include basics like guacamole ($8.95, a few dollars more if seasonal fruit or crab meat is blended in); nachos de la casa and crab fundido. But there are plenty of more creative items such as a pair of huaraches, flatbread-like items available in either the artichoke (san simon crema, poblanos, truffles, cotija) or Cubano (jamon, Swiss cheese, pickles, radish, Dijon crema) varieties. Ceviche verde (hiramasa, honeydew vinaigrette, kiwi jalapeno, lime sorbet) is a big seller, and the adventurous can sample the pulpo ala planxa, i.e., octopus served with potato and chile pequin.

A four-item soup and salad list is complemented by a four-item entrée list that includes black bass, a New York strip steak, short ribs and a mole poblano chicken.

FIRST BITE: This flatbread-like artichoke huarache is one of a dozen shareable starters on the Cantina Feliz menu.

The bar pumps out margaritas and sangria with the best of them and offers a smart wine list, six artisan beers on tap and 50 varieties of tequila.

For kids, a “little amigos” menu offers a mac & cheese taco; a peanut butter, jelly and fluff quesadilla; or a chicken and cheese quesadilla for $7.95. A beverage, a side of black beans and a scoop of vanilla ice cream are included in the family-friendly price.

So how has this suburban venture fared? Cantina Feliz has been so slammed its partners are already scouting locations for Taqueria Feliz, a stripped-down version of the barely-six-month-old original.

If you're a chef or manager who's about to go out on his or her own, take a lesson from Spinner and Sirhal: Don't reinvent the wheel. Instead, go with what you know, put your personal spin on it and find an underserved area where you think it could work.