Quintana Roo: Food's Great, Worth The Wait

XX 1/2 Quintana Roo, 303 Dayton St., Edmonds. Mexican. Lunch and dinner ($4 to $10) 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday; 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Express lunch buffet ($4.75) 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Full liquor. Major credit cards. Nonsmoking area. No reservations. 778-9096.

Quintana Roo is not Kanga's Latino cousin. It's the name of a somewhat remote Mexican territory in the east Yucatan. It is also the name of a hugely successful Mexican-American restaurant set in an old, remodeled house in downtown Edmonds.

How successful? In the 13 years of its existence, I have never been able to walk in at any time after 7 p.m. and expect to find an open table. The usual reception on a summer weekend night is a patient group of sunburned folks in boat shoes gathered on the front porch sipping Margaritas.

The popularity is not only well-deserved, it is well-earned. Quintana Roo was established by Chris and Eileen Matt in 1977. Shortly afterward, I met Chris Matt while judging a chili contest in Edmonds.

I met him because he won the cookoff, with one of the best bowls of chili I had ever tasted, and one of the most elaborate. Instead of using chili powders, he used real, blanched chilis from which he had scraped the pulp from the toasted skins. Instead of using chuck or rump or brisket (or even top round), Matt used cubes of mesquite-grilled filet mignon.

Matt went on to win the Washington State Chili Championship twice. He qualified for - and participated in - the World Chili Championships at Terlingua, Texas, four times.

For all of that, Quintana Roo is not a mere chili house (despite posters and memorabilia celebrating that Southwestern specialty).

The menu offers a full range of Tex-Mex and Sonoran dishes, with a few variations all its own, and some menu observations with a splash of wry.

Like: ``Chili Relleno. The chef complains every time he has to make these. They are tricky. You must promise not to tell your friends about our rellenos anymore. Thank you.''

You're welcome. I won't. Except that they are wonderful, especially when topped by a dark, smoky, Colorado sauce.

You start with a basket of warm chips and a bowl of dense, salsa cruda that is mildly hot, but not intimidating. Usual choice of beverages by adults is the traditional Margarita (strawberry also available), priced from $3 to $6.50 depending upon size: small, medium and Gordo. Gordo is not wise.

Gordo Nachos, however, are. For $6.50 you get a hot platter of chips topped with shredded beef, an excellent chunky guacamole and sour cream. It's enough of a starter for four. Somewhat lighter (and probably a whole lot better for you) is the house Gazpacho, described as ``a garden salad in soup form.''

Probably the choice item on the menu is the BBQ Fajitas ($9.85 for the combined meats; $7.85 for beef only). The breast of chicken and flank steak really are barbecued; grilled, not pan-fried, sliced while still hot and served with the usual condiments, shredded greens, etc., along with a salsa fresca and soft white flour tortillas. I'm not a fajita fan, but these are exceptional.

Two entrees, the Chili Weasel and the Terlingua Tamale (both about $8), take advantage of Matt's prize-winning chili.

The former has three eggs covered with ladles of chili and a nest of shredded cheese, plus beans, rice and corn muffins. The latter is a very large, beef-stuffed corn tamale given the same treatment. The chili is, of course, available by itself. Made in pure Texas fashion, it contains no beans. A ``taste'' costs $1.95; a cup is $4.95 and a very considerable bowl costs $8.50.

Here are a few other things the chili (and everything else at Quintana Roo) does not contain: sulfites, MSG, flavor enhancers, pre-mixed spices, preservatives, canned guacamole or tomatillo sauces. It's all real.

Lard has been eliminated from all the restaurant's recipes, except for refried beans, which simply do not taste right without it. All other frying is done with Canola oil. A traditionally high-fat cooking regimen has been made as healthy as possible, while still retaining the desirable flavor profiles.

A choice of three sauces is offered with the tamales, enchiladas, burritos, etc. The Ranchera is a mild, but flavorful topping; the Colorado is a deep red and strong chili sauce, but not overpowering. The Salsa Verde, the hottest of the three, contains three ingredients I usually like - and like in combination - fresh tomatillos, fresh chopped jalapenoes and fresh chopped cilantro. But for some reason on the last two visits it seemed tamer and more watery than it should.

The place has a deck with a Puget Sound view. On warm nights it fills up even faster than the rest of the premises. Suggestion: Go early, around 5:30 to 6 p.m. Or wait for a turnover that seems to occur between 7:30 and 8.

The wine list is small but modestly priced. Featured are the Spanish bottlings by Torres ($9). The house wines ($4.50 a half carafe) are the quite drinkable table wines of Saddle Mountain.

In the highly competitive dinner market in Edmonds, Quintana Roo has managed not only to survive for more than a dozen years, but to prosper. They don't take reservations, but it's worth the wait.