New Owner Makes Cactus Even Better

Restaurant review

XXX Cactus, 4220 E. Madison St. ($$) Mexican, Cuban, American Southwest. Lunch ($5 to $8) 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Dinner ($9 to $13) 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Full bar. Major credit cards. Smoking not allowed. Access for disabled. Reservations only for eight or more: 324-4140. -------------------------------------------------------------------

Weekend night at Cactus: Every seat is filled. A small line is shuffling near the entry. A few couples, braving the chill, sit at outside tables.

The rest of the overflow has wandered into nearby taverns. Sipping wine, throwing darts, waiting for a waiter from the Cactus to come tell them a table is ready.

It's a heck of a formula - a kind of Madison Park share the wealth.

Cactus is a dynamic, bustling restaurant that started with a solid concept more than three years ago, changed hands and improved on the original.

The cuisines of Mexico, South America, Spain and the American Southwest are blended on a menu that is as affordable as it is diverse.

Bret Chatalas took over the Cactus almost two years ago from its creator, Marco Casabeaux, a flamboyant Argentinian who wanted to branch off into his own tortilla factory. Chatalas grew up in the restaurant business, having worked at all levels of his parents' place, Lowell's in the Pike Place Market.

Tapas bar added

He made some changes in Cactus' kitchen - bringing in chef Chris Fitzgibbon, formerly sous chef at Al Boccalino. Next he installed full liquor service and a mini-kitchen tapas bar.

"Similar to the approach at Wild Ginger, with their satay bar," Chatalas said. "People seem to enjoy demonstration cooking. And, in addition, it gave singles a place to dine without having to sit alone at a table."

Count on at least 15 items nightly from the tapas bar - most of them hot and cooked to order. The Spanish-style bar snacks serve well as appetizers, or as a small meal. Most are priced around $5.

Best of the bunch, I thought, were the Gambas al Ajillo ($6.95), garlic shrimp sauteed with sherry, caribe chiles, fresh thyme, lemon and parsley. It's a dish that would be terrific over pasta or rice. At Cactus, you can mop it up with Italian country bread from the Grand Central Bakery.

Also impressive were the Pollo Chilindron ($4.95), braised chicken wings in an onion-saffron broth loaded with red peppers and minced black and green olives. The savory sauce suggests a Hispanic tapenade.

Didn't care much for the Polpo a la Gallega ($5.25), cold braised octopus in a paprika sauce; great sauce; so-so octopus.

Rellenos de Bistec ($4.95) are a Hispanic variant of Italian brasciola. Pounded, thinly sliced filets of beef (flank steak) are rolled around assorted fillings, most recently a bright combination of goat cheese and pesto, which oozes out into a grand dipping sauce.

Ethnic attractions

Don't overdo the tapas. The dinner menu offers choices from the grill, along with a section of Southwestern specials - most of them with a New Mexican accent. Some of the latter dishes - like Tacos Suaves ($8.95) or the Green Enchilada ($9.95) with its blue, stacked tortillas, layered with chicken, jack cheese and tomatillo salsa, could be straight out of downtown Santa Fe.

The Pork Steak Adobo ($9.95) is another ethnic attraction. Slices of lean pork loin are marinated in a mix of oranges and fiery chipotle peppers. It's grilled and served on a bed of a fruit salsa: diced apples, pineapple and onions, along with Indian fry bread, black beans and some of the best rice in town.

Long grain rice, briskly seasoned with chiles, is tossed with pine nuts and roasted squash seeds.

Other treats: Citrus-Jalapeno Chicken ($9.95) or a recent special, Roasted Game Hen (same price), rubbed with a devastating paste of ancho and habenero chiles. Intensely seasoned, but still allowing the flavor essentials of very tender chicken to ring through.

Jalapeno Clam Chowder (included with dinner) sounds odd but works well, melding a corn chowder with shellfish in a hot, saucy liaison.

Pollo Rellenos ($10.95), chicken breasts filled with a cheese-stuffed green chile, is wonderful, but not for those who can't take the heat - in or out of the kitchen.

Try the Quinoa Salad ($4.95), "Mother Grain of the Incas" at lunch or the soft corn tortillas, Taco Suaves ($6.95), filled with either strips of grilled chicken breast, marinated beef or chorizo made in-house.

The Three-milk Cuban Flan ($3.25), topped with whipped cinnamon cream, is the best of its genre in Seattle. (Copyright, 1993, John Hinterberger. All rights reserved.) John Hinterberger, who writes the weekly restaurant review in Tempo, makes visits to restaurants anonymously and unannounced. He pays in full for all food, wines and services. When he interviews members of the restaurants' management and staff, he does so only after the meals and the services have been appraised. He does not accept invitations to evaluate restaurants.