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Living the Dream: Javier Ortega opens a new restaurant -- this time it's his name on the door
By LEE B. ROBERTS
Journal Times
RACINE — Javier Ortega’s roots are in Guanajuato, Mexico, but his cooking reflects much more than the flavors of one country. Having worked in French, Italian, Asian and Mexican restaurants in the Midwest, Boston and New York, Ortega has developed his own cuisine — featuring unique combinations of flavors, aromas and textures.
And that is what he’s serving at his Durand Avenue restaurant, Javier’s Cuisine, which opened in June.
Sure, you can find traditional items such as tacos, burritos and flautas on Javier’s menu, but there are also dishes such as blackened salmon, baked chicken pasta (sauteed chicken and mushrooms in creamy tomato sauce with large shell pasta, baked with cheese) and pollo y camaron en chipotle (broiled breast of chicken in a spicy cream sauce topped with shrimp and pico de gallo).
Those are just a few examples of Ortega’s specialties and even if we listed the entire printed menu here, it would not cover what this chef offers. Always on the look out for new adventures in the kitchen, he offers different specials each week and loves the challenge of creating something unusual for his customers.
“I will ask them if they want chicken or steak and then I go into the kitchen and find out what I can do with what we have,” Javier Ortega said. “I like to try new things, but it has to be good.”
The results are beyond good, says Jeanette Lipari who, along with her husband James, have been fans of Javier’s cooking since they first tasted it while he was working at Jose’s Blue Sombrero.
Once the Mount Pleasant couple knew the face behind the food they loved, they made a point to keep track of where Ortega was cooking. They even traveled to Milwaukee for dinner when he was working there.
“We would follow him anywhere,” Jeanette said.
Very glad to have Ortega back in Racine, the Liparis are spreading the word to all of their friends to give his new restaurant a try.
“If you want good food, its here,” said Jeanette. “I love his tilapia, and the seafood burrito is excellent. My husband has had just about everything Javier makes and he hasn’t found anything he doesn’t like yet.”
Dream come true
Ortega, too, is glad to be back in Racine and very excited to have his own restaurant.
“This has been my dream since I started cooking 23 years ago,” he said.
There was a time when Ortega wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a chef or a drummer — another thing his wife says he is really good at.
“When I was working at Mangia, in Kenosha, I would work as a sous chef during the day and as drummer at night,” Ortega said. “Finally, it got to be a little too much and I realized I had to pick one or the other.”
He is very happy with his career choice. Not only does he get to spend each day doing what he loves, he also gets to spend time with his family and friends, as most of the restaurant’s staff is related to him. The Ortegas’ two oldest sons (they have four) often come in to help out and Yecenia’s mother can sometimes be found in the kitchen making tamales.
“My wife helps me out a lot,” said Ortega. “This is really a family operation.”
It is also a place where quality and freshness are key and the goal is to make each customer happy, Ortega said. The chef not only makes his own bread for sandwiches, but will sometimes get up very early in the morning to make a trip up to Milwaukee’s produce mart to ensure that he gets exactly what he wants for the day’s menu. Even the salsa, the chips and the desserts — from Cafemisu to a flan and chocolate cake combination — are homemade.
Satisfaction all around
That freshness is one of things that brought Suellen Keeran back to the restaurant two days in a row for lunch recently. Keeran enjoyed the bean and cheese enchiladas she had at her first visit so much that she brought two friends — Judi Lutkus and Sue Walquist — with her the next day to sample Javier’s cooking.
For starters, the three women shared an order of made-to-order guacamole, which they described as delicious.
“They will make it exactly the way you want it,” said Keeran. “Ours had a little jalapeno, garlic, tomato and cilantro with nice pieces of avocado. You can get it as hot, or as mild, as you like.”
They followed the guacamole with orders of chili con queso (casa style black bean chili with melting cheese) and shrimp soup, which features avocado and pico de gallo (in addition to the shrimp) in a light tomato broth.
Everything received high marks from the lunching trio.
“Even the refried beans are wonderful,” Keeran said, emphasizing her point by drawing her hand from her lips with a kissing sound.
Javier’s is also a good place to have an impromptu business lunch, said Chuck Domanico, of Chuck’s Sheridan Auto Salvage, and Michael Sturm, a CPA in Racine. While discussing business over a chimichanga and a milanesa sandwich (avocado, tomato, lettuce and cilantro mayo on a fresh telera), the two men not only complemented the food, but the wait staff.
“The service is excellent,” said Domanico. “You get plenty of food and it is served with a smile.”
“It is more than a taco place,” said Sturm. “The decor is nice and the even the music is good. You’ve got to have music in a Mexican restaurant.”
Right now, Javier’s offers a selection of wines and beer with their menu and eventually, Ortega said he hopes to be able to serve margaritas as well.
“I have the recipe I want to use, we are just waiting for permission,” he said.
Meanwhile, Javier is happily living his dream at a restaurant with his name on the marquee.
WHAT: Javier’s Cuisine
WHERE: 2815 Durand Ave.
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
COST: Most appetizers are in the $6-7 range; dinners start at $7.75 and go up to $13.45; sandwiches and lunch specials range from $5 to $9.
INFO: Call (262) 598-9242.
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