add to our listings
Venue Review: Jibarra
Triangle.com
To say that the original Jibarra raised the bar for Mexican restaurants in the Triangle is an understatement on the order of saying that habaneros are spicy. The menu featured a mix of traditional regional fare and playfully innovative dishes by Ricardo Quintero, who was formally trained in Mexico City. The selection of rare premium tequilas was dazzling, as was the cosmopolitan chic decor.
Evidently, it was all too dazzling for a region long dominated by Tex-Mex joints and taquerias. Complaints that Jibarra's prices were "too high for a Mexican restaurant" were common, according to Joel Ibarra, who owned the restaurant with his brother Hector and father, Jose. Before Jibarra reached its third anniversary, the owners announced that they were closing the North Raleigh restaurant. Jibarra would reopen downtown, they said, promising that the reincarnation would be more casual and the prices lower without sacrificing the spirit of the original.
By and large, that promise has been kept. The new Jibarra opened in January in the historic Depot. Quintero (who has returned to Mexico City but still consults on the menu) jettisoned big-ticket items while retaining popular dishes such as cochinita pibil and snapper alla Veracruzana. Most entrees are under $20 now, and an expanded selection of small plates, soups, salads and tacos further increase the possibilities for an affordable meal.
Chef Quintero did a good job of training the kitchen staff to execute his creations in his absence. Cochinita pibil, a small plate featuring shredded pork shoulder marinated with anatto and sour orange, is every bit as succulent as it was in North Raleigh. Presentation is elegant, too, the pork flanked by lightly pickled onions on a banana leaf, and the plate decorated with dollops of a golden (and surprisingly subtle) habanero salsa.
Tostadas de salpicón de pato are likewise impressive. Presented as a towering stack of crisp triangular tostadas, each topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado and juicy shreds of poached duck, the dish is what nachos must be like in heaven.
Also listed under the Small Plates heading are four variations on the seviche theme. I'm partial to the Acapulco (seasonal white fish -- recently grouper -- in a marinade of lime juice and olive oil punctuated with cilantro, tomato, olives and serrano chiles) and Dos Salmones (smoked and rare diced salmon presented as a colorful molded cylinder flecked with bits of avocado and pico de gallo).
Straddling the line between shareable starter and light entree are half a dozen listings under the heading of La Taqueria. Options range from the wildly inventive tacos de cachete (pork cheek served over phyllo pastry) to the comparatively traditional carne asada. Tacos de camaron, a deconstructed presentation of sautéed shrimp encircling a salad of chiffonade lettuce and radish in a light citrusy dressing with small corn tortillas on the side, is a worthy choice.
The entree selection is modest in length but varied and boldly adventurous, with options ranging from a puff pastry-enrobed chile relleno to sea bass in Mexican vanilla bean oil over lobster mashed potatoes. Pollo al pastor, a twist on a traditional pork theme featuring boneless chicken breast marinated in pineapple juice and grilled to a juicy turn, is another winner.
The kitchen occasionally disappoints, but rarely are the disappointments major. Miscues run along the lines of a soupy tropical seviche with more cucumber and pineapple than mahi-mahi, or surprisingly bland Spanish rice.
Jibarra's weak link is not in the kitchen but in the dining room. Some of the wait staff apparently think they can attend to diners' needs while chatting with the bartender. They're mistaken.
The atmosphere of the new Jibarra is as vibrant and rustic as the old one was formal and restrained. At the center of the dining room, surrounded by an octagonal bar, the restaurant's prize collection of tequilas is showcased in the backlit alcoves of a wooden tower. The spirit of the old Jibarra survives in the new one, you might say, as well as the spirits.
Atmosphere: vibrant and rustic
Service: spotty
Recommended: duck tostadas, cochinita pibil, pollo al pastor, cabrito asado
Write a Review
This is not your father's Mexican food.
The owners might well be advised that some passersby will simply keep driving when they see the word "Mexican" on the exterior wall of Jibarra. It certainly is an inadequate descriptor for this unique Triangle restaurant.
Judging by other reviews, people either love it or hate it. If you go, go with an open mind and try to order something you’ve never had. Jibarra will deliver.
The first time I was there I had an appetizer featuring the candy Pop Rocks! I'll admit: that was a bit too bizarre for me, but the remaining visits have been simply wonderful.
Start in the sleek bar where they feature a dizzying selection of fine tequila. I ordered a Caipirinha, the Brazilian national cocktail (of which I’ve made hundreds at home). The menu indicates that it is prepared the traditional way, by crushing a quartered lime in the bottom of a glass. But, it was not prepared that way and I found that odd.
Try the trio of cebiches appetizer:
seared ahi tuna and white beans with balsamic vinegar-soy reduction
smoked and rare diced salmon with sliced avocado and pico de gallo
lime-marinated seasonal white fish with tomato, green onion, serrano chile, cilantro, olives, oregano, and e.v.o.o.
It's a beauty on the plate and a pleasure in the mouth.
On our last visit, I also had the Tacos de Camarón: achiote-beer battered shrimp served with a cabbage-cream salad, guacamole and salsa. Served with corn tortillas, this is do-it-yourself finger food. (We thought the slaw was too creamy and there was way too much of it on the plate).
If you go, a must-have is the Chilpachole de Jaiba. This is a slightly spicy blue crab soup poured table-side over what appear to be small cannelloni in the bottom of your bowl. Well, the cannelloni are not pasta--- they're made of butter. And, when the hot soup is poured into the bowl, the butter melts away to reveal rich pieces of crab.
I like this dish so much, I created for my family one Christmas.
For an entree, I chose Cabrito Asado al Horno: slow-cooked, bone-in, young goat served with potato confit, guacamole, chunky salsa molcajeteada (*see below) and flour tortillas to make tacos. This was absolutely incredible. There was some work to separate meat from bone and fat from all, but it was worth the effort. Simply a fantastic dish. and reminded me of a shoulder of kid I had in Barcelona.
I can’t remember what the others had, but all were pleased.
Total was about $175 (cocktails and tip included, no dessert and one of us was not drinking).
Recommended.
*Some claim it to be the very best of all salsas. It’s called molcajeteada because of the volcano-shaped container in which it's made, a "molcajete", meaning "little box for salsa."
It's commonly believed that nothing replaces this technique for making salsas because when you use the tejolote (a palm-sized volcanic rock) to hit the molcajete, the stone breaks the seeds of the tomatoes and the chiles, liberating essential oils that cannot be released with the electric food processors.
To say that the original Jibarra raised the bar for Mexican restaurants in the Triangle is an understatement on the order of saying that habaneros are spicy. The menu featured a mix of traditional regional fare and playfully innovative dishes by Ricardo Quintero, who was formally trained in Mexico City. The selection of rare premium tequilas was dazzling, as was the cosmopolitan chic decor.
(Full review)Mixing faithful renditions of classic Mexican dishes with bold variations, this elegant North Raleigh restaurant shows that there's much more to Mexican cuisine than tacos and enchiladas. It's hard go wrong, but cochinita pibil is especially recommended. So are pescado alla Veracruzana, buey con chichilo negro, and cabrito. Save room for dessert, too. Lunch Monday-Friday, dinner Tuesday-Sunday, brunch Sunday.
(Full review)