Caliente's menu mixes several cultures

Upon my arrival at Caliente (Spanish for “hot”), I ordered an ice-cold cerveza to temper the fiery “south of the border” meal I was anticipating. Surprisingly, I ended up ordering a plateful of sauerkraut, bratwurst and andouille sausage over rice and black beans called the Confused Germaican Platter ($9.95). My wife, Lisa, washed down her tropical entrée of lime-chipotle coconut shrimp ($15.95) with a Belgian brew. Served with collard and mustard greens and more rice and beans, the entrée hit closer to what we had expected geographically but still delivered no “fire.”

What we discovered is that Caliente isn’t really about crazy-hot foods from south of Texas as we had assumed. Instead, the offerings are mostly mild and all over the map — literally. (Diners looking to make their tongues sweat can choose a ridiculously hot concoction from an abundant collection of bottled sauces shelved in the rear of the dining room.)

Behind this unique, new restaurant and its unusual mix of Thai, Mexican, Caribbean, European, Cajun and Low Country cuisine are restaurateurs David and Courtney Bender. Together, they bring 20-plus years of work experience in such Richmond mainstays as Border Chop House, Joe’s Inn and Melito’s. According to David (who’s also the chef), Caliente’s concept was conceived so he could “cook what he likes to eat.”

But back to those entrées — while not exactly what we expected, they weren’t without merit. The sausages, served with a tame brown mustard and run-of-the-mill sauerkraut, possessed flavorful grill marks (although the bratwurst bordered on being burnt). The andouille provided a delicious hint of that sought-after heat.

Lisa’s shrimp lacked a strong lime and chipotle-pepper presence, but they were sweet and fried golden brown. The accompanying greens were braised until succulently moist and tender. The rice and beans on both entrées, however, were somewhat dry and bland despite their jerk-and-lime-juice seasonings.

Before our globe-trotting entrées hit the table, we began with gator bites ($6.95). The fried morsels of alligator meat, glazed in mild buffalo-wing sauce and served with ranch dressing, truly tasted like chicken.

For dessert, we devoured the restaurant’s terrific piña-colada bread pudding ($4.95). Crisp on top and super-moist in the center, it was adorned with grated coconut and buttery Malibu rum hard sauce. We didn’t expect the “sweet” to trump the “heat” on this night, but it certainly did.

My subsequent lunch visit began with a house salad ($3.25) topped by a tangy, smoky barbecue dressing with small chunks of blue cheese throughout. Interestingly, crispy fried noodles and dried cranberries topped the fresh greens, red onion, cucumber and tomato on this unique starter.

The Baja sandwich ($6.95) — served on a kaiser roll — came well-stocked with juicy turkey, creamy, ripe avocado, roasted red peppers and smoked Gouda cheese. I also enjoyed the well-done, house-cut fries as a side.

Dessert again ruled with the key lime pie ($4.95) — a pucker-inducing custard generously topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream. A crumbly graham-cracker crust provided a terrific contrast to the custard’s pudding-like texture.

Before I understood what Caliente was all about, I was a bit disappointed with the relative lack of “fire” in their food. But once I figured out where they were coming from (and discovered the “wall of heat”), things were just fine.

 

Caliente
2922 Park Ave., 340-2920

Price Ranges
Appetizers $4.95 to $16.95. Soups and salads $2.95 to $8.25. Sandwiches $4.50 to $8.25. Entrees $9.95 to $18.95. Desserts are $4.95.

Hours
Lunch is served Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served Monday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.