The first time I visited La Sandía, the new Richard Sandoval-helmed Mexican restaurant in the Northfield Stapleton development, I was shocked that, a little after 9 on a Friday night, the bartender announced last call.
But then I looked around and noticed that there was almost no one else there. Why keep serving?
The second time I visited La Sandía, a month or so later, I was shocked that even without a reservation, our table of four was seated immediately on a Friday night.
But then I looked around and again, there was almost no one else there.
The third time I visited La Sandía, I wasn’t shocked that the joint was empty, because it was March Madness and I figured everyone was either parked in front of their own flat-screen or sucking down beers at ESPN Zone.
Each time, the lack of a discernible clientele was a bummer. But it was a bummer I quickly got over, because whatever energy I might have spent people-watching I instead directed toward my plate.
And on my plate, almost invariably, was something I liked.
A lot.
For example, the beef barbacoa sopes, a trio of coaster-sized corn tortillas piled high with spicy chorizo, salty cojita cheese and sweet-savory beef barbacoa, which were so irresistible I downed one in a sloppy two-bite frenzy before remembering that I was there to evaluate them.
And the decadent, meaty beef skewers, a naughty pair of beef-bacon-sausage skewers with peppers and onions served on a cactus leaf with a toasty tomatillo sauce.
And the pork pipian, a softly seasoned pork tenderloin kissed with tamarind and swathed in a silky pumpkin- seed mole.
It was easy to lose myself in these dishes and forget about the cavernous space, which, if it were a little more busy, would be quite beautiful. The room, anchored in the center by a large bar and divided into separate dining areas by brightly colored glass walls, is bold, contemporary and appetizing.
It begs for standing-room-only crowds, toasting one another with house margaritas. For staffers whizzing to and fro. For stylish lunchtime shoppers laden with bags from Forever 21 across the street.
Eventually, it may have them. Every Sandoval restaurant (Tamayo, Zengo) imposes a slow, inevitable magnetic pull on its neighborhood, so it’s only a matter of time, and patience, before La Sandía fills up.
But in the meantime, now’s the perfect opportunity for the rest of us to get in there and get some good grub.
Besides the sopes, skewers and pork pipian, you’d do well to choose the chicken pibil, a moist pan-roasted chicken breast served in a homey baking dish with corn pico de gallo and a sharp achiote-habanero broth.
Red snapper Veracruz, a smart take on the Caribbean favorite, swims in a spicy tomato broth studded with olives. Chicken Milanesa, a pounded-breaded-fried chicken breast, is one of the dullest dishes in the Mexican culinaria, but La Sandía’s version is, if not interesting, yummy.
Less-successful dishes included the fried plantains, which lacked seasoning, tortilla soup, which had turned to mush by the time it arrived at the table, and seafood mariscada, a shellfish-toss of shrimp, scallops and mussels which was overpowered by its cloying coconut sauce.
And then there was the guacamole.
Warning: Pet peeve ahead.
La Sandía’s guacamole is a do-it-yourself affair. Your server will bring to your table a stone molcajete (mortar) along with a three-chambered personal ingredients bar with a halved avocado, some peppers, cilantro, and other guacamole fixins. “You get to make it yourself!” they’ll say. “Just put the ingredients into the molcajete and mash them together, al gusto!”
I’m an old-fashioned guy. For $6.95, I think someone on staff should make the guacamole. I think a restaurant should do more for you than the grocery shopping.
And what’s more, there were no limes on that personal ingredients bar. If I’m going to make my own appetizer, I want to make it my way, and I like my guac limey.
That said, the DIY guacamole was just fine – fresh and soothing and eminently finishable. (Note: If you ask the servers nicely, they’ll mush it up for you.)
Desserts were hit and miss. High point: Tres leches cake, rich and creamy and soft. Low point: Churros, heartbreakingly overfried.
I wish La Sandía were a little closer to the office so I could make a weekly habit of the Mexican Cobb salad, a healthy tumble of moist chicken breast, crispy-cool romaine, avocado, tomato, cheese and egg.
If you’re over 5 1/2 feet tall, choose your table at La Sandía carefully. Many of them have too-small surfaces and too-hefty pedestals that cede no room to long legs. Request a better table if you’re seated at the wrong one, or get a seat at the bar instead.
I also wish the prices were just a little lower at La Sandía. They aren’t exorbitant, but they’re a notch higher than I’d expected. I wish the dinner Tampiquena steak were $18.95 instead of $22.95 (come at lunch, and it is). I wish the open-face quesadilla appetizer were $7.95 instead of $10.95. I wish the house margarita were $5, not $7.
(Then again, I wish every meal I eat, everywhere, were cheaper, and La Sandía is not the only offender in this regard.)
But if I could get out of La Sandía for just a few dollars less, I could afford to follow dinner with a movie over at the 18-cinema multiplex at the far end of the mall, and that would make the drive to Northfield totally worth it.
La Sandía deserves a chance. It’s hiding behind more than a few hurdles (location, price, those infernal tables), but the kitchen puts forth several excellent plates, and the service is able, friendly and sharp.
If you’re willing to forgive its freshman faults, La Sandía certainly merits a visit.
Just get there early, because last call might come down before you’re ready to leave.
Dining critic Tucker Shaw can be reached at 303-954-1958 or at dining@denverpost.com.
La Sandía
Mexican
8340 E. 49th Ave. (in the Northfield Stapleton shopping center) 303-373-9100, modernmexican.com/lasandia
** 1/2 | Very Good/Great
Atmosphere: Huge, brightly colored restaurant with windows looking out into the Northfield development.
Service: Knowledgeable and swift, with concrete opinions on the food.
Wine: Tequila, tequila, tequila. Dozens and dozens of varieties. A few wines and plenty of cocktails and beer.
Plates: Appetizers, $6.95-12.95. Entrees $13.50-22.95.
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Details: Reservations accepted but not necessary. Good for big groups. All credit cards accepted. Free parking lot nearby, paid street parking right outside. Movie theater in walking distance.
Three visits.
Our star system:
****: Exceptional
***: Great
**: Very good
*: Good
No stars: Needs work.
