A unique, organic experience

DINING OUT

Rico Cafe, a tiny, single storefront in a strip mall on the

southeast corner of Hamilton Avenue and Bushard Street in Huntington

Beach, is as unique in decor as it is in cuisine.

Owned by Mariela Hadnot from Chile, it serves organically grown

foods with no fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, herbicides or

chemicals. Its salad greens practically stand alone, and its homemade

focaccia bread sandwich is an inch thick, filled with carne asada

(grilled beef), chicken or tuna.

Rico’s is Mariela’s dream. She has been collecting large bullfight

posters and colorful 1920s pictures under her bed, waiting for the

right time to open a cafe.

The floor tiles she purchased in Spain; the Italian marble-topped

counter is 100 years old. And the food is from recipes handed down

from her mother and grandmother.

Like many cafe owners, she watched and helped in the kitchen while

growing up in Chile.

So, if you’re ready for an adventurous lunch, Rico Cafe is the

place.

Recently, I had a beef empanada ($3.50) made by Mariela’s mother,

Lina. This one has dough about the thickness of pie crust filled with

extra-lean ground beef, hard boiled eggs, black olives with bits of

onion and raisins folded into a delicious, oblong packet and baked a

nice golden-brown.

Empanadas are hand-held staples in Chile and South America, often

sold from street vendors.

I added a small green salad ($2.75) that was truly organic, with

bad baby spinach, red leaf, frise, tomatoes and covered with carrot

and onion slices. Excellent and recommended.

Mariela, a vegetarian, selects her greens carefully while she

depends on husband Evan’s choices of meats. Her mother, Lina, makes

most breads, while the croissants are from Vie de France.

My friend chose a focaccia Latina sandwich ($5.75), and it was

huge. It was a thick, round loaf filled with grilled beef, tomatoes,

red onions and fresh chimichurri.

This homemade salsa is a spicy and chunky melange of olive oil and

vinegar and finely chopped parsley, oregano, onion, garlic, cayenne

and pepper. In Argentina, it is a must for ground meat and adds a

spicy bite to the sandwich.

A Chilean sandwich, El Completo ($5), is the ultimate hot dog -- a

100%, extra-lean Kosher dog served with sauerkraut, tomato, avocado,

onion and cilantro on an open bun topped with layers of mustard and

mayo.

Bring an appetite for this one, or take half home for a late-night

snack. A true “over-dressed” dog.

Desserts, like everything else here, are generous.

The bread pudding ($3), made by mom, is a big square of sweetened

bread with syrupy sauce. It could use some raisins or nuts to add

lightness to the solid loaf.

The tiramisu ($3.75) is espresso-soaked sponge cake layered with

thick Chantilly creme and covered with chocolate sauce scrolled

around the plate. It is truly “rico,” which, Mariela says, means

“rich and tasty” in Spanish.

It had squares of icing depicting American flags and chocolate

slivers decorating the top -- really an extravaganza.

“We want to share the taste of Chile with Huntington Beach,”

Mariela says of Rico Cafe, her first -- and only -- restaurant.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

hbindy@latimes.com.