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Raza
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| 114 Laurier Ave. W. 514-227-8712; www.restaurantraza.com; no wheelchair access; vegetarian friendly; price range: $$$$. |
| Published on Aug 09, 2009 |
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Four years ago I tasted Mario Navarrete Jr.'s food at his 24-seat Laurier Ave. restaurant, Raza. Best described as French-Latin fusion or nuevo Latino, Navarrete's cuisine was beautiful, delicious and, best of all, different.
Since then, this 35-year-old chef has garnered much praise at both Raza and his more casual, Masson St. restaurant, Madre.
And he hasn't stopped there. He now offers cooking classes at Raza, sells take-out food at Madre and entertains the idea of one day opening the ceviche bar of his dreams.
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Madre
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| 2931 Masson St. (near 6th Ave., Rosemont); Phone: 514-315-7932; www.restaurantmadre.com; wheelchair access; reservations essential; price range: $$-$$$ |
| Published on Sep 29, 2007 |
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Photo John Morstad, The Gazette
Chef Mario Navarrete with sous-chef Rodrigo Flores
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Mario Navarrete Jr. gets my vote for gutsiest chef in town. Just look at what he has been up to. In 2005 he opened Raza, Laurier Ave.'s Nuevo Latino restaurant, where critics swooned over dishes like foie gras empanadas and pumpkin soup with marshmallows. From his tiny, 16-by-10-foot kitchen, he turned out multi-course tasting menus of French/ Latin fusion that were beautiful, delicious and best of all, different. The room wasn't all that glitzy and sometimes the crowds were thin, but he won us over for his passion and originality.
It turns out this 33-year-old chef is also quite the businessman. He has now launched his second Nuevo Latino. It's called Madre (mother), it's in Rosemont, and judging from a meal I enjoyed there recently, it's also very good.
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