Something different: Herencia is off to a promising start

It’s not uncommon to see chefs working the dining room of their restaurants.

It is very uncommon, though, to witness the level of attention that Henrique Valdovinos, chef and owner of Herencia in the Northeast Heights, lavishes on his guests. During a recent dinner, Valdovinos visited every table multiple times. After he cleared up a glitch with our reservation and got us seated, he happily fielded questions about the restaurant’s origins and the philosophy behind it.

There was a noticeable bounce in his step, and we soon found out why. For the first time since the place opened in September, he told us, every table had been booked.

It’s a good sign for a restaurant that celebrates the possibilities of Mexican cuisine and its native ingredients, filtered through Spanish, French and Indigenous influences.

Valdovinos named his restaurant after the Spanish word for “heritage” as a nod to his roots in Mexico and the recipes passed down to him from his mother and grandmother.

The restaurant shares a strip mall on Montgomery Boulevard NE, just east of Juan Tabo Boulevard, with Sprouts Market, Il Vecino Wood Oven Pizza and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt. The dining room, once home to Zorba’s Fine Greek Cuisine, has gotten a lovely remodel. Undulating light fixtures hang down from the ceiling like luminescent butterflies, and the walls on opposite sides of the dining room are decorated with colorful murals. Look closely and you can see images of Valdovinos’ mother and grandmother lurking among the giant flowers painted on the walls.

One glance at the menu dispels any notion that you are in a typical Mexican place. Several items on the menu had us reaching for our phones for more information. Instead of the usual complimentary basket of fried tortilla chips and cup of red salsa, Herencia serves triangles of soft blue-corn tortillas with a mole, a tomatillo salsa and a salsa ranchera.

The presentation allows the flavor of the heirloom corn to shine, and three different sauces bring a range of texture, color and taste. The mole is smooth, earthy and complex, the tomatillo bright and tangy, and the chunky salsa ranchera is smoky and savory. These sauces alone make Herencia worth a visit.

The starters portion of the menu begins with four bocadillos, or “small bites,” that are priced from $12 to $16 and include a mini taco assortment and a crab meat tostada. There are two soups — a tomato-based tortilla soup with chicken ($12) and a poblano with pepper cream ($15) — and five salads that cost $9 to $18.

We bypassed the starters and went right to the nine entrees that include steak, chicken and pork dishes priced from $22 to $42.

A bowl of Carne en su Jugo ($28) consists of beef cheeks braised for hours in a beef and tomatillo broth and served with beans and pieces of bacon. The high collagen content of the beef cheeks means that it melts in your mouth. It’s delicious on its own, but even better when wrapped in the accompanying tortillas and dipped in the braising juice that’s served in a small pitcher. Imagine a superior version of a birria taco. The bowl is topped with a couple of avocado slices and a big purple and white orchid flower that echoes the design of the wall murals. I highly recommend this dish.

We had wanted to try the marinated, slow-roasted Cornish Hen al Pastor ($30) over rice and vegetables, but it was not available. The consolation prize was Paillard de Pollo ($22), chicken breast pounded thin, pan-fried and served alongside rice, calabacitas and tomatillo salsa. Everything on the plate was terrific, but the chicken, bursting with juice under a garlicky crust, really shined.

Charola de Tacos, which means “tray of tacos,” is available with a choice of two meats ($35) or three ($42). It’s a build-your-own proposition in which the meats — in this case, carne asada and chicken asado — are presented in a banana leaf-lined wooden serving bowl that resembles a miniature dugout canoe. Cups of six different sauces are arranged around the perimeter, and a stack of yellow and blue corn tortillas are provided. The excellent black beans that sit in a thick, savory juice, and rice are served in a separate bowl. The pale orange chipotle crema and a tangy avocado sauce that accompanied the salsas were exceptional, but the meats were underheated and the carne asada was a little tough.

The last section of the menu offers seafood like red snapper, shrimp and crab and the priciest item on the menu, Lobster Enchilada ($45).

Mexican-style flan, firmer than its Spanish counterpart, takes the spotlight for dessert. Herencia offers several varieties. The Chocolate Flan ($10) is served in two slices with whipped cream, candied pecans, fruit and caramel sauce. I liked the contrast of texture and flavor between the moist, brownie-like cake and the soft, vanilla-flavored custard. The Flan Napolitano ($10) is a gluten-free option loaded with berries.

On the drinks side, Herencia has beer, wine, and a margarita cart that was getting a lot of mileage throughout the dinner hour.

Service was good, although it slowed a bit as the dining room filled. The food came out quickly, except for the dessert course. Almost everything on the menu is gluten-free — a true rarity for local Mexican restaurants.

In a genre of dining that often holds few surprises, Herencia offers something different. The service and attention of the owner Henrique Valdovinos is a bonus. No wonder it’s off to such a promising start.

Something different: Herencia is off to a promising start