Sentinel restaurant critic
I met my husband in a small fishing village on the coast of Oaxaca — one that also happened to have one of the best beach breaks on Mexico’s Pacific coast. When I stepped off the bus that first day in the state of Oaxaca, the smell of roasting corn filled the air and I heard the familiar sound of giant waves pounding on the shore. I didn’t travel thousands of miles south to find a husband; I came for the language, the adventure, and of course, for the food. The husband was an unexpected bonus. This trip was the first time I tasted fresh, raw Oaxacan cheese, and plate-sized Oaxacan “tostadas” called tlayudas. I ate chocolatey moles, al pastor street tacos and fish so fresh it glistened on the boat decks at dawn.
Fast forward 25 years, and the man I met in Oaxaca joins me in Davenport for a Mexican dinner. After a surf session at Davenport Landing, we are sitting at the new restaurant in town called Cemitas 1, a cute little place with royal blue doors and Mexican tile floors next to the post office. Many years may have passed, but our top two ingredients for success haven’t changed: good surf, followed by good Mexican food. We brought our ravenous kids along, so we could try almost everything on the small menu.
I knew we weren’t in for the usual giant burritos and highway taqueria fare when I spotted several cookbooks on a butcher block counter next to a platter of colorful dried corn: J. Kenzi Lopez-Alt’s “The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science,” “Tacos: Recipes & Provocations” and “Nixtama, A Guide to Masa Preparation.” My next clue was the open pantry door in the dining room wherein I saw large bags of the famed Rancho Gordo dried oregano, Midnight black beans, dark red chile powder and Eye of the Goat beans. I also spotted sacks of Masienda heirloom corn imported from the state of Oaxaca.
We stepped up to the counter to order from a friendly blonde guy with long flowing locks where we learned that a cemita is a Pueblan sandwich on a soft sesame bun (cemita translates to sesame seed). The menu at Cemitas 1 is small, on purpose. According to co-owners Andy Potterfield and Gabe Luboff, their goal is to serve a concise menu and be able to source most of the ingredients locally, as soon as they are busy enough to do so.
Both Potterfield and Luboff are trained chefs who share the workload at Cemitas, with Luboff overseeing much of the kitchen and recipe development and Potterfield also running the numbers side of the business. As a self-proclaimed “spread sheeter,” he has consulted at numerous successful places in town, including Cremer House where he was also head chef, Lupulo, Black Point Market, Humble Sea, and Suda. Although he’s from Chicago, Potterfield’s chance visit with a friend in Boulder Creek at a time when he was burnt out with the Chicago restaurant scene, led him to imagine a life here. “The reason I’m still in this town is that I see such a gaping hole between the food grown and the food in restaurants,” he says. “There needs to be a combined effort to support a local movement to eat in places that care where our food comes from.” Potterfield is hoping that this movement will also lower the prices of local, sustainable food.
We ordered a variety of starters, mains and sides to share, and since portions aren’t oversized, we were able to eat most everything. They were delivered to our table as they were prepared, by friendly waiter/cooks. I started with the Michelada — a pint glass of Mexican lager rimmed with Stardust chile powder, mixed with fresh lime juice, hot sauce and seasonings — so refreshing and reminiscent of warm Mexican nights. Hubby tried the Fresh Squeezed IPA on tap, and the kids went for the literally fresh-squeezed orange juice and a Jarrito Mexican soda. Other beverage stand-outs include the Rose in a can for two, Cat & Cloud locally roasted coffee and homemade hibiscus tea.
For appetizers, we started with an order of chips, salsas and guacamole. The quality of a restaurant’s chips and salsa are a good indicator of a place’s quality, as a whole. Cemitas’ charred, roasted tomatillo salsa and smoky guajillo salsa are delicious with their homemade chips. The thick, fresh guacamole topped with shredded radish and toasted pepitas is limey and perfectly seasoned — some of the best I’ve had. We tried the large Ensalada de Cemitas 1 salad with chipotle/lime vinaigrette, Oaxacan cheese, pickled onions, black beans and toasted pumpkin seeds — a delicious departure from the usual Caesar, made with north coast organic romaine lettuce. We added avocado and an extra side order of sweet, charred Mexican street corn that we poured on top. It was filling and large enough for a light meal. To offset our healthy salad, we dove into an order of to-die-for Queso Fundido, a cast iron skillet of melted Oaxacan and Jack cheeses, roasted poblano peppers and chorizo (added $3.) This version of the iconic border-town dish is well worth the calories, and yummy with homemade corn tortillas for dipping between sips of Michelada.
The restaurant’s namesake, the cemita, is an over-stuffed Pueblan version of the widely known Mexican sandwich, the torta. What sets the cemita apart is the soft, sesame-studded bread roll. Owner Andy Potterfield worked with Golden Sheaf Bread Company to make the closest rendition of a traditional Pueblan cemita bun that he could find. His version is filled with fried beef, chicken or fish, eggs at breakfast, or vegetarian roasted poblano peppers topped with Oaxacan queso, mayo, avocado, lettuce and papalo, a pungent, traditional Pueblan herb. The cemita is a tasty grab-and-go lunch, dinner or post-surf snack. We decided we would be sure to pick up a family pack of cemitas for a picnic lunch next time we headed to one of the north coast beaches.
Cemitas’ fish tacos are simple, Baja-style tacos, made with fresh rock fish fried in a light Negra Modelo beer batter, topped with cabbage, pickled onions and Mexican crema. I topped them off with the two table salsas, which took them up a notch. Homemade corn tortillas are a delicious touch, even though the kids thought they were too small. At Cemitas, they are just starting to work with Real Good Fish and Ocean to Table — both organizations that strive to keep local fish sustainable and served at local restaurants. Al Pastor tacos are also delicious, with an added touch of achiote and grilled pineapple. Vegetarian tacos of Rajas-Poblano feature charred poblanos, avocado, cotija cheese and crema. With the salsas, these could be ordered vegan as well and still be full of flavor.
We ordered the side dishes of Chiles Toreados (charred jalapenos) topped with flaked sea salt and lime, and Frijoles Charros (braised Ojo de Cabra creamy heirloom beans with bacon served in a skillet with fresh tortillas.) I would love to see a vegetarian version of Frijoles Charros show up on the menu as the restaurant gets busier. Both sides were yummy additions to the tacos and starters.
There are a couple of fixable problems — a lack of grilled taco fillings for people who don’t do fried food or red meat and an outdoor bathroom that needs a makeover, but these are outshined by simply delicious, clean, traditional Mexican food made with quality ingredients, a spotless and well-designed dining room, and dedicated owners who want to create a sustainable, quality restaurant north of town.
The irony is not lost on me that a Chicagoan chef is bringing heirloom indigenous corn to our plates here in Davenport, while most local taquerias are serving hybrid Mexican-American food in the form of burritos that you can’t find in Mexico. “The best tasting food is peasant food,” says Potterfield, “made with what’s in season and growing in your backyard. It’s crazy that nutrient-dense local food has become something for rich people … it’s the first time in history that this has ever happened.” At Cemitas 1, their goal is to change that, one heirloom corn tortilla at a time, and I can’t wait to dine along for the ride.
Do you have a restaurant you’d like Reyna Lingemann to review? Contact her at reyndrop@sbcglobal.net.
Restaurant Rating
Cemitas 1
Where: 500 Cabrillo Highway, Davenport
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Tuesdays.
Service: 3 1/2 stars
Food: 4 stars
Value: 3 1/2 stars. Some portions are small, but very high quality ingredients
Ambiance: Friendly, sunny atmosphere, good music, al fresco patio dining.
Cost: Reasonable-moderate, $2.50-$13.50
Details: 831-454-8414. www.cemitasone.com Instagram, Facebook
