Sunday, September 14, 2008
Food, Reviews, "Dish"

Better off dead

A visit to Bone Garden Cantina

By Kirsten Ott

Despite the fact that I’ve dedicated myself to Operation Boot Camp for 30 days and therefore am restricted from consuming alcohol and eating fried foods and desserts (read more about that on my new Sunday Paper fitness blog), I’m still required to try the new restaurants in town so I can share the experience with our readers. This obligation, if you will, is what brought me in to Bone Garden Cantina last week. I’d been hearing the buzz since it opened in June, and it was high time I check it out. The Mexican dining destination, which is situated in West Midtown at the Lumber Yard, is the brainchild of Michael Benoit, founding owner of the Vortex restaurants, and his wife Kristen. I love the eclectic style of the Vortex, so I was naturally curious what the Bone Garden Cantina would be like.

Though it’s a little hidden, my first impression was that it wasn’t all that hard to find. Howell Mill to Huff and a brief ride on Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard, and we were there. Plus, you can’t miss the huge skeleton playing a guitar perched atop the signage outside. I happened upon Michael while I was dining and asked him about the art. Michael smartly threads the Day of the Dead theme throughout the restaurant. A bit like Halloween but more spiritual, Day of the Dead is a Mexican celebration of loved ones who’ve passed away. Honoring this annual memoriam year-round, Michael has created three skeletal sculptures, as well as the large mural above the bar. He also commissioned local artists Ashley Zeltzer and Nagisha Higashida to paint large canvases for the walls. Higashida’s colorful triptych depicts Day of the Dead celebrations in morning, noon and night phases, while Zeltzer’s “El Diablito” strikes a devilishly vintage feel. Michael says he plans to expand the restaurant to the outside with a deck and a garden, which will feature more of his works. Visually arresting, the interior décor celebrates the liveliness of spirits, as well as plays up to traditionally modern seating with mahogany tables and chairs, exposed brick and tons of natural light.

My co-workers were there for lunch and being extremely conscious of my newly established dining habits, I ordered light with the Bone Garden salad, a fresh mix of greens, black beans, corn, tomato, onions, bell peppers and fried tortilla strips (I only had a couple) with cilantro lime dressing on the side and an addition of seasoned chicken. Maybe it was because I’d just had a similar dish two days prior somewhere else, but it wasn’t my favorite. The chicken was rubbery and the dressing watered down. 

But who wants a freakin’ salad when you’re having Mexican anyway? That’s when I sort of blew my diet by sampling other items on the table, like the housemade salsa and chips and a small corner of my boss’s roasted pork  enchilada, which was a delectable combination of tomatillo sauce, Chihuahua cheese and sour cream. One of our designers couldn’t stop raving about his de canasta taco, a special concoction of black refried beans, mashed potatoes, shredded chicken and spicy tomato salsa. All the dishes on our table epitomized authentic Mexican cuisine; there were no combination plates in sight. 

Then came the desserts for the five of us to share. Both the sweet banana empanadas and homemade flan with almonds were almost irresistible. I indulged in tasting each sweet treat for pure guilty pleasure, and the empanadas quickly won me over, with their sugary outside and warm, fruity inside. Viva la Mexico, indeed. www.bonegardencantina.com. SP
When she’s not checking out restaurants, interviewing chefs or nodding off after her fifth glass of wine, Life, Food & Style Editor Kirsten Ott dishes culinary and cocktail insights. E-mail her at kirstenott@sundaypaper.com.