It’s easy to jet right past Sin Fronteras Cafe on Forest Drive. The restaurant and its sign are modest. On top of that, it’s within a strip center, and the parking lot could use some love.
The out-of-the-way location doesn’t stop customers from returning again and again.
“Once you try our cuisine, I will bet you will come back many times,” says enthusiastic owner Walter Vasquez, who also owns three barber shops and a small construction company in the county.
Besides preparing excellent food, Vasquez goes out of his way to make sure his customers feel welcome. He greets them at the door when they arrive, and once they are seated, he tries hard to ensure they have a pleasant experience. “If I don’t go to a table and chat with them for two or three minutes, then I have failed for the week,” Vasquez explains.
The 50-year-old Vasquez brings a wealth of cultural and industry experience with his El Salvador roots. He worked for 20 years in Miami restaurants before opening Sin Fronteras in 2010.
We recently talked to Vasquez about what makes his Latin American and Mexican food so special, being honored by the Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce in 2017 as its Business Advocate of the Year for helping out other restaurant owners, and his journey from El Salvador to Miami to New York to Annapolis.
What is the difference between Central American and Mexican cuisine?
Typically, it’s not the same. With Central American food, we tend to use a reduction of vegetables. We are using more tomatoes, garlic, and onions and less spicy food. It’s a combination of a lot of seasonings. It’s just one of the main differences we have.
What distinguishes your food from other restaurants?
What people love about this restaurant is that everything is made fresh daily. We don’t use microwaves. We stay away from canned food. We use 13 different peppers as well as beer, tequila, and wine reduction sauces. What people also like about this place is that we combine the areas of Central and South America, South and Central Mexico, Cuba, Peru, and parts of Columbia. We do everything in-house. We make the chips, salsa, and the dressings. We do everything here.
Did you have to work your way up in the industry?
I used to work in a small deli and make deliveries while I was in school to learn English. Later, I worked in two of the best three-star restaurants in Miami Beach as a waiter, captain (someone who oversees a group of tables), and general manager.
What makes the guestsexperience special?
It’s like having guests in your house and you treat them like family. You have to be polite and sincere and give them the best you have. If you ask people about this restaurant, they tell you I make people feel at home. I make sure people are treated properly. That’s what people love about us.
What is your most popular dish?
Ropa Vieja. It’s a Cuban dish. What we do is make it out of brisket. We marinate that in orange juice, rum, garlic, and oregano overnight. The next morning, we take it out. Once it is cooked, we pull it into pieces, and we add garlic, tomatoes, onions, peppers, rice and beans and sweet plantains. No one offers sweet plantains in this area.
What other items appeal to customers?
Chile en Nogada. It’s a tradition from Central Mexico. We put the pepper in the oven, cut it up and add tomatoes, onions, and ground beef. It is made here with a little fruit and raisins and we stuff it. Then we make a sauce that is made with tequila reduction to give it flavor. A little cheese and pomegranate, and a little bit of cinnamon. It’s served cold as the main course.
Tell me how you decided to have an extended happy hour that runs every day. Does any place in Annapolis have a similar one?
No. We start at 11:30 a.m. and go to 6 p.m. every day of the week. The only place I see long happy hours is in Miami Beach. It’s a party town. It’s a cosmopolitan city. Not everybody works Monday through Friday like other cities. The happy hour most places is five to seven Monday through Friday.
What do you want people to know about your Chile en Nogada recipe?
No one has this in the area. It’s a traditional dish from a town in Central Mexico, where, believe it or not, a lot of people from Europe go to try the dish. They have a festival there where all they make is Chile en Nogada. You have all these flavors in one dish. It’s sweet, a little bit spicy, smoky, and salty.
Why did you come to the United States from El Salvador?
There are some political issues and a civil war. I have family in Miami, so I came there and started working in the restaurant business at 22. The industry is huge, and I loved it.
How did you end up inAnnapolis?
After the September 11th terrorist attacks, Miami Beach took a major hit in tourism, as no one was traveling. I went from working five days a week to three, two, or one day a week. So, I took a job in New York City working for Merrill Lynch as a union delegate handling all the grievances. Then the housing fiasco came along, and my wife and I bought a house in Annapolis. We love this area, and that’s how we started.
Can you explain why you go out of your way to help other new restaurant owners?
If someone is starting a business—especially in the Latin community—they come to see me because the language, culture, and systems are different. They ask me, “How do I start a restaurant or a landscaping business?” If someone needs some help, I will make sure they have the right guidance, so they don’t make the same mistakes I made throughout my career.
Chili En Nogada recipe
1 cup small diced bread
1 ½ cups of milk
½ teaspoon salt
Filling
1 tbl olive oil
½ cup white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 medium ripe tomato, finely chopped
1 tbl freshly minced cilantro leaves
1 pound of ground beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked diced potato
2 tbl dried black currants
2 tbl toasted sliced blanched almonds
Garnish
½ cup pomegranate seeds
2 table spoons coarsely chopped parsley leaves
Directions
Prepare the poblano peppers by heating a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Add the poblanos, and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until the skin is blackened and blistered on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes depending of the size of the poblanos. Remove from the griddle as they are done and place in a plastic bag, let sit for 5 minutes, until the skins are soft enough to be easily removed. Remove the poblanos from the bag, and using your fingers and small sharp knife, peel and scrape off as much of the blackened skin as possible, (a few black specks don't matter). Leave the tops on and cut small (2 to 3-inch) lengthwise slits in the polios and carefully pull out the seeds without tearing the flesh.
Nogada (walnut sauce)
Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and process until thoroughly pureed. Set aside at room temperature or keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Filling
In a medium-sized skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomato, cilantro and cook for another minute. Add the meat and cook stirring, until the meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Add the potatoes, cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the black currants and the almonds. Remove from the heat. Carefully stuff the mixture into the chiles through the slit, taking care not to rip the chiles. Transfer the stuffed poblanos to a serving platter. Cover with the walnut sauce and garnish with pomegranate seeds and parsley.
