The northern part of Anne Arundel County has its fair share of restaurants that specialize in south-of-the-border flavors, most of which concentrate on Tex-Mex food that's popular and familiar.
Sin Fronteras Cafe, which opened this fall next to Mission BBQ in Glen Burnie's Harundale Plaza, aims to broaden the area's Latin culinary offerings with a menu that bounces across Mexico and Central America. The cafe is a second venture for owners Walter Vasquez and Wilmer Romero; their five-year-old Annapolis location has gained a loyal following.
Though during our visit the service was still finding its footing, Sin Fronteras' strong menu and bold flavors are likely to win over the hearts and stomachs of the northern part of the county.
Scene & Decor Our excursion to Sin Fronteras started with some confusion; even though the restaurant had been open for a few months, the sign outside still said "Las Vegas Mexican Restaurant," which was the name of the previous tenant. (A new sign was recently installed.) That confusion might also have explained the small crowd; after 7 on a Wednesday, we were almost the only diners in the place.
Inside, the small space looked nearly finished. A festive bar tucked in the back and original artwork on the walls livened up the interior, but generic-looking tiles on the floor and ceiling gave the room a sterile feeling. With more decor, the place would feel warmer.
Drinks According to Vasquez, their margarita has earned quite a following in Annapolis. We understood why. Arriving in a glass as big as a baby's head, the 18-ounce drink ($9.99) was tart and well-balanced — a good counterpoint to the complimentary warm chips and fresh salsa we received right away.
Appetizers The tomato salsa was full of finely chopped vegetables and chilies, with a consistency that was thin but that delivered intense, head-clearing heat.
A plate of tajaditas ($6.99), green plantain chips served over a bed of cabbage and drizzled with creamy, slightly spicy huancaina sauce, provided a good introduction to the Sin Fronteras approach to Latin fusion.
The chips themselves have Honduran roots, while huancaina sauce comes from Peruvian cuisine. Despite their different backgrounds, they made a good pair, with the sauce brightening the slightly sweet plantains.
Entrees Another example of the kitchen's cuisine-melding philosophy, the pollo a la barbacoa ($13.99) was chicken doused in rich, tomato-based Mexican barbacoa sauce. Instead of grilling or pit-roasting, as is traditional, the kitchen wrapped the chicken in paper before cooking.
The result was super moist, with great flavor that played well with a spicy, acidic green "secret" sauce served on the side.
Chicharron en salsa verde ($13.99), an entree of pork with onions and cilantro topped with spicy green salsa, was also appealing and we loved the salsa, though the pork itself was slightly underseasoned.
With both entrees, side orders of rice were cooked nicely and provided a neutral base for the powerful flavors. Though the salsa served with chips turned out to be the spiciest food we tried, none of the sauces were the least bit bland.
Service Given the small crowd, it was no surprise that from the start, the service we received was attentive, friendly and prompt. We received drinks and chips right away and the rest of our food came quickly.
But around the time we were ready to order dessert, the service took a turn for the worse. We could see several employees in the back corner of the restaurant working together to hang a new painting. Unfortunately, we couldn't catch their eyes, so we sat with empty plates for longer than was comfortable.
The team realized what happened, though, and made up for it by comping both our dessert and our drinks — a fair deal, we thought.
Dessert The dessert was a slick, sweet round of flan ($4.75), the eggy custard covered in almost-bitter caramel. The flan was prepared traditionally, its chilled, jiggly texture just right.
With each bite, the memory of that lag between dinner and dessert started to disappear until all that was left was our impression of Sin Fronteras as a restaurant that takes some fusion risks that pay off in the kitchen.
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