Madison Originals Magazine Madison Originals Magazine August 2011 | Page 7
Madison Originals Magazine | 7 experience really helped decide this was
my career.�
Armando tended bar for eight years at
Frontera, and recalls making two trips
to Mexico with Rick. �Rick would take
the whole staff to Mexico for a four-day
seminar each year. We visited different
parts of the country to learn about the
regional cuisine.� One memorable meal
during these trips was the Cochinita
Pibil, a pork or chicken dish.
Armando left Frontera to open his own
Mexican restaurant in Chicago, and
then moved to New York where he again
opened a restaurant. Finally, in 2000,
he settled in Madison to be close to his
young daughter, who had lived here
since 1995. Before opening Cilantro,
Armando worked for various franchises
to obtain experience at a corporate level,
and also to learn about the restaurant scene in Madison. He developed the menu for La Mestiza before opening Cilantro.Cilantro features all the different avors found in authentic Mexican cuisine. Armando says that the menu has stayed true to traditional dishes, which have been popular for decades in Mexico. Many of the menu items are family recipes. If you are under the impression that Mexican food is spicy, think again. �Mexican food is not spicy,� Armando explains. �It involves chilies, but is not spicy.� He wonders how many people may have stayed away because they think the food might be too spicy.New employees at Cilantro are given a sauce tasting so they can convey know-ledgeable suggestions to customers. �People see red and green sauce, and think they are the same. But, because