Aztecaville’s bar, covered in handmade talavera tile from Puebla. — Photos by Kojo Opuni
While wandering down Wyckoff Avenue, I stumbled upon a new addition to the neighborhood: Aztecaville Mexican Restaurant. After enjoying a satisfying plate of grilled sirloin with oyster mushrooms in a chipotle sauce, tacos, and flambéed bananas, this glutton was lucky enough to speak with the restaurant’s general manager and co-owner, Clemente Rendón, and his son and manager, Axel.
Aztecaville opened on April 13th, and for Rendón, this day was 25 years in the making. The journey began when he left his hometown of Puebla, Mexico for New York. When he arrived, he found himself working in the city’s demanding restaurant industry. For 20 years, he assumed many roles including cook, waiter, bartender, and manager as well as working in such notable Mexican restaurants as the original Rosa Mexicano in the late 1980s.
"Most of the Mexican immigrants in New York City hail from my hometown of Puebla City. When many Mexicans arrived, they found themselves working within the restaurant industry like myself either as cooks, waiters, or managers," Rendón noted.
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For the past 5 years, the restaurateur has assumed a role outside the restaurant industry — architect. With much humor, he recounted how he had no interest in returning to the restaurant industry. Yet, ironically, the call to return came from Franklyn Estrella, Rendón’s former boss at a local architecture firm, when he proposed that they open a restaurant together.
Soon after, Rendón brought Valente Rosas into the partnership as a co-owner and chef. Like Rendón, Rosas also hails from Puebla. He created a menu colored by dishes familiar to the average American diner (tacos, tortas, and quesadillas) as well as traditional and unfamiliar dishes such as pato en pipián (pan seared duck breast with pumpkin seed sauce) and costillas de carnero (grilled lamb chops topped with goat cheese).
In addition to the food, another aspect of Aztecaville that holds the senses hostage is its interior. Estrella was responsible for the remodeling of the space, while Rendón designed it.
"I know my style. We decided to do something warm — something cozy — by applying little details that you can find in my hometown," said Rendón. "The mosaics and tiles you see in the restaurant are called talavera, and they are handmade and brought from Puebla City. We decided to bring the most important types of decorations, architecturally speaking, from my hometown to compliment the food."
Currently, Aztecaville serves both lunch and dinner throughout the week as well as a Mexican brunch on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 11:00am. The restaurant should have a liquor license within the month but is BYOB in the meantime.
"This restaurant is a little piece of Puebla City in Bushwick," Rendón beamed.
chillinoncentral May 12th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
After reading this posting and glancing through the most excellent pics, I went to the Aztecaville with my cousin to help welcome them and to try one of their offerings. I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic this place is, how perfectly satisfied we were, and how excellent an addition this quietly elegant and unpretentious restaurant is to our neighborhood.
We entered and immediately noticed the décor’s simple and quiet elegance and the soft vibes of light Mexican music. Unlike most newly opened restaurants, there were many guests already being served, a great sign. We were greeted and served by flawlessly bilingual Molly (a.k.a. “Molita”) who eagerly conveyed the (highly) tempting specials of the day. We ordered the seafood soup and the grilled sirloin steak with mushrooms and were immediately served with plenty of nachos and a delightfully spiced sauce to dip them into while we waited for our meals. Molly was also kind enough to show us the back yard setup, which was every bit as spacious, clean and comfortable as the restaurant and will certainly be a big hit during warmer weather.
The seafood soup, a meal in itself, included a nicely balanced presentation of octopus, mussels, shrimp and crabmeat in a delicious broth. We absolutely loved it, but if crave a perfectly prepared steak entrée (and who doesn’t), the best was yet to come… the sirloin steak was tender, fluffy and juicy (just as the pictures promised), with a combination of oyster mushrooms and an “off-the-hook-delicious” chipotle sauce that soaked right into the steak. There were also sides of carrot rice and fried beans that offered the ideal mix with the meal.
Overall the meal, the ambiance and the staff were all five-stars! The menu is loaded with many Mexican classics (fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, burritos) and enticing special house plates (grilled lamb chops, shrimp skewers in chile citrus marinade, pan seared duck breast with pumpkin seed sauce). I recommend trying Aztecaville and I look forward to returning soon. This is not your typical taco place, but the pricing of the menu items seems very fair. On the evening I was dining, there were very few kids in the restaurant. This is a great place for a nice evening out.
mopar May 12th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Is this the former site of the dancing jalapeno? That was the best sign ever in the history of the universe.
gene May 12th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
The food is good, although a little pricey. the staff is friendly, and the patio is going to be great on warm days but i could not get past the mildew smell and it got stronger as I went to the mens bathroom. a heavy dose of incense or something to get rid of it would be nice.
daniel May 13th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Been there three times in the past couple of weeks. AMAZING tacos, which probably won’t remain at their cheap $2 loveliness, and a great chicken in mole dish. The mole was smoky, complex, and not as sweet as it usually comes in this hood. Overall, a fantastic addition to the Bush.