West Hartford welcomes Rosa Mexicano
Giving Mexican food aficionados a more-authentic, upscale menu, Rosa Mexicano opened its ninth location, in Blue Back Square in West Hartford.
The ribbon-cutting and grand opening took place, on Oct. 27, with Town Council members and town officials present, as well as executives from the chain.
Rosa Mexicano CEO Jim Dunn said the restaurant is expanding its locations, and putting its 10th store in Washington D.C., in November.
“The area and demographic is special,” Dunn said, adding that he was familiar with Blue Back Square for some time, and thought it was a perfect place for Rosa Mexicano.
“We’re doing some more suburban areas, not just New York, Boston, and Philly,” he said. “We’re looking at areas that are more suburban than we’ve done in the past. This just checked all the boxes.”
This is the third Rosa Mexicano location in New England, joining stores in Boston and Burlington, Massachusetts. There are three locations in the New York City area.
The menu, according to Vice President of Culinary Operations Manuel Trevino, is based on authentic Northern Mexico dishes, with just a touch of what Americans consider Mexican.
“A lot of what people think Mexican is, is more Tex-Mex than Mexican,” Trevino said. “It’s more of a Texas, or Americanized twist on Northern Mexican food. We bring more of the Mexican side of that. It’s Mexican food the way we think it should be.”
For example, Trevino’s kitchens make nachos that are individually prepared, as opposed to the more commonly-found pile of tortilla chips smothered in cheese and toppings.
“That’s what people want to see when they come to a Mexican restaurant,” Trevino said. “We always believe that the guest tells you what they want. You just have to over-deliver and impress them. Fajitas were a big point of contention when we first started. People said they wanted fajitas, and I said, ‘Hmm... I’ll give you something like that, but I’ll exceed your expectations. So, we came up with parrilladas, which is more of a mixed grill, which is common in areas like Monterrey and the north of Mexico.”
Dunn and Trevino said every market they go into already has Mexican restaurants, but Rosa Mexicano offers a different experience.
“We differentiate ourselves by the quality of the food we put out,” Trevino said, “by the authenticity that we put behind it, and that flair that Rosa brings. It’s a fun, festive environment.”
General Manager Julie Nosal said her West Hartford location serves “absolutely fantastic, upscale Mexican food. The atmosphere is very upbeat. The colors say everything - we’re fun, we’re a great place to come with your family, but we’re also for the couples or the large gathering.”
“They know us,” Nosal said, explaining that 1 in 8 people she’s spoken to in the West Hartford area have visited one of Rosa Mexicano’s other locations. “They’ve said, ‘You’re all so inviting and everything is the same.’ So, we have that consistency.”
For more information, visit www.rosamexicano.com.
Steve Smith can be reached at ssmith@courant.com.
