Suggestions for Dominican Restaurant

trina · Mar 22, 2004

We are tossing around the idea of opening a Dominican cafe in downtown Calgary. My husband is an amazing cook, and he would partner with another great Dominican chef in town. Calgary's downtown is really booming due to the Oil and Gas industry being on a high, and we are thinking about opening a "lunch-only" cafe catering to the business crowd.

The layout would be pretty close to a Chinese-style fast food place, only we'd be serving Dominican food. There would be about 5 different plates to choose from, an example of one would be: arroz blanco, habichuelas guisado, puerco guisado, and ensalada Dominican-style. We'd also have a daily special, such as pescado con coco on Fridays.

What dishes would you like to see if you could eat Dominican food in your city? We also need a catchy name for the restaurant and are coming up short.

We welcome any suggestions...thanks in advance!

AZB · Mar 22, 2004

Among all the choices from indian restaurants to thai cusine to delicios italian restaurant in canada, if people choose to eat dominican white rice with tasteless watery beans and spiceless pork or chicken (guisado) then I feel the world is coming to an end.
People you must understand one thing, dominican republic is not famous for its delicious local cuisines. No one comes here to eat mondongo.
But good luck anyway.
\AZB

toby · Mar 22, 2004

trina said:
We are tossing around the idea of opening a Dominican cafe in downtown Calgary.

Good luck with your venture! It would be great to hear you are also serving DR coffee and Presidente beer or Brugal Rum drinks. Your bar sales would be a great addition to your revenue base if you plan on having a cocktail hour fulll of fun and fancy drinks from the island. Also try and sell some Merengue or Bachata music from the bar (purchased form the DR). Get in touch with the local Spanish language schools and have a Spanish night once a week so your patrons can have the oportunity to mix and mingle, learn the language and have fun. Decor will have to be authentic so a show case of faceless dolls, paintings and ceramics from the DR would be starting points in your decor designs. Depending on the size of your location...how about an indoor enclosed sand box for the kids of your patrons. (or if your location is huge how a bout a sandbox big enough to play beach volley ball!Would make a pretty interesting draw for the younger crowd) Just thinking outside the box! Toby

Forbeca · Mar 22, 2004

AZB said:
Among all the choices from indian restaurants to thai cusine to delicios italian restaurant in canada, if people choose to eat dominican white rice with tasteless watery beans and spiceless pork or chicken (guisado) then I feel the world is coming to an end.
People you must understand one thing, dominican republic is not famous for its delicious local cuisines. No one comes here to eat mondongo.
But good luck anyway.
\AZB

AZB, where in God's name do you get this stuff from? Watery beans? Let me tell you something, dominican food is very tasty, I don't know who cooks for you, but perhaps a change is in order, eh?

Now, you know you're one of my favorite posters, but plealse stop this nonsense.

Trina, some favorites are: arroz con pollo, sancocho, pastelon de platanos maduro, potatoe salad, dominican style.

Good luck to you.

trina · Mar 22, 2004

AZB said:
Among all the choices from indian restaurants to thai cusine to delicios italian restaurant in canada, if people choose to eat dominican white rice with tasteless watery beans and spiceless pork or chicken (guisado) then I feel the world is coming to an end.
People you must understand one thing, dominican republic is not famous for its delicious local cuisines. No one comes here to eat mondongo.
But good luck anyway.
\AZB

Hey AZB! You obviously haven't had the pleasure of tasting my husband's cooking! Tasteless? Spiceless??? Where exactly have you been eating in the DomRep (oops! caught myself! Almost highly offended some DR1ers)? Each to his own...if I had to eat at an Indian restaurant, that's when the world would be coming to an end!

Thanks for the suggestions, Toby. We'll open small, and if we do well, we'll go bigger. I wish we could serve Presidente or Brugal - at the moment, it's not on Canada's import list - have to cut a lot of red tape to get into that. Hopefully in the future, though!

Thank you also for the great suggestions and good wishes, Forbeca. Keep them coming!!!

Chris_NJ · Mar 22, 2004

From a huge fan of "el sabor dominicano"

Here in NY/NYC there are many Dominican breakfast/lunch restaurants and I know some do well so I think success could be possible in Canada, also. Some of the places I know mostly have Dominican clientele, but there is 1 in Queens where I used to eat lunch everday whose customers were from all backgrounds - it was tough to find a seat at lunchtime. There was everyone from office types to constructions workers to policemen. So not only Dominicans like Dominican food.

Off the top of my head, I would recommend serving mofongo (you could use everything from chicken to shrimp), pastalon (not sure of spelling but it is like a casserole of ground beef, cheese, and platanos maduros), cubano sandwiches, chivo, mangu, chicharron, potato salad (with eggs), always have aguacates, tostones and platanos maduros, you could have natural juices like chinola and guayaba and batidas, too. For dessert, flan and arroz con leche.

I definitely think an economical Dominican lunch spot could be a success and wish there were more in Midtown Manhattan.

Good luck
(I am getting hungry thinking about it)

Hillbilly · Mar 22, 2004

Sounds like an idea

I totally diagree with ol' AZB's take on DR food. He needs to eat at a higher class household.

Anyway:

Pollo: locrio, con longaniza; chicharrones de pollo; pollo al horno
Moro, black Bean and Chick pea (guandules)
Chulets-fritas or broiled
Tostones a must as well as platanos pasado por paila
Carne mechada
Filete a la Criolla: con muchas cebollas.
Pescado con coco of course.
If you can get yuca there are lots of things to do with it.
Same with batata.

During Lent Habichuelas con dulce (Make sure the ventilation works real good!)

La bandera Dominicana: flash fried meat, white rice, choice of black or red beans, tostones, grated cabbage and green tomato salad w/ vinagrette dressing. If you do it right and the meat is good this could be a killer meal.

Serve Dominican coffee, so strong the spoon will stand up in the cup.

Names:
Not my field but'''';;;;;;

Hummm: Tropical Eats
Kisskeya Kaf?
Holiday Food

Villa Trina Caf? (with photos of the real Villa Trina)

Cal-Caribe Restaurant

You might want to include some of the spicy dishes from jamaica to bring in the folks that have been in the West Indies, mon!

HB

Chris_NJ · Mar 22, 2004

some more...

For breakfast - trigo, fried salami with lemon juice with tostones or mangu with onions and vinegar.
For hangovers - modongo
For the male customers - attractive waitresses

trina · Mar 22, 2004

Thanks Chris, HB...I can't believe I started this thread while I'm at work. I'm pregnant, starving, and craving tostones...truth is, I never liked them, but right now, I'm craving them (con cachu, of course!). And habichuelas con dulce...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnn...

Great suggestions, all. I love the name suggestions, of course Villa Trina being at the top of the list. But then I'd be taking all the credit, and I don't deserve it. My husband has asked me not to try cooking Dominican food when we have guests coming!

Oh yes, and the coffee, that was already topping our list of "must-haves"...

bob saunders · Mar 22, 2004

Good Luck. Yris and I made Dominican Food (Arepa, locrio, carne guisado) for an international food fair last July 1st. We sold more than $400 worth at $4 per plate in less than 5 hours. I think like any resturant if you are in the right location, right price and appealing food you will do allright.

trina · Mar 22, 2004

That's another great idea, Bob...I didn't even think of applying for a food stand at the Latino festivals and other food festivals in town! Thanks! If we do get this restaurant going and you ever want to leave the Sunshine Coast to come visit Calgary, you'll have to be our guests!

Bok · Mar 23, 2004

I've heard it can get quite cold in Canada. When that happens I suggest you put 'Sancocho' or 'Asopao' on the menu and you'll have a sure #1 hit.

I'm always sweating bullets when Pib serves those dishes and I can't help but think they would do great for keeping people warm in cold environments. In fact they should be standard equipment in any arctic survival kit.

Good luck.

Bok (mr Pib)

Narcosis · Mar 23, 2004

Sancocho

Is very popular in Colombia and Panama as well but Dominican style is the best by far..Especially "Sancocho de 4 carnes":

chivo (goat) cebolla (onions)
pollo o gallina (chicken) ajo (garlic)
res (beef) cilantro
cerdo (pork) malagueta

Yucca
papa (potato)
yautia
name
ahuyama (pumkin)

suarezn · Mar 24, 2004

Trina: I think this is a great idea and I hope you guys do well. I know I would have done anything to find a Dominican restaurant when I was in Calgary. I know exactly the area you're talking about. I stayed at the Marriott downtown (next to the needle). Maybe you guys can get a stand during stampede week to try out your idea and see if it will sell. I think you will do well if you make it seem exotic enough. I saw a few mexican and spanish restaurants around the downtown and eau clare market areas and they all seemed to be doing great. If you do well enough to turn it into a full fledged restaurant then I suggest you copy the Joey Tomato's formula of having tons of beautiful, young waitresses and hostesses. Believe me it works...We were a group of guys on business and we probably ate at one of two Joey Tomatos at least twice a week. The food was good, but the ambience was killer with the people who work there making all the difference. Anyhow, if our client decides to go ahead with the project I will probably have to go back over there every week for about a year, so it would be awsome to have a place where to eat dominican food. Good luck!!!

Criss Colon · Mar 24, 2004

Don't forget the "Postre"!

Rice pudding,Sweet Potatoe pudding,"Flan"de leche,and "Arepa"! I think that the people would like "Arepitas" with lunch.Check out "Aunt Claras" website for some Authentic Dominican dishes,and some things to "decorate" your "Cafe Tropical"! Cris Colon

AZB · Mar 24, 2004

I thought Arepas were from venezuela. Am I correct?

Criss Colon · Mar 24, 2004

The Venezuelan "Arepas" are the size of an "English Muffin"!

Made with white coarse corn meal.They are not sweet and for most,are an aquired taste!Eaten with the mailn meal. Dominican Arepa,is a sweetened,cooked over heat, then baked,dish with raisons,malagata,cinnamon,butter,leche carnation,etc. Eaten for desert,or really "Anytime"! With a cup of Coffee,"To Die For"!

It is not fair to compare Dominican food with Pakistani,Indian,or Thai food .Dominicans use the herbs and spices you can count on one hand, two at most! Indian,Pakistan,Thai cooks use 100s of different ingredients.Dominican food reminds me of what I ate in the Phillipine Islands.Stewed meats,chicken,fish,rice,fruits and vegetables,then repeat every day for LIFE!
Cris Colon

arturo · Mar 24, 2004

I don't often agree with our favorite South Asian but...

AZB said:
Among all the choices from indian restaurants to thai cusine to delicios italian restaurant in canada, if people choose to eat dominican white rice with tasteless watery beans and spiceless pork or chicken (guisado) then I feel the world is coming to an end.
People you must understand one thing, dominican republic is not famous for its delicious local cuisines. No one comes here to eat mondongo.
But good luck anyway.
\AZB

I think some of you have taken his comments out of context. I interpreted what he wrote as an evaluation of Dominican cuisine in terms of the cuisines of other countries.

Let's be honest, the 4 main food groups here are: 1. salt 2. sugar 3. saturated fat 4. carbohydrates. With notable exceptions, overcooked combinations of pork chops, ham, stringy beef, root vegetables and tubers, and rice, are seasoned with the 4 main food groups + bachata or merengue at skull splitting volume and rivers of cold beer...and I LOVE IT!

trina · Mar 24, 2004

Me, too. Hopefully everyone else will, too! We can't open until we find the right location, though, and that's hard to come by downtown these days.

Suarezn, really sorry we missed you when you were in town. Thanks for the great suggestions, all. You're all welcome for a freebie if you're ever in town!

Chris_NJ · Mar 24, 2004

Quipes - Something different

I remember a real small place (I think it was called Aida's Quipes) that served quipes - they are Domincan (but I believe of Syrian origin) but I think they could add variety to the menu. I couldn't eat enough of them especially with the sauce that you dip them in.

I had no idea what they were made of but just found this recipe:

http://www.dominicancooking.com/forums/showthread/t-451.html

Suggestions for Dominican Restaurant

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