‘Wonderful flavors,’ Boise? Two James Beard Award-winning chefs open new Mexican restaurant

Yes, Hugo Ortega won a prestigious James Beard Award in 2017 for Best Chef: Southwest — his sixth straight time as a finalist.

And, yes, his new Idaho restaurant, Mi Almita, is part of Crave Delivery, serving the Boise area.

But that doesn’t mean Ortega believes delicious Mexican food needs to be grandiose. Nor should it be created at delivery-driver speed.

Growing up in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, Ortega learned how his ancestors used simple ingredients to make simple food, he says — but with nuanced, well-developed flavors.

“That has been a staple of myself: Like, respect those ingredients,” Ortega says in a phone interview. “They are so simple. But apply the technique. Give the time that they need to develop their own flavor.”

“Mexican food,” he says, “it just takes time and patience.”

Chef Ortega has created a small but tempting menu for Mi Almita, which is co-owned by fellow James Beard Award winner Michael Mina. Launched days ago at Crave, it’s what Ortega calls “interior Mexican food,” focusing on the southern states of Mexico, he says.

“What I tried to do is bold flavors,” Ortega says. “Develop flavors through roasting and charring of the ingredients. And incorporate some of the iconic peppers from Mexico,” along with “lots of garlic — tons of garlic and white onion.”

Phoning from Houston, where Ortega immigrated in 1984, he describes traditional cooking methods that will be familiar to patrons of his successful restaurant concepts in Texas. Words and phrases like “searing,” “braising pork butt in lard” — and “marinated overnight.”

First-time ordering from Mi Almita? Ortega recommends Carne Brava ($32: grilled skirt steak, poblano peppers, onions, guacamole, chipotle-tomatillo sauce, refried beans and Mexican rice. “When you sear the meat, you develop the magic,” he says. “All the beef releases the oils and minerals and spice from the peppers that have been marinated. It is a wonderful flavor in the skirt steak.”

That Carne Brava also is one of the protein fillings available in Tacos ($15, three tacos), which are served on corn tortillas.

If you want comfort food, Ortega says to go for Carnitas ($23), slow-cooked pork, habanero sauce, cilantro and onion on corn tortillas. “What you do is simmer this pork in lard until it is completely tender, then you add the Mexican beer or some kind of beer,” Ortega says, before happily rattling off more mouthwatering ingredient additions.

Want something lighter? Consider the Coliflor con Hongos ($7): roasted cauliflower and mushrooms in garlic and chipotle oil.

Like other Crave Delivery restaurants, Mi Almita operates from a kitchen suite at the Crave Collective, 2900 W. Excursion Blvd. in Meridian. Crave does only delivery and takeout. There’s no on-site dining. Customers order food using the Crave Delivery app. Delivery costs $4.99 and can include multiple Crave eateries.

Mi Almita is the third Crave restaurant for Mina. He also operates Tokyo Hot Chicken and Mac ‘n Cue.

It’s the first for the friendly Ortega, who says he enjoyed Boise while visiting recently to set up the restaurant. “It’s just a wonderful area. I love those mountains covered with ice!” As a consulting chef, Ortega has high hopes for Mi Almita — along with confidence that his vision will be executed.

“We got this incredible team at Crave,” Ortega says, “and they truly understand what it takes to make this happen. Just time and patience ... to develop these wonderful flavors.”

Mi Almita is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Crave Delivery is available in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Nampa, Caldwell, Kuna and Star.

This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 4:00 AM.