Meet the Chef: Manuel Garcia of Gusano Loco

When Gusano Loco opened in Mamaroneck in September 1997, it replaced a Mexican bar and it too was a bar.

So it was only fitting for it be named after an alcoholic drink and one in the mescal family was chosen. [Mescal is bottled with a worm to enhance its flavor. It was created through experimentation by the Conquistadors.] Before long, Manuel Garcia would turn the bar into a restaurant and introduce traditional Mexican dishes.

Although there were six children in Manuel Garcia's family, he was the only one interested in what took actually place in his mother's kitchen. He helped her prepare meals while his siblings were more content to clear the table and wash the dishes.

Two of the dishes his mother cooked were Birria de Res and Pollo Enpipian Verde. Both appear on the current menu at Gusano Loco. Updated a little to conform with the times, Birria de Res is tender chunks of beef from short ribs baked in a broth of ancho, tomato and garlic ($19.95) and Pollo Enpipian Verde consists of sauteed chicken cutlets with garlic, white wine and a sauce made from fresh greens, roasted peppers and pumpkin seeds ($17.95).

In 1966, when he was 20, Garcia left Guadalajara, Mexico to come to America; he landed a job operating a lathe at a machine shop in New Rochelle. Three years later, he was hired by the Larchmont Yacht Club as a waiter and stayed for a year. He then joined Pancho Villa in Larchmont.

At Pancho Villa, he worked at the front of the house and developed a friendly relationship with chef Roman Chappa; they frequently engaged in dialog related to food. Garcia fed the chef praise and complaints from customers about dishes they liked or didn't enjoy and comments about food that competitive restaurants were serving. Garcia didn't work a day in the kitchen during the seven years he was employed at Pancho Villa but he acquired knowledge about the ins and outs of running a kitchen from the chef. He also began to try some of the chef's recipes at home and found that he enjoyed cooking.

With two partners he opened a restaurant in 1983 in Great Neck, Long Island, called Tapatio (a name used in Mexico to identify someone or something from Guadalajara). Although one of the partners was a chef, Garcia joined him whenever he could in the kitchen. "This was where I first really learned how to cook," said Garcia. After selling his share of the restaurant in 1988, Garcia began looking for a site to open a new place and with a chef partner, introduced Corridos Mexicano in 1989 to Yonkers.

The restaurant caught on, encouraging Garcia to invest some of his earnings in the Sundown Grill, an American nouveau eatery with many Mexican choices on the menu, in Ossining in 1995. He continued his involvement with Corridos Mexicano and sold his stake in the Sundown Grill three years later.

He recognized the importance of broadening his knowledge of cooking and in 1996, enrolled at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. This would not be an easy commute. The school was about 80 miles away and driving there represented a commute of typically one hour and 45 minutes twice a day. To ease the burden of attending CIA, he loaded three days a week with classes instead of attending on five days.

Although Gusano Loco was only a bar when opened in 1997, eventually a kitchen was outfitted and a menu of traditional Mexican dishes was created.

Over the years, the menu has been updated to accommodate an increased interest in Mexican food accompanied by the changing interpretation taking place in California, Texas and some resort regions of Mexico. Garcia said his kitchen can usually accommodate non-menu requests provided the ingredients are on hand. Pasta with a choice of Mexican or Italian sauces appears on the children's menu.

Two of the most popular dishes on the menu, Garcia said, are Sea Food Chiles and Carne Arrachera. Sea Food Chiles is two poblano peppers stuffed with shrimp and scallops and sauteed in a light garlic and Guajillo sauce and served with potato croquettes and guacamole. Carne Arrachera is a chargrilled skirt steak, marinated in house-made barbecue sauce and served with guacamole, pico de gallo, rice and warm tortillas. Both dishes are priced at $22.95.

Gusano Loco is located at 1137 West Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, New York, 10543. Monday through Thursday: Open from noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday: Noon to midnight. Sunday: Noon to 11 p.m.  It has patio seating easily spotted from the road. 777-1512.