Zivaz

Bistro's food not your usual Mexican fare

Chef du Jour

By Sarah Garrecht Gassen

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Grilled Shrimp in Saffron and Chipotle Chile Salsa

6 servings

u 2 pounds large white shrimp (about 36 shrimps)

u 6 bamboo skewers

u 6 limes

u 1 tablespoon kosher salt

u 1/2 tablespoon white pepper

u 1 tablespoon garlic powder

u 2 tablespoons chile ancho powder

Mix the lime juice with the salt, pepper, garlic and chile ancho powder. Use this mixture to marinate the raw shrimp (with shell intact) for one hour in the refrigerator. Using a zip-lock bag is a good choice.

Once the shrimp have been marinated, put 6 shrimp on each skewer. Grill each skewer for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp turn red. After all shrimp are cooked, proceed to peel the shrimp and prepare to cook with the saffron and chipotle chile salsa.

Saffron and Chipotle Chile Salsa

u 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

u 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

u 1 chipotle chile — from can, mashed

u 1 cup heavy cream

u 2 cups good white wine

u 1/4 tablespoon ground saffron

u Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Add the chipotle and heavy cream to the pan. Once this starts to boil, add the white wine, saffron, and salt and pepper. Once this boils again, lower the heat and leave at low heat for 2 more minutes. Keep the salsa warm. Cover the grilled and peeled shrimp with the salsa. You may garnish this entrée with a medley of sautéed vegetables, such as mushrooms, green beans, cauliflower, squash and zucchini.

Garlic bread and a good, chilled white wine are an excellent addition to this fresh and zesty meal.

Don Felipe Valenzuela of Zivaz Mexican Bistro

Zivaz Mexican Bistro is a family affair.

The Valenzuela family opened its new restaurant on East Broadway near Columbus Boulevard just over seven months ago, serving the kind of fresh, savory food that isn't your usual Mexican cuisine.

Managing partner Felipe Valenzuela operates the restaurant with his dad, Felipe Valenzuela — affectionately called Don Felipe at the restaurant — his mom, Cecilia, and younger brother Joaquin.

Entrees are $6 to $14 and run the gamut from fresh seafood to carne asada to enchiladas with pumpkin seed sauce. They offer smaller portions of a few dishes for lunch, too.

How did you come up with the idea for Zivaz? Don Felipe, a former food broker, is the restaurant's executive chef and develops the recipes and teaches the others how to cook. But the Valenzuelas are serving the kind of fresh food they've been eating for years. The family also catered parties out of their home kitchen before opening a full restaurant.

"It has always been the food my dad liked to prepare," the younger Felipe Valenzuela said. "We always noticed there wasn't a restaurant like this and that's why people asked us to cater. They said, 'Your food is so different.' "

Aren't there already a lot of Mexican places in Tucson? Zivaz doesn't serve Tucson staples like chimichangas or burritos, and that's on purpose, Valenzuela said. "We talked to people who were eating out in different places and asked them what they looked for. A lot people love the yellow cheese and sour cream enchiladas — we're not competing with those kind of places."

What makes Zivaz stand out? Valenzuela knows it's easy to get lost in the blur of businesses and restaurants on a busy street like Broadway. And that's why they invested in eye-catching paint, artwork and signage. "Everyone from day one asks if we're a chain — it's the way we set everything up, paid attention to architectural detail, interior design," Valenzuela said.

"Part of going out to eat is not just the food, it's the experiences," he said. "People don't want to dine in a shoebox; they want to dine somewhere that's cool."

So the food and design go together? "You have to be creative with food. It needs to taste good but look good, too," Valenzuela said. "The same has to be with the restaurant."

What's in your fridge at home? "I went to the grocery store late at night and thought, 'What can I buy that's not going to be like the food at Zivaz?' I bought hummus with Ritz crackers and some of that filleted smoked salmon and made myself little cracker appetizers. They were really good."