“Viva” Reborn as ​“Vivaz”

When Bernadino Lanche was a young boy in Hidalgo, Mexico, he began dreaming of opening his own restaurant. Years later, he has fulfilled his dream — and brought authentic Mexican food back to a popular spot on Park Street.

His new restaurant, Vivaz Cantina, has opened at 161 Park St., location of former longtime popular hangout Viva Zapata.

“I wanted to share my culture and food with other people” said Lanche, who is 46. ​“My family wasn’t surprised when I told them I was going to open the restaurant. I would be walking as a kid on the streets and would always say, ​‘I am going to open a restaurant one day.’

“I wanted to share real Mexican food. A lot of people think it’s just tacos or burritos, but there’s more to it than that.”

Vivaz​’s most popular dish is the taco, but they offer a wide variety of other options as well. Some of his favorite include quesabirria, and costillas en salsa verde. (Scroll down in the store to watch how one of the favorites in prepared.)

Despite advice from other restaurant owners ​“not to open in January”, Lanche decided to begin serving on Three Kings Day, because it is ​“one of my favorite holidays.” His partner in the business, David Kleman, also owns Partners Cafe next door.

Lanche grew up watching his grandmother, Geronima Barrera, cook.

“All of the cousins would line up to get my grandmother’s food,” he recalled. ​“I first learned to cook at home. I saw them add the spices, and then I would try and I would say, ​‘Wow.’ ”

When he moved to the United States in 1993, he started working in restaurants. He didn’t know English, but in the kitchen, people communicated through ingredients.

He joined Gateway Community College’s culinary program, where he worked in various restaurants and was able to try different cuisines. Prior to opening this restaurant, he was the head chef for Lindley Food Service.

While exploring different cuisines, he kept returning to memories of his grandmother’s Mexican food.

He opened Vivaz Cantina ​“to bring a bit of home to New Haven” in honor of his grandmother, he said. Lanche imported different paintings of Mexican artists to decorate the walls. His aunt, nephew and cousin have joined him to work at the restaurant.

He honors the location’s previous iterations by leaving the signatures of past clients on the tables and the walls, along with past decorations in the back room.

The food is made from scratch, including the tortillas. The recipes come mostly from his grandmother or other family members, adjusted based on customer reviews.

Chef Arnulfo Tlacotia, made me one of Lanche’s favorite dishes at the restaurant: chile relleno.

Here’s how he put it together, in his words, translated into English. (You can watch him at work in the video below.)

Step 1: After roasting poblano peppers, you want to peel the skin of the pepper off. You then want to slice open the pepper and scoop out the seeds using a spoon until the seeds are gone, which will help with texture.

Step 2: You then want to take some cheese and stuff the pepper until it is full. Chef Tlacotia stuffs the pepper with 6 slices of cheese, but this can vary depending on the size of the pepper.

Step 3: Using your hands to hold together the pepper, cover the entire pepper in flour.

Step 4: It’s time to create an egg batter. Place a couple of eggs into a bowl and use an electric hand mixer to mix it all up. 

Step 5: Dip the pepper into the batter, ensuring to close the pepper with your hand, and making sure all of the parts of the pepper are covered.

Step 6: Heat up the oil. Chef Tlacotia says to test the heat of the oil by placing some of the egg batter in the pan. 

Step 7: Once the oil heats up, place the pepper inside. Pour the oil on the part of the pepper that is facing upward to help the food cook evenly.

Step 8: Flip the pepper over once it is a light brown color and lower the heat to ensure it does not burn.

Step 9: Once the pepper is slightly brown, place the pepper on a plate with a paper towel on it.

Step 10: As the pepper cools, the chef heats up a tomato sauce made of tomatoes, onion garlic, oregano, and bay leaf.

Step 11: Transferring the chile relleno to a separate plate, pour the tomato sauce onto the chile.

As someone who was able to try the chile relleno after Chef Tlacotia, I can guarantee that this recipe is worth the time and effort. The texture and flavor of the cheese and pepper create a well-balanced meal.