Review:
La Siesta wakes up local Mexican fare

by Nicholas Jain, posted March 16, 2010

La Siesta, Spanish for “the nap,” is a new downtown restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine. Its name is not a lie. After filling oneself with Siesta’s offerings, a nap will certainly be in order. The restaurant serves the standard burritos, tacos, enchiladas and fajitas, among others, but what sets it apart from the other Columbia restaurants starting with the Spanish articles la or el is its Chilies en Nogada.

Chiles en Nogada is a dish that dates back 200 years and was first cooked to celebrate Mexican independence. It is a complicated dish with Poblano peppers stuffed with seasoned pork and a complex mixture of more than 20 items including apples and pears. The filling is composed mostly of fruits with onion, garlic, and tomato mixed in as well. The mixture is sweet, savory, and a welcome departure from the simple Mexican dishes that have become commonplace on menus. It’s covered with a creamy walnut sauce and comes with an Aztec Tortilla soup and a choice of dessert. La Siesta owner Francisco Guillen said that his restaurant is the only place around that you can find the meal and he noted that it’s not even available in restaurants in St. Louis or Kansas City.

La Siesta’s salsa is is well-spiced, and not overpowered by cilantro like many salsas.  The restaurant’s creamy cheese dip and fresh guacamole go well the crunchy nachos. The burritos and tacos were light but generally bland, and the same could be said for the rice and beans, which were fresh but bland. For dessert, the banana chimichanga was sweet and rich and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. It looked like a birthday surprise, and the taste was certainly birthday worthy.

La Siesta opened last month at the corner of Ninth and Walnut streets. Guillen has been involved in the restaurant business off and on for 20 years starting with El Jimador in Jefferson City. He also owns part of the El Jimador Mexican Restaurant in Columbia. Guillen and his brother, Benjamin, opened La Siesta because they thought the area needed the restaurant and wanted to be able to deviate from the menu of the El Jimador chain. They also thought a restaurant open late nights would be successful.

La Siesta is a great choice for someone wanting quality Mexican food for lunch, dinner, or late night snack. Their Chilies en Nogada and supurb salsa are a must try.

It is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 a. m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Their lunches are $5.49-$7.49 and their dinner plates are $7.49-$16.99 with the Chilies en Nogada plate at $12.99 including the soup and dessert.

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