New Mexican-Hawaiian fusion at Verde

KAPA‘A — Approaching its two year anniversary in March, Verde restaurant in Kapa‘a has accumulated a large, loyal following.

Each devoted customer has his or her own reasons for commitment: breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros served anytime, the margarita bar and Dos Equis Amber on draft, or the kindness and approachability of owners Josh and Maris Stevens.

But here’s the real secret to Verde’s success: creative, consistent food you would find in a five-star restaurant served up in a comfortable neighborhood taco bar.

“I would describe us as New Mexican-Hawaiian fusion,” chef and co-owner Josh Stevens said, clarifying Verde is not simply a Mexican restaurant. The New Mexican side of his cuisine is inspired by the state of New Mexico, where Stevens grew up and where he gets his red and green chiles from that dominate the menu.

“The chile is not just a condiment on the table, it’s an ingredient in every dish,” Stevens said, which applies to Verde restaurant and in New Mexico. Stevens said that the state’s motto is “red or green?” and that even McDonald’s puts green chiles on their hamburgers there. The chiles are grown in Hatch, N.M., and they are similar to the Anaheim chile from California (think chile rellenos) but hotter because Hatch is a hotter, drier climate, Stevens said. The green chile is when it is picked ripe; the red is when it is dried. Look for dried ones hanging outside the restaurant on either side of Verde’s threshold.

The Sopaipillas at Verde are also a New Mexican tradition, similar to Native American fry bread, but rolled thinner and hollow in the middle. The result is delightful little pillows to eat with sweet or savory food.

“Sop up the chile sauce with them or eat them at a desert with honey,” Stevens said. The Sopaipillas are also served stuffed with a choice of meat, beans, and potatoes and cheese $9.99 or served up veggie style.

The Hawaiian influence of Verde’s cuisine comes from nearly a decade of Stevens’ career working in Hawai‘i at exclusive restaurants such as the Sheraton on Maui, working with Chef Alan Wong, and at La Mer on O’ahu where he was a poissonnier, or fish chef.

“I like rare ahi, and you would never find that in New Mexico,” Stevens said. The Seared Rare Ahi or Fresh Catch Tacos at Verde is one of their most popular dishes, served on soft flour tortillas with cabbage, guacamole, corn strips and aioli for $11.99.

But wait, there’s one more element to Verde’s signature fusion style: tasty vegetarian options. Perhaps the most asked for dish is the Verde Verde Burrito: a vegetarian medley of green beans, spinach, and broccoli sautéed in chipotle guacamole, potatoes and cheese with green chile sauce for $9.99. This vegetarian fare rising to the top in popularity caused Stevens to add more meat-free items, including the Vegan Tacos and the Veggie Stacked Enchilada.

“Our menu is 40 percent vegetarian, which a lot of people don’t know,” Stevens said who also opened a vegan fine dining restaurant in Seattle years ago, before moving to Hawai‘i and before the term was well known.

“If you can cook a vegetable well you can cook anything,” Stevens said, adding that cooking meat is relatively easy. But the chile-dominated sauces and salsas is what set Verde apart. Stevens is a French-trained Saucier, and his training is evident in say, the Carne Adovada Red Pork Burrito, with potatoes and cheese with red or green chile sauce ($9.99). Adovada is indigenous to New Mexican cuisine, and is similar to Mexican Adobada or Filipino Adobo, but Stevens’ Adovada sauce is made with no vinegar, just chiles, and roasted in pork.

“I cut the pork into squares, marinate it for 24 hours until it is tender like kalua pig,” Stevens said. Verde’s sauces and salsas are so high in demand, Stevens is preparing to retail fresh containers of it on the island at grocery stores, starting with the Al Pastor mild salsa, a chunky relish with an orange-lime marinade. They also plan to sell their pickled vegetables which are always available at the salsa bar in the restaurant.

Stevens is luckily left to create in the kitchen, thanks to his wife and partner, Maris Stevens, runs the business side of Verde.

“We combined our talents,” Stevens said. “I can cook and she does all the marketing and accounting.” The couple will most often be found in the restaurant working as a team.

“We try not to fight in front of the customers,” Stevens joked, when asked about the challenge of working twelve hour shifts with a spouse. The duo also has Darryl Efhan and Valerie Saiki on their team, with Efhan making the salsas and doing much behind the scenes work, and Saiki works up front and is now training in the kitchen.

“Were a family restaurant,” Stevens said, and said they are closed Monday and Tuesday to have a break, and they get to have barbecues with their staff on the days off, Stevens said. In celebration of their two year anniversary in March they will feature $2 margaritas.

Verde is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed on Monday and Tuesday. Verde’s happy hour is from 3 to 5 with $2.50 16 ounce Dos Equis on draft. They are located in the Kapa‘a (Big Save) Shopping Center. For more information call 821-1400 or visit www.verde.com.