AURORA –
Sometimes it’s the simplest dish that leaves the biggest impression.
Black beans hooked Dan Quispe as he traveled through Cuba. “I tried them and they were great, the best-tasting beans I’d ever eaten,” he said.
“I just kept asking for more black beans and rice.”
Quispe had been laid off from his longtime job in software sales for a Denver company. “I used the severence to travel and get to know the culture in other countries,” he said. His journey also took him to Costa Rica, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Nicaragua, Peru and Honduras.
Although he said he had “no plans to ever open a restaurant,” he made a point of diving into the local cuisines that cooked the same dishes very differently.
It wasn’t until he came home to Aurora that he considered a cafe of his own.
The “lucky” seventh son in his family, Quispe grew up in Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru. When he was young his parents owned a busy eatery serving Peruvian cuisine, especially lomo saltado. His family emigrated in 1983 directly to Aurora where one of his older brothers was already living.
Quispe’s parents took any job they could find including cleaning hotel rooms while he went to Rangeview and Smoky Hill high schools and attended Community College of Aurora and Metro State College of Denver. He earned a marketing degree from the University of Phoenix, all the while working as a waiter.
“I got a job at JD Edwards, a software company, in the mailroom and worked my way up,” he said. “I knew that nobody was going to notice me unless I made them.”
Quispe got back to Aurora from his travels in 2001 and bought a building on East Colfax that included a Mexican market. He used the remaining spaces to open a hair salon and a printing and sign company. Then the little market closed.
Quispe always loved going out for dinner and drinks with friends, family and employees. “I wanted to take them someplace nice. We had a hard time finding a place that was comfortable and had good food and service,” he said.
So, to fill that need, he opened Titi’s Family Restaurant in 2008. It was named after the first words his eldest son, Daniel, spoke. Beyond the basic burritos, Titi’s featured some favorite Peruvian and Latin American choices.
By 2001, Quispe said, it was time for a change. Titi’s interior had already been redone with a dark, modern bistro look with a cozy bar area. So he closed his doors, upgraded the exterior of the building, renamed it and reopened with a focus on the greatest hits from across South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
For instance, Caribbean Breeze features two kinds of ceviche — Mexican and Peruvian — to keep two kinds of customers happy.
“They say ceviche was invented in Peru. Our ceviche is strictly fish and seafood in lime juice with onions and chiles,” he said. Mexican diners expect their ceviche to be lime-marinated fish with chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro and avocado. Quispe draws the line at Acapulco-style ceviche mixed with ketchup.
The menu includes three Peruvian plates, two Cuban plates, a meaty Colombian plate, Mexican specialties including molcajete and mojarra frita, and two Puerto Rican plates — one centered around mofongo — a mash of fried plantain and chicharron, and another with lamb ribs.
One dish that has always been on the menu at Titi’s and Caribbean Breeze is those Cuban black beans he sampled in a home cafe on the island. As he was leaving that eatery he asked the owner for the secret to the black beans. It was adding a little sugar to balance their slight natural bitterness. Unlike Mexican frijoles (refried pinto beans), no lard or pork is added, and the beans are more whole than mushed. Quispe presents his black beans topped with a little white cheese in a baked tortilla cup.
The Caribbean Breeze is busiest on Saturdays and Sundays when many large families come in. “We’ll have a Puerto Rican family at one table, a Colombian family at another and Peruvians over here,” Quispe said. He tries to program just the right music to keep everyone happy. He has fielded some complaints about iconic dishes from diners who want the fare prepared the way their mother made them.
“We’re all here for the same reason — to relax with family and friends and have a taste of home.”
John Lehndorff is the food editor of the Aurora Sentinel newspapers and websites. Comment at: jlehndorff@aurorasentinel.com
Caribbean Breeze Latin Grill
15490 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora
303-366-2228