Behind the Blue Door

La Puerta Azul

by Sara Reinhart Brown and photographs by Jennifer May, August 26, 2008

A visit to a Mexican restaurant, fancy or otherwise, would not be complete without guacamole. La Puerta Azul, an upscale eatery outside Millbrook, offers a fairly conventional guac, with the usual ingredients, including tomato, onion, cilantro, and a balanced touch of seasonings. The texture is spot-on: not too creamy and not too chunky. What makes this guacamole stand out is the fact that they mash it with a mortar and pestle right at your table, which adds a certain charm to your dining experience. That, and the fact that it’s $12 an order.

La Puerta Azul is located on Rt. 44 between Millbrook and Pleasant Valley in a strip plaza, amid a tanning salon, fitness center, and a tile gallery. Across the street is a tired-looking local grocery. But don’t let any of that deter you. The restaurant sits back, hacienda-style, flanked with hibiscus and impatiens, shrubs and stones, and hanging leather swings. Its pale beige stucco exterior, along with a formidable stone tower and signature blue door, is a marked contrast to the rest of its surroundings.

The inside does not disappoint, either. It’s a mix of classic Mexican décor with a modern twist: ceramic tiles, wooden booths with brightly embroidered pillows, exposed wooden beams, bold-colored artwork, and a sleek indoor waterfall. The place is cool and modern, traditional and welcoming at the same time.

While a good deal of the menu is on the pricier side of what you might expect to pay for Mexican food—the dinner entrees range in price from $18 for the traditional Arroz con Pollo, to $25 for the Bistec a la Punta, Filet Mignon with Tequila sauce and peppers—La Puerta Azul is good value for the price point compared to other fine dining establishments in the region. The fare is thoughtful and creative, and authentic. Executive chef Ramiro Jimenez, a native of Mexico City, grew up cooking alongside his mother and grandmother.

After migrating to Manhattan to pursue his culinary career, Jimenez spent a number of years working his way up at some of the city’s premier Latin restaurants, such as Patria, Chicama, and Noche. In 2006 Jimenez was hand-selected to be the executive chef of La Puerta Azul after a chance meeting with owners Bradley and Ashley Reifler, a Manhattan couple.