It's got legs

BOWLED OVER Zapatista's sizzling steak fajitas arrive in a hot stone "molcajete" along with onions, cactus, cheese, chile sauce and house-made tortillas.

When a nearby customer commented to our witty, good-looking waiter at the South Loop's new restaurant Zapatista that he was a dead ringer for actor John Leguizamo, he laughed and came back with, "Yeah, I don't think so, but apparently people think all of us Latinos look alike."

He's a perfect fit for the place: comfortable with who he is but able to deftly adapt to the gringo clientele. Not that Chicagoans are green when it comes to Mexican culture, particularly food. How could we be when our city claims the second-largest Mexican population in America (after L.A.) and boasts more than 500 Mexican restaurants? But while taco joints can be authentic enough to make transplants swoon, the built-for-the-masses concepts have mostly gone the route of Uncle Julio's, offering zingless salsas, fruity margarita slushes and Tex-Mex creations like fajitas.

Zapatista deftly sidesteps gringofication by putting chef Dudley Nieto at the helm. Owners Matthew O'Malley (Chicago Firehouse and Grace O'Malley's) and Luis Meza (Platiyo) took a cue from Nieto's former employers: New York restaurateur Stephen Hanson hooked Nieto to launch Dos Caminos, Bill Mehra lured him to the 'burb of Bannockburn to head up San Gabriel Mexican Cafe, and Italian restaurant group Vinci bet on him with Adobo Grill. Simply put, they're all winners.

But back to our waiter. Zipping around the room at the same warp speed as the rest of the staff, he sold a vegetarian on "earthy wild mushroom tacos," suggested the safe-bet "sizzling, juicy chicken fajitas" for an older couple who seemed thrilled just to be out of the house and went off the deep end at our table when he sensed interest. We listened to his passionate spiel while wolfing down house-made tortilla chips with smoky chipotle salsa that packed a perfect punchy heat.

At his suggestion, we started with picaditas, cornmeal boats filled with shredded chicken, roasted poblano peppers, spicy chorizo and smooth guacamole. The fillings were great, each distinct and flavorful, but the picaditas had obviously been prefried to save time. If they were made to order, they'd have been perfect. Ditto for the chile rellenos, which veered into soggy-dom simply by being premade. But the scallop-packed ceviche was fresh, and dodged being boring by swapping out the traditional lime marinade for a sweet-heat mango-habanero concoction. The seared-to-order carne asada that filled our steak tacos was juicy and tender; wild mushroom tacos were perfectly seasoned with salt and a touch of cumin; and the poblano mole that blanketed the grilled chicken breast was subtly sweet, a great match for the creamy chipotle-flecked spinach and dense corn tamale.

The coconut flan finale was solid, but not quite as memorable as the expertly made cocktails. The El Bigote combines the flavors of margarita, mojito and piña colada into a finely shaved, icy refresher; Margarita Rustica has a slightly smoky mezcal base and a perfect balance of orange and lime tang; and the Michelada's beer-chile-lime ratio was spot-on. Sample your way through the umpteen options, and you'll be a little more forgiving of the built-for-big-crowds bumps. The cavernous space, million-mile-per-hour service and kitchen time-savers certainly translate to dollars, but to create loyalists among the masses À la the Rick Bayless empire, Zapatista should worry more about turning heads than turning tables.

Zapatista
1307 S Wabash Ave at 13th St (312-435-1307). El: Green, Orange, Red to Roosevelt. Bus: 1, 4, 29, 62. Open: Lunch, dinner. Average main course: $14.