Meet the Frida Staff: Esther Arzola

Esther is being humble - she can really carry 17 plates at a time.

Frida Bistro is proud to have come such a long way since opening its doors over two years ago, and Esther Arzola holds the unique distinction of being the only member of the service staff to have been here from the very beginning.  She's seen menus evolve drastically, walls get knocked down, and most importantly has seen the uniforms change from black...to white...to black...to coral...and back to black again.  We love Esther for her go-with-the-flow attitude and willingness to adapt during Frida's formative years while she developed her true identity (Frida that it, not Esther)!

Moving to the United States via Mexico over 15 years ago, Esther lived in California and Washington before moving to Utah "for love," where she has called home for the past 3 years.  On her days off, which are few and far between, Esther loves to explore Utah's beautiful mountains and lakes, hiking with her husband, Leroy.  Sometimes she even brings along her petite Yorkshire Terrier, Paris!

Before entering into the world of hospitality, Esther worked as a bilingual secretary for a plastic surgeon!  Her first stint in the hospitality industry was as a hostess at a Brazilian restaurant in Baja California Mexico.  She quickly moved into serving and has been excelling at it ever since.

She loves working at Frida because it is such a unique, colorful restaurant with a great staff, as well as wonderful clientele.  Jorge, the owner of Frida Bistro and Rico Brand, and his family have treated her as one of their own since she started working here.  She has helped out with Rico Catering, Rico Market, Farmer's Market, and even some management responsibilities at the restaurant.  With all of the many hats she wears, Esther says her favorite role is "babysitting the new staff" (she may complain about it, but we know she loves it)!

Esther considers herself a great server but acknowledges that she learns new things every day, as offering great customer service is an ongoing process.  She loves interacting with people and educating them about Mexican food and culture, and she's an excellent resource for staff members that want to become more versed on these topics.  Esther's presence is invaluable because of this immense knowledge, as well as her willingness to be flexible in her schedule and to offer help whenever it's needed.

Bringing in home cooked goodies for staff, training new team members, and helping make important restaurant decisions, Esther is certainly the "mother figure" at Frida Bistro.  But don't worry Esther, you're a young, hip, sexy mother!

Ceviche Pez Espada Recipe

Fresh and light for a summer night on the patio.

Ceviche is a staple on the menu at Frida - a great dish to share as an appetizer with friends or as a light dinner for one.  We change the preparation seasonally and this summer we created a winner with our Ceviche Pez Espada (literal translation: Swordfish Ceviche).  The fun thing about ceviche is that there are endless variations - all you need is some imagination!

Simply put, ceviche is fresh, raw fish marinated in citrus juice.  While the fish in ceviche is not cooked using heat, the acids from the citrus do "cook" the meat to a degree (the longer you let it marinate, the more it will cook).  However, the citrus juice will not kill the bacteria the same way heat will, so it's important to use fresh, parasite-free, and disease-free fish!  Check out this great article for tips on ensuring your fish is safe to eat.  Since it's nearly impossible to get fresh fish in landlocked Utah, we use the deep freeze method to kill any bacteria.

Ceviche is simple and delicious, and takes very little time to prepare.  As long as you have fresh fish, citrus juice, and a mixing bowl you can make a fantastic ceviche that will impress all your friends.

Steve preparing the dish with a simple mold.  Remember, presentation is almost as important as taste!

This recipe is for one serving of ceviche (which can be shared between 2-3 people as an appetizer).  We "eye" most of the ingredients, so it was hard to get the chefs to give me an exact measure!

Mix following ingredients in a bowl:

1. Handful of cubed, raw swordfish 
2. Chopped mango 
3. Diced red and green peppers, radish, and cucumber
4. 2-Tbsp freshly-squeezed orange juice
5. Juice from 2 lime wedges
6. Pinch salt
7. Pinch cilantro

Dig in!

Mix with your hand for approximately 20 seconds which will allow the fish to begin cooking.  At Frida we like to top our ceviche with microgreens and serve with blue corn tortilla chips, which add a great texture to the dish.  Take this ceviche out on your patio, imagine you're at the beach, and enjoy with friends or loved ones as the sun sets!

Taste of the Wasatch

An absolutely beautiful day in the Wasatch range.

Yesterday Frida Bistro participated in the annual Taste of the Wasatch at Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  Taste of the Wasatch is Utah's premiere culinary event and raises funds to help end hunger in the state.  Frida joined over 50 other restaurants, resorts, wineries, and craft breweries to dish out tastings to the eager crowd.

Esther is very proud/protective of those beautiful tostaditas - watch out!

Let's just say the guests weren't the only ones eating the irresistible tostaditas...

Needless to say, getting Frida staff to volunteer wasn't exactly difficult: free entrance to an event that otherwise costs $125/ticket isn't a tough sell.  That's not to say it was all fun and games - we went all out in our tastings and needed all 8 employees to help stage, cook, and serve food.  The dedicated team was as follows: Thomas (Fierro Group COO), Josh (Frida Bistro Manager) and his girlfriend Lauren, Raul (Head Chef), Gretchen (Server/Bartender) and her boyfriend Michael (who is a professional chef), Esther (Server), and Jessica (Server).  The team was focused on plating excellent tastings for the event guests...and doing some excellent tastings of our own!

Raul putting the finishing touches on the chocolate mole cake.

We may be slightly biased, but we were partial to Frida's delicious gourmet spread!  We started guests with house-cured salmon tostaditas: a crispy corn tortilla, salmon cured with reposado sotol and topped with jalapeno/balsamic aioli, cucumber, radish, and dill.  Next we had Mexican risotto paired with a pistachio-encrusted Chilean sea bass complemented by an elote/cilantro sauce.  And to finish it off, our famous chocolate mole cake topped with chocolate mousse, a fresh raspberry, and strawberry coulis.  I think it's safe to say Frida made some new fans yesterday afternoon!

Hey Jessica, less peace signs, more tostaditas!

By the end of the afternoon the crew was exhausted.  We had a fantastic week at the restaurant with the help of the Outdoor Retailers, and Sunday, which is typically everyone's day off, came and went in a haze - prepping the food, loading the truck, driving up the canyon, unloading the truck, setting up the booth, serving food in the intense mountain sun, breaking down the booth, reloading the truck...you get the picture!  It was a long day, but well worth it.

We want to thank Solitude Mountain Resort and everyone else who made this outstanding event possible - we'll definitely see you next year!