Niño Viejo: Seven Fast Facts About the New Station Park Restaurant

A few weeks ago I did a Standard-Examiner story about Niño Viejo, which opened in December at Station Park in Farmington. It didn’t take long for my Facebook page to get comments from those who either loved or hated it. Their complaints: it’s expensive and small-portioned, compared to Cafe Rio/Costa Vida fast casual spots. The pros from those who love it: The food is elegantly presented with layered flavors and an sophisticated vibe.

Here are seven fast facts about Niño Viejo:

1.First things first: You DO get free chips and salsa! Co-owner Marco Niccoli told me that was a big complaint they heard about the former tenant, Tortilla Union Southwest Grill — no complimentary chips and salsa. And he wasn’t going to repeat that mistake. (Why do we always expect free chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants, yet pay for appetizers everywhere else? The answer is obviously above my pay grade.) About Niño Viejo’s salsa: it’s a three-day process, where the veggies and tomatoes are roasted separately before combining with fresh chiles, onion and cilantro. It’s mild, heat-wise, but you can ask for a hit of habanero salsa to kick it up.

2. Niño Viejo considers itself “Latinx,” a newer, trendy food industry category that includes other Latin cuisines as well as Mexican — Spain, Argentina, Portugal, and so on. One of the specialties, a whole sea bass served deep-fried and head-on ($35) — is a specialty of a Puerto Rico restaurant where chef/co-owners Marco and Aubrey Niccoli honeymooned.

I have to admit, the sea bass was my least favorite dish of those I tried. I prefer not seeing the face of food I’m about to eat. Call me a coward, but I feel the same way about whole roast pigs with apples stuck in their mouths. But, to each his own, I guess.

In Spanish, “niño” is “boy,” and viejo is “old.”

“It’s about the younger chef generation putting a twist on old-world cooking methods,” said Niccoli. They use from-scratch cooking, slow-braised meats, simmered bone stocks and quality, unprocessed ingredients, but with a youthful spin.

3.The owners (Salt Coast Restaurant Group) are busy. They’re also opening a high-end Italian spot, Niccoli’s, in Salt Lake City (next to Currents); and a sushi restaurant in the Fashion Place area. Partners include chefs Marco and Aubrey Niccoli; and investor Gavin Dickson, who seems to have a knack for finding great locations at a time when many restaurants were closing mid-pandemic.

4.Birria tacos ($12) are the top-selling menu item. If you look around the Internet, they seem to be having a foodie moment right now. The restaurant’s version uses slow-roasted, shredded beef, wrapped in a white corn tortilla and cooked in the beef fat on a flat top grill. The beef juices are made into a thick, savory broth for dipping, as you would a French dip sandwich. But you’ll need your fork, as these tacos are too juicy to be hand-held.

5. There are plenty of tacos, tostadas and enchiladas, but with high-end filling choices like lobster and Wagyu beef. That’s not to say you can’t go for the more simple roast chicken tacos. But the menu is pretty seafood-forward, with ceviches, shrimp, salmon and lobster, and sea bass. Marco Niccoli told me they have seafood flown in twice a week from Honolulu.

6. Soup Fuego ($9) is the restaurant’s version of tortilla soup, made from chicken bone broth, whole roasted chicken, avocado, a mirepoix of carrots, celery and onion, and chile oil. It’s a mild to medium heat.

7. To those complaining about prices, I have to agree that $12 for two small-ish tacos is a bit spendy. One one visit, I ordered one of the least expensive menu items, the vegetarian-friendly Avocado, Sweet Corn and Jicama Tostada, for $5 — about what you’d pay for a fast food burger, with much more going for it. Artfully arranged, it had a lot of flavorful texture with the crunchy corn and jicama playing off the creamy mashed avocado. But you’d probably need another tostada, or maybe an order of soup, to make it a satisfying meal.

Unless you’ve already filled up on chips and salsa. Yep, we’re back to those free chips and salsa again.