Muy Caliente Mexican Grill and Cantina serves up authenticity

By Kathy Feist

When Irish Chef Shaun Brady opened his restaurant Brady and Fox on the corner of 63rd and Rockhill Road, he served up authentic dishes from his homeland in a fun and welcoming environment.

Muy Caliente Mexican Grill and Cantina, which took over the space, does the same thing and does it well.

Owners Noel Ramos and daughter Gepsiva Ramos opened Muy Caliente on August 14th. It is the family’s first restaurant, a long-held dream by both Noel, who has been in the food industry for 20 years and Gepsiva, a bartender for nearly 10. A partnership with Fredy Rivera and his daughter Saray Pilar Nonato made the purchase possible. Rivera owns El Plato Mexican Grill & Cantina in Lee’s Summit and plans to let the Ramos family operate the Brookside restaurant.

Already the patio is set up with colorful banners and flags and inviting outdoor seating. Inside the same light-colored oak paneled walls, cement floor and hanging vintage light bulbs have remained from the previous arrangement.

The Ramos have made a few changes by enclosing the once open kitchen to merely an order window and reducing the size of the seating space by closing off a portion of the west end. Here, Gepsiva mans two large ornate wooden bars, one facing the dining room and the other facing west at a soon-to-be sports bar. Soft red, green and white lights flicker along the length of the bar, adding color to an otherwise earth-tone decor.

The real flare comes from the dishes themselves.

Muy Caliente serves the menu items you would expect from a Mexican restaurant–tacos, nachos, enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas. Unlike the Tex-Mex version, these dishes are authentic to Mexico, the homeland for Noel and his wife Griscelda. Some of the recipes have been passed down over generations, according to Gepsiva.

“Our quesabirria is my mother’s unique recipe that she learned from her grandmother,” says Gepsiva. The crispy taco, shredded beef and cheese dipped in broth is served only on the weekends.

One can taste the family’s unique take with the impressive El Malcajete. The traditional dish arrives at your table with a heavy head of steam coming off a large bowl made of volcanic rock (called a malcajete). The salsa that fills the bowl is surely a family recipe. It’s a zesty, sweet sauce filled with bits of chorizo and shrimp. Draped over the bowl are thin strips of chicken, beef, cactus and cheese to be combined and dowsed in sauce.

Somewhat non-traditional, but still a family recipe, is the giant Caliente burger. Served on a cutting board, the Caliente burger consists of a pound of ground beef, sausage, ham, and avocado formed into a patty and served with artisan bread from Mexico. It comes with a side of French fries. Currently their most popular item on the menu, the burger is large enough for three to four people.

Gepsiva serves signature drinks including spicy margaritas that she says are also recipes passed down to her from family.

Muy Caliente also has breakfast all day, including Huevos con Chorizo and breakfast burritos.

Gepsive says the owners fell in love with the space when they first saw it. “When we found out there was something tragic that happened here, we said ‘let’s keep this going,’” she says. “‘Let’s keep it alive.’”

Gepsiva says the Brookside community has been very supportive.

She would like to honor the beloved, former restaurant owner, who was fatally shot in the restaurant’s parking lot last year while trying to break up a car heist by young hoodlums.

Gepsive has plans for a memory wall where people can place photos or mementos of Brady. She is awaiting approval from Brady’s family on the project.

Muy Caliente is located at 751 E 63 St and open every day from 11 am to 9 pm, except on Sundays when it is closed.

Learn more on Muy Caliente’s Facebook page.