Restaurant review: Xiloa

Xiloa (hi-lo-ah) and Ninth Street were made for one another. Had this quirky Nicaraguan restaurant opened in Brightleaf Square or the American Tobacco Complex, it would seem woefully out of place. Yet on Ninth Street, among the motorcycles perched in front of Charlie's and the hookah smokers and Turkish coffee sippers at International Delights, Xiloa fits right in.

The restaurant is small, sparsely furnished and often patronized by a refreshing mix of Duke students and Durham residents alike. Although the cuisine is far from familiar, the restaurant has a welcoming and bright atmosphere that makes up for its numerous peculiarities. For instance, service is spotty, to say the least, but well meaning thanks to the passionate and eccentric efforts of Anar Rodriguez, the restaurant's owner and omnipresent matron.

Rodriguez oversees the dining room and small kitchen, which is clearly visible from the restaurant's few tables. She also crafts the signature refrescos, fruit-based natural soft drinks popular in Central America. These refrescos are made in-house and often feature diverse tropical flavors including cacao, tamarind, guava and passion fruit. Lucky diners may be invited to sample some, or even all, of the day's offerings before deciding on his or her libation of choice. The refrescos alone are reason enough to warrant a visit.

The unique Central American cuisine is also worthy of an exploratory journey. Diners familiar with Mexican and Caribbean cuisine may see parallels on Xiloa's menu but should not draw conclusions too hastily. Many of the offerings are more subtly spiced than diners might expect, a trend that sometimes borders on blandness. And although the core components of two dishes sampled on a recent visit were entirely enjoyable, the mediocre accompaniments took away from both.

The rice with the mofongo, a plantain cake of sorts, lacked any discernible flavor and the iceberg lettuce and shredded cheddar on the Indian taco, served on fried flatbread, were an embarrassment.

Despite a certain roughness around the edges, Xiloa has charm and character, traits too often absent in many new restaurants. There is certainly room for improvement, but after only a few months the restaurant already feels as if it's a part of the neighborhood.