Javier Villanueva is going to change the way you think about Mexican food. Not today and not all at once. But slowly.

        If he has his way, Mexican food will conjure not just tacos and enchiladas, but specialties such as carnitas and squash blossoms — foods Mr. Villanueva grew up with in Mexico City, before cooking his way to Cincinnati via New York and Miami.

IF YOU GO

What: Javier's Mexican Restaurant   Where: 39 E. Court St., downtown   When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.   Phone: 381-3287.

        After five years with Burrito Joe's on Court Street, downtown, Mr. Villanueva bought the restaurant in 2000 and renamed it Javier's. This small, cheerful spot is where his Mexican food revolution is being launched with a new menu this fall with more authentic offerings than the humble burrito.

        Question: What are some misconceptions you'd like to change about Mexican food?

        Answer: Here you see an unhealthy version of Mexican food. You've got to have enchiladas, burritos and tacos and everything is sour cream and cheese. We eat that, but not so much — they are antojitos Mexicanos (snack food). It is like Mexicans thinking (Americans) only eat doughnuts and hamburgers.

        In Mexico, we have a lot of seafood, because the ocean is so close, and fresh food. A lot of dishes with lamb, vegetables and different flowers like squash blossoms and nepales (cactus). There it is corn tortillas, here it is flour, or if it is corn, it is nachos fried in oil. But Mexican food is growing here and, day by day, people are finding there is more to the food than that.

        Q: How would you describe the food at Javier's?

        A: When I opened my restaurant, I had a dream. I thought I'd not have burritos and nachos, but I was wrong because they pay my bills. So, I try to add a Mexican touch, like a mole burrito or carnitas burritos. We wouldn't have that in Mexico, but it is a way to slowly change people's thoughts on Mexican food.

        Q: What are carnitas?

        A: Carnitas are pork fried in lard with a variety of salsas on the side.

        Q: How else are you going to sneak in some more authentic foods?

        A: I'm going to make changes with different soups, different Mexican sandwiches, like tortas, which might have meat or chicken with cheese, avocados, tomatoes and jalapenos on a baguette. I'll offer more dishes like chilaquile, Mexican lasagna, which is a very traditional dish.

        Q: Any words of dining wisdom?

        A: Don't come into my restaurant and ask for a hamburger. We don't have that on the menu.

        Javier's Red or Green Chilaquiles

        This tortilla chip dish is often referred to as Mexican lasagna.

        2 cups diced tomatoes*
        1/2 cup diced onion
       1 jalapeno, diced
       1 teaspoon minced garlic
        1/4 teaspoon salt
        1/4 teaspoon black pepper
       2 teaspoons vegetable oil
       1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
       8 ounces tortilla chips
       8 leaves epazote,minced
       GARNISH:
       Shredded queso blanco or queso fresco Sour cream
       Chopped onion

        Sautee the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper in oil until vegetables are limp. Add chicken broth or water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the tortilla chips and epazote and continue to simmer 5-8 minutes. Garnish with cheese, chopped onion and sour cream if desired.* Substitute 2 cups diced tomatillos for green chilaquiles.

        Variations

        • Mr. Villanueva sometimes bulks up his recipe with chopped grilled chicken or steak on top of the chilaquiles.

        • Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites (Random House; $24) incorporates corn, cooked black beans and chopped spinach in its version. Try adding 1 cup of any of these vegetables to the simmering tomatoes.

        Ingredient sources and substitutions

        • Dried epazote is available at Conchita's Mexican Store, 835 State Ave., Price Hill (251-5303). Fresh epazote is preferable, but hard to find as a stocked ingredient outside of Mexico — maybe because its common name, “worm seed,” isn't that appetizing. You can grow your own (www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/herbs/epazote.html, ($1.25/packet) or you can order dried ($1.59/ounce)., In Mexico, fresh epazote is used in almost every cooked dish, especially those with beans, as the herb reduces gas.

        Cilantro is a common substitute.

        • Queso blanco and queso fresco are soft white cheeses available at Jungle Jim's Market, 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, 829-1919; Conchita's and other Hispanic markets.

        Mr. Villanueva suggests shredded fresh mozzarella with a sprinkling of Parmesan as a substitute.
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