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The Fall of The Roman Empire?

Editorial by James Ringrose

According to some, our culture is following the same path as the 3rd century Roman Empire. We are edging closer and closer to social collapse indicated by increasing material excess, lawlessness and gluttony. I, on the other hand, prefer the notion that Rome collapsed because the

Romans drank out of lead cups and moved their water through lead pipes – nothing like a bit of widespread brain damage to mess up a culture!

In a recent NPR piece on "Super Sized" restaurants, a number of pundits extolled the virtues of the new mega-sized restaurants that are taking New York by storm. Several of these are around 60,000 square feet in size and cost over $20 million to launch. Now you are talking excess, even the Roman coliseum dwarfs in comparison. Who in their right mind would want to eat in a place where going to the bathroom is a two day trek or where you could permanently lose you companions?

So maybe the doom merchants are right. Maybe we are seeing the last heady days of the restaurant business, as it morphs into Disney World style restaurants that need transport to get around. But, wait! It's OK. Our nation’s restaurant entrepreneurs can seduce investors into bigger and bigger

establishments, while you and I share a secret – small is beautiful!

The true charm of a small chef-owned neighborhood restaurant can never be underestimated. Here you find convivial company where the waiter may even know your name and the chef is directly connected to his guests. No one is a statistic and for sure, no committee is deciding how many olives per dish or whether the steak is an ounce too big.

One of the most amazing things about restaurants like this is the level of innovation and shear excellence that occurs in the best of them. Ole Mexican Grill in Cambridge is one such example. Erwin Ramos is an extraordinary chef, who is constantly pushing the barriers of fine Mexican cooking to their absolute limits. Erwin takes flavors and textures and paints culinary pictures that delight your senses and leaves you and your companions busily scrabbling to sample each others dishes.

If 60,000 square foot restaurants are the new wave, then Ole Mexico is the kind of fall-out shelter I want to stay in until the madness ends. Oh and by the way, the Romans gave way to the German barbarians – does anyone know what their cooking was like?

Erwin Ramos, Co-owner of Ole Mexican Grill. Erwin is a friendly and charming guy, who cooks like an angel. His passion for creating new dishes and adding at least one new creation every month or so, makes a trip to Ole Mexico a veritable culinary journey of discovery.

Deep Fried Shrimps served with crab, a chipotle mayo and cilantro pesto sauce. This is one of the most interesting dishes I have tasted in months. The shrimp are perfectly complimented by the spicy mayo, the smooth crab and strong lemon like flavor of the pesto. A really interesting combination. Like many of Erwin's dishes it is the absolute antithesis of our normal expectations for Mexican fare. No re-fried beans here.

Below: Deep Fried Oysters with a chili de arbol sesame seed sauce with guacamole. An amazing combination of creamy and crunchy textures. The oysters meld with the guacamole and the spicy sauce adds that final "wow" factor.