Tino’s Mexican Kitchen & BBQ: Delicious Food With An Inspiring Story

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By Bob Sacks

Imagine that you are 16 years old, and leave home to move to a foreign country where you don’t speak very much of the language. Your mother moved out suddenly when you were 8 years old, and you and your two younger brothers had to move in with your paternal grandparents because your father was living outside the country in order to earn money to send home for
the family. 

In your new country, you get a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant to make ends meet. Fast forward 24 years later and you are now the owner of a very successful restaurant at 222 Shrewsbury Ave., Red Bank, in the same town and have made friends and built a new life for yourself there. If this sounds improbable, be assured that this tale of hard work plus some very good luck happened, right here in New Jersey. 

Valentino “Tino” Vera lived in Puebla, Mexico, and came to Red Bank as a teenager. He started as a dishwasher at Danny’s Steakhouse, where his father also worked, and eventually graduated to being a busboy and then the pizza maker there. This led Tino to develop an interest in Italian food, which led to a job at the now-closed 2 Senza Restaurant. A second, daytime job at Zebu Forno coffee shop on Broad Street had an unforeseen bonus, as Tino explained: “I was able to practice my English because I was the only Mexican in the kitchen!”

Tino also had another stroke of good luck when he met Victor and Bob Rallo, owners of Undici, Birravino and Surf BBQ restaurants. They took an interest in the hard-working young man, and mentored him in all the aspects of the food service industry. To this day, Tino still quotes many of the lessons of restaurant ownership and management, and the strong work ethic he learned from Victor. A stint at the coffee shop at the Red Bank Armory Ice Complex interacting with coach Doug Brooks also proved to be a formative experience. 

Tino was able to survive the pandemic and keep his staff employed by expanding the already busy takeout and delivery elements of his eponymous restaurant. He has an impressive tortilla-making machine capable of producing thousands of tortillas a day, and a wood-fired grill which imparts a unique flavor to his dishes, many of which he learned at his grandmother’s side. 

Tino likes to establish personal relationships with his customers and sees many of them on a daily basis; he feels he needs to be on site from 5 a.m. until closing because it is his name over the front door. His family works in the restaurant as well. 

After interviewing Tino by phone, we called-in an order for some items from the menu for takeout, to get a feeling for his style of food. Pollo Entero ($24), a whole wood-fired roasted chicken was juicy and tender. A generous serving of Tino’s Trio ($16), a combo of roasted chicken, pork ribs, chorizo, tortillas, rice and beans, was tasty and satisfying. Camerones a la Mexicana ($16), a savory preparation of shrimp sauteed with peppers, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes, had a nice, medium kick of heat. Tacos Al Pastor ($12), originating in Tino’s home state of Puebla, filled with pork marinated in chiles and pineapple, and then grilled, was spicy and had great texture. Squash/Mushroom Quesadilla ($13), a flour tortilla stuffed with cheese, beans, squash and mushrooms, and served with rice, beans and a salad, was virtually a meal unto itself. Another generous dish, (3) Tostados de Ceviche ($14) topped off with shrimp, fresh pico de gallo and avocado, was rich and flavorful. Fajitas de Pollo ($15), an open tortilla topped with chicken, peppers, onions and melted cheese, allowed each ingredient to shine.

The menu is vast, and everything is freshly made to order. There are also homemade Agua Frescas (Fresh Waters) available in a variety of exotic flavors to quench your thirst: hibiscus, tamarind, melon, watermelon and pineapple.

Tino’s story is filled with real life drama. The events of his formative years could have easily derailed a child and created a well of mistrust and negativity, but he rebounded from the hardship of his childhood in Mexico and reinvented himself here. He had originally planned to study first aid and then go to nursing school, but his grandmother fell ill with cancer and he had to leave school to help the family deal with it. Not only were both of his parents absent, there was now a role reversal of caregivers.

Tino’s food is really delicious, but I am hard-pressed to say which is more compelling, his food or his life story!  

¡Salud Tino!

Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants in this column. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.

The article originally appeared in the June 10 – 16, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.