We snagged a second with Chef Richard Sandoval who was at Toro Toro
Wednesday signing copies of his new cookbook—Richard Sandoval’s New
Latin Flavors. He’s also gearing up to open Mango Tree in
CityCenterDC. We chatted before he jetted from DC to Dubai to open
another Zengo.

Q: Cookbooks can be intimidating. What’s one recipe from your book
that we could make on the regular?
A: The ceviches and chicken tinga tacos are very approachable. The
whole book is intended for the home cook with easy to follow recipes
and readily available ingredients.

Q: Mango Tree’s opening is on the horizon. What should we be excited about?
A: I’ve always been a big fan of Asian food, and Thai food especially
because of its bold flavors. But Thai restaurants are usually small
mom and pop shops—which can be excellent. Mango Tree’s a full-blown
restaurant where it’s about the environment and cocktails too.

Q: What exactly is your role in your partnership with Mango Tree
Founder and CEO Pitaya Phanphensophon?
A: Actually running, operating the restaurant. We’re fully engaged in
everything that happens there. When it comes to the food, they already
have great family recipes that go back 40 or 50 years. We're helping with things like presentation and adapting dishes to DC.