By BETTS GRIFFONE • Photos by THOMAS R. CORDOVA

IN SPANISH, “Wapango” is said to mean “a rhythm.” If so, Wapango lives up to its name. Starting with the lively music that makes you want to start dancing, to the modern, Latin decor, the restaurant feels like a trip to the Caribbean.

The walls are painted with the colors of the sun — gold and orange, with accents of black on the frames of the oversized mirrors and the lively, non-objective art on the walls. After looking at these colorful paintings you almost feel that if they ever stopped swirling, you’d see a matador and a bull or troop of dancers in full swing.

The restaurant is quite large, seating 239, including the smallish bar, but it still feels fairly intimate. There are some partially enclosed booths as well as tables and banquettes.

The most interesting thing about Wapango is its eclectic and innovative menu. There isn’t another restaurant for miles around that serves food like this.

The first location opened in a St. Louis suburb, and when operating partner Everado Santana and executive chef Tim Lewis looked to expand to California, they wanted some original dishes for the venture. They spent days trying out new recipes and tweaking them to create the exact taste they were looking for.

Their efforts paid off. The menu is exotic and diverse, but still approachable. Called a Latin bistro, the food finds its roots in Central and South America and Cuba. On the menu you’ll find Argentinean Chicken Pesto Pasta, Cuban Arroz Con Pollo and Ecuadorian Ceviche.

Although most of the food of these areas is lively in flavor, generally it isn’t hot. There are, however, menu items to appeal to those hot-blooded souls who like some real spice to their food — Pollo Habanero and Chile Coconut Mussels are perfect for the chili heads out there. Once, in an effort to please a patron, Santana and Lewis provided sliced habaneros and lemons for an extra kick.

Santana, who has been in the restaurant business for 30 years, learned it from the ground up. He started as a busboy, and after many years working for four or five different companies, ended up in Manhattan Beach running Cozumel — a Mexican restaurant owned by the same company that owns Wapango.

Lewis entered the business at a young age. His mother was kitchen manager of a diner in Hesperia. He learned to cook at her side.

Later, he moved to Merced where he did a four-year apprenticeship with Jordan McSwayne at his French restaurant, Jordan’s Chateau, where he learned basic sauces and techniques. After that, he worked as a private chef and at another place called the Mansion House. He then moved to Yosemite where he was executive chef at Curry Village and later was at the Ahwahnee Hotel.

At that point he decided it was time to see the world, so he joined the Navy. After finishing his stint, he returned to the food industry in California. He landed a job at Bobby Baja’s and stayed there for six years, until he heard about Wapango.

Lewis works with fellow chef Domingo Ramos and sous chef John Hames, with help from Jose Ibarra, one of the line chefs. Together, in concert with the rest of the kitchen staff, they turn out interesting and innovative cuisine.

Lewis developed the recipe for Rio Steak Salad, which consists of mixed greens topped with caramelized cashews, dried cranberries, seasonal fresh berries, crumbled bleu cheese, perfectly cooked flat iron steak and finished with a passion fruit vinaigrette.

Santana says one of the signature dishes is Lomo Saltado, a flat iron steak, cooked to order, tossed with red wine sauce over crispy fried yucca, topped with cilantro and served with sweet plantains.

Another favorite is the Chilean Sea Bass, which is pan seared over yucca The staff at Wapango will accommodate vegetarian tastes. The restaurant also has a children’s menu. There’s a long list of aperativos to go along with the soups, salads and entrees. For those looking for a drink to accompany all of it, there is a full bar.

The signature drink is the mojito, but there’s more than just one. Seven mojitos are listed on the menu, as well as a build- your-own mojito bar with 10 fruit rums to choose from.

Wapango
Victoria Gardens
7881 Monet Ave.Rancho Cucamonga
(909) 463-4600
http://www.wapango.com
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday,
11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Spicy Chocolate Mousse with Sweet Ancho Crema

Mousse
4 ounces 70 percent cocoa or
other very dark chocolate
2 ounces whole butter
(room temperature)
3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons ancho powder or 1 ounce ancho puree
1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 large egg whites
1 ounce confectioners sugar
4 ounces manufacturing cream

Melt chocolate in double boiler over gentle heat, add butter, ancho powder and cayenne, stirring until butter is melted and well incorporated. Stir in egg yolks one at a time. Remove from heat to a warm place.

Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form adding sugar a little at a time (do not over beat). Fold chocolate and egg whites together gently.

Whip cream until firm and fold into chocolate/egg white mixture.

Refrigerate until set (1 hour).

Ancho Crema
4 ounces manufacturing cream
1 teaspoon ancho powder
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
pinch of cinnamon

Whip cream, ancho powder and sugar together until stiff.