The heat in many Mexican restaurants comes from the chiles.
At Casa Don Carlos, it comes from the flaming desserts — as in Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Flambé.
It's easy to spot Carlos Maldonado, the ebullient owner of the nine-month-old eatery. He's either clearing tables, taking orders or creating a flaming dessert tableside. In other words, a very hands-on owner. His wife, son and one of his daughters work there, too, making it quite the family endeavor.
And it shows. The restaurant is clean and cozy, and Maldonado is more than happy to stop by your table and chat.
The Tijuana, Mexico, resident moved to Tucson about a year ago to be closer to family and open a restaurant. Maldonado, 62, sold three of his four Tijuana restaurants, keeping only Caves, a family eatery that serves the same Mexican food as Casa Don Carlos.
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"I've been working all my life in the kitchen," says Maldonado, whose newest restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner Mondays through Saturdays.
Maldonado has decades of experience in the industry and also worked in a Continental restaurant in Tijuana where many dishes were prepared tableside.
Another quality you'll notice at Casa Don Carlos is the stark freshness of his dishes. Although the guacamole ($5.50) starts out a bit bland, the chunky, just-made-from-scratch dip is a delight compared to many Mexican restaurants. Ask that chiles be added for some kick. Everything is prepared fresh in the kitchen, except the mole, which is shipped in from Puebla, Mexico.
Right now, the only musical entertainment is occasional spontaneous singing and dancing by Maldonado and some of his staffers. He says that they focus on celebrating diners' birthdays and other occasions rather than have set entertainment.
So the entertainment is in the food for now, which is plenty when fire is involved. Order the Cherries Jubilee or Bananas Flambé ($8 each) for two, and Maldonado will wheel up the dessert cart and start working his magic.
For Cherries Jubilee, Maldonado deftly pours cherry liqueur, brandy and 151 rum with a flourish over fat, juicy cherries that have been spooned into a skillet. With the flick of a lighter, he ignites the pan and cherries, tossing the flames with the fruit. After about a minute, he kills the fire and pours the cherry concoction over scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Maldonado has big plans for Casa Don Carlos. He's working on getting a liquor license, then hopes to open up a "rock 'n' roll taco bar" in the back.
Right now, there's also outdoor seating — a patio with misters for dining — which Maldonado plans to enclose.
"We have a lot of things to do," Maldonado said. "It's going to have excellent Mexican food, and it's going to be a fun place."
• What: A Mexican restaurant.
• Where: 1103 W. Prince Road.
• Hours: 7 a.m.- 8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; closed Sundays.
• Parking: Plenty.
• Phone: 207-0008.
