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Amuse Bouche
Guacamole
The plate of bold green guacamole came decorated with a few
colorful tortilla chips and hot red peppers, almost as if they were an
indicator. It initially seemed like a lot of guacamole, almost too much for the
number of mildly stale colorful chips, but in the end it was devoured. The
guacamole was very spicy and flavorful, drowning out the stale after moment of
the chips. It was creamy and just enough to hold us over for the coming dishes.
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First
Ensalada de Sandia
Watermelon, papaya, tomatillo and cucumber salad
This watermelon salad sounded light and refreshing,
delicious and different, but we all ignored something in the item description, the
orange-mezcal vinaigrette. And I wish I hadn’t. The appetizer would have been
all of those things I wished for, if it hadn’t been for the smokiness of the mezcal
that plagued the fresh fruit. It made everything taste like tar and thick, just
my palate found it less than appetizing.
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Quinoa
The quinoa starter was alive with vegetables and encircled
with a cilantro jalapeno salsa, but this too was spicy. The quinoa grains were
smaller and wetter than I was used to, and the serving was just a sampling, but
it was pretty good, hearty and a nice start.
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Gazpacho de Nopal
Unlike the gazpacho I am used to, this appetizer was green
and served in a fancy drink glass. The summer soup was made with cactus,
tomatillo cucumber, bell peppers and a beautiful dash of color, with the cherry
tomato. The surface of the thick cold soup was dotted with oil and two halves
of cherry tomatoes. It was pretty to look at, but thick and viscous, kind of
salty in a soy sauce kind of way, but definitely edible.
Second
Pescado
Fish tacos
Now the fish tacos were not a part of the prix fixe menu,
but they were absolutely delicious. The ratios were just right; a thick piece
of seasoned and lightly fried fish nestled in double corn tortillas, topped
with a bright pico de gallo. The flavors married well, the spicy, and sweet,
and the almost dry tortilla.
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Lomo de Cerdo
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Two of our party got the lomo,
and unfortunately that was a moment where we saw inconsistency in the pretty
new restaurant. One of the thin pieces of pork was far more well done than the
other, resulting in a completely different experience. The sweet potato puree
and honey chipotle glaze played to the affinity pork has for sweetness, adding
moisture and texture, while the seasonal veggies almost blended in with the
other elements, colorful but forgettable.
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Costillas en cacao
Short ribs
The plump piece of
short rib sat on a little bed of mashed potatoes and was surrounded by a
dark meaty cacao demi glaze, and nestled by a patch of dressed salad greens.
The meat was super tender, decadent and delicious, everything you really want
in the texture of a short rib, though the flavor was kind of muted, and dulled
further by the dense, startchy potatoes. The greens not only made the plate
look more balanced, but it lightened the dish, and added a little brightness.
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Third
Nieve de Horchata
Horchata sorbet with spicy pecans
The rice milk based drink, Horchata, was transformed into an
icy and almost watery sorbet, encapsulating spicy cinnamon and warmth. The
flavor was really nice of the sorbet, arousing almost contradicting memories of
spicy fall and refreshing summer. It was super light, but the texture was a
little chalky, and almost dense, missing a smoothness to unite the taste.
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Natilla de Maracuya
Passion fruit crème brulee
This crème brulee looked like any other, yellowish custard
in a ramekin, browned and crisp on the top, and even the decorative
strawberries recalled other crème brulees. This time, however, the smooth and
creamy custard was infused with tangy sweet passion fruit. There were no pieces
of the fruit throughout the custard, which maintained the expected texture,
with the surprising flavor.
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Overall, there were delicious moments to our dinner, mainly
with our mains. The portions were not too large which made three courses
easier, but in the end it may not have been enough. The service was a little
slow, especially in getting the bill and paying (oddly enough), and the
atmosphere got to be a little draining with loud music and bad acoustics. I
would go again, but maybe on taco Tuesday.
RER
8.2.13
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| RER 8.2.13 |
