my new favorite place. as a frequent diner at bob's in grapevine, i have watched with anticipation as this restaurant was built. so when i read on sidedish that this place was set to open october 3rd, i set up a date with a couple of girlfriends to check it out. first of all, let me just say wow! the ambience and set-up of this place is stunning! the restaurant has a very modern and open design. the entire back wall is made of glass which overlooks an enormous patio. the patio has its own bar with seating, along with at least 15 other tables. the coolest part was the huge fire pit. it was the perfect backdrop for enjoying fancy cocktails and amazing food, on a nice 68 degree night. this patio just beckons anyone passing by to stop, and i have no doubt that it will be the host of many lively evenings to come. seriously, the ambience was so cool that i would go back even if the food and service sucked....
...but they didn't. one of the first things i judge amexicanrestaurant by is their chips and salsa (duh). and lately it seems like most of my old standby's (unlce julios, mi cocina, pappasitos) have let their salsas go by the wayside. but the salsa here was a unique mixture of red and green, with a very unique flavor, spicy, and clearly fresh. the chips had a good medium consistency and were not greasy. since i usually like to order the most unusual items i can find at restaurants, we ordered the sopes and we ordered the tamales for my friends as an appetizer. the sopes are described on the menu as corn masa boats topped with pork belly, black beans, queso fresco, crema and salsa negra. they were full of flavor and the best part was that they were unique (as in not something that every othermexicanrestaurant makes). the tamales were fantastic! i had no idea tamales could be that good. the meat inside the tamales was tender and had a good kick to it.
for entrees we ordered the chile relleno stuffed with pulled pork, the duck carnitas, and the new mexico tampiquena. the chile relleno was stuffed with a ton of very tender and very flavorful pulled pork, but the thing i like most about it was the fact that it was not covered in batter and fried. the relleno was grilled, topped with a little queso fresco, and served over spicy red and green sauces. this type of preparation allowed me to really enjoy the flavor of the pork and the chile pepper. also, i didn't feel like a big greasy pig afterwards. i was skeptical about the duck carnitas since i usually find duck to be bland, but these ended up being my favorite entrée. the carnitas are served on four small fresh tortillas and topped with pickled onion and roasted poblano peppers. but what really made this dish stand out was the sweet and very, very spicy red sauce they served on the side. the new mexico tampiquena was a large skirt steak served with blue corn cheese enchiladas, rice, beans and guacamole. the server took a temperature on the skirt steak. this is very unusual in amexicanrestaurant and greatly appreciated by our group since we like our red meat medium-rare. the steak was tender and full of flavor.
by the time we moved on to dessert i totally full, of course, but there was no way i was going to pass on those desserts. finally, amexicanrestaurant in dfw besides javier's that actually put some thought into their desserts! we ordered themexicansmores and the empanadas. themexicansmores consisted of two thin graham crackers stuffed with a house-made marshmallow and thick peanut butter fudge, served alongside a scoop ofmexicanchocolate ice-cream. the plate was drizzled with cajeta and pomegranate sauces. their use ofmexicanice-cream and goat's milk cajeta is what really turned me on about this dish. i've always found goat's milk to give a richer and gourmet taste to everything. and the smores was very rich indeed. the empanadas were stuffed with goat cheese and guava gelee, and then served with a side vanillas goat cheese ice-cream and more of that luxurious cajeta sauce. i could seriously just order a bowl of the cajeta and be happy with that.
last but certainly not least, i have to tell you about the drinks! this place has an impressive drink menu. not only do they offer over 100 premium tequilas (so they told me), but they use fresh squezzed juice for everything. one of my friends ordered a watermelonmexicanmartini (tequila, cointreau, and lime juice) and they took a fresh slice of watermelon and juiced it right there for her drink! i had a drink called the blackbird. this one had tequila, squirt and a couple of other things, muddled with fresh blackberries and sage. it was sooo delicious, and even though i couldn't taste a lot of alcohol, my buzz told me it was there. my other friend ordered amexicanmartini flavored with serrano peppers and cilantro. i know it sounds weird but it was actually very good. . the drink itself tasted a little sweet at first with a nice kick at the end.
i want to live here! can you tell?