Louise B.
Yelp
Be amazed by the clean, precise flavors of the restaurant with no sign. Yep pulling up you'll note there is no sign to reassure yourself you have arrived at the right place, instead, a glass awning over the door, and tables of happy folk under the soft glow of patio lights zigzagging across the sky, happy that they were smart to make a reservation for the best fine dining Mexican with Euro kitchen flare that Tucson can offer, and to date that I've tried. Hubby opts for more casual dinners but enjoyed this upscale hipster establishment.
While the menu is focused, hubby and I enjoyed every offering we selected, and artfully presented:
Cocktail: Chose the JíCARA bc mezcal...you know, when in Mexico City (Rome) ;) Elote-infused mezcal, maguey sap, lime juice, orange bitters beautiful on a large cube with charred corn husk, was a well balanced smoky mezcal sour. Great accompaniment sipping through courses.
Cast iron skillet chorizo verde Queso Fondido with roasted serrano & thick chewy tortillas, like eating the best cheesy chorizo burger topped with thick layer of melted monterrey? likely not, but shows you what I know?! A hefty serving for two but with a duo of lighter tacos, for one of our mains, we were blissfully stuffed.
The thick house tortilla chips came a little late to the game, served when the Queso came out instead of with the cocktail, but a loosely chunky, smoky salsa, so satisfying and tasty, while competing alongside the Queso, sadly left too many behind argh.. would not have been the case up front when you arrive ready to munch.
Tacos w/house chewy corn tortillas: Beer braised Lengua w/salsa verde & Carnitas w/avo tomatillo salsa. The side pickles were lightly tart but the wafer thin carrots have super carrot flavor, their brightness so intense. Tacos are small, a good 3 bites each but packed with tons of flavor no less. You'd need 3-4 to be full. The side of rice we ordered came out as roasted poblanos instead, and the Queso so filling, we didn't miss it. The poblanos which were on the spicier side got comped but with so much food, we only managed a few bites.
Onto the Bone-in Chuleta Entrada pork chop, pumpkin mole with squash and apples and grilled scallion chochoyotes, new on me, had to ask. The green speckled crispy fried masa discs was the most bland item on the table, but added an unusual starch element to the dish that I appreciated. Chop was a good inch+ thick, so juicy yet charred nicely, we easily split it between 2 with plenty of protein, and the favorite for both of us. Mole was not too thick or cloying and just enough to get me through half of our shared chop.
Coffee: Surprise French press! Server said it was drip since no espresso. It's a special sourced Guat-Hond? local bean, blended for them. One pot is plenty for 2 and only $3. No low-sugar option, too full anyway, maybe next time on dessert ;)
Server was pleasant and as it got busier harder to track but not to the point of lack of service. Yes, you need reservations during the week. Ours on a Thursday 5PM and by 6PM was a packed house. Chose an outside table and can't wait to set camp again outside at the restaurant with no sign, oh and apparently they have a cocktail bar around the corner, again don't look for a sign but an orange dragon and there are tunnels underneath that connect to the churches. Sounds sinister but if anything like our dinner, it will be a true blessing ;) !!
