Beatnik - Brunch

 

 

 

 

A Beatnik was the name given to the counter-culture of the late 1940s to early 1960s and those that embraced it.  They were worldly, open, artistic, pushing back against the ideas of the time and embracing many ideas and philosophies from India and Asia.  They were the Hipsters of their time.  The restaurant, Beatnik, in West Town, tries to embrace this aesthetic with it's design, menu, and soundtrack.  I decided to go there for a weekend brunch, just before the lock down started, because I had heard a lot of good things about it and I wanted to get there while I still had a chance.  Things started before I even entered the building.  It was very easy to recognize because of the colorful shelter at the entrance.  The door opens to an atrium with glass walls and a cracked tile floor.  The cocktail lounge is to the left and the dining room which the atrium opens to in the middle of the room is mostly to the right.  The room is large and basically open with antique brick walls, unfinished ceilings, and a lot of plant life and parasols.  Many of the dining areas start with large and heavy wood tables, which was what ours was, and the seating consisted of a lot of wicker and cushions.  There is a large skylight at the front of the room, where many of the parasols are located, with the back of the room lit with large crystal chandeliers and candlelight.  There were several large semi-enclosed booths against the walls, that employed Eastern motifs, that would seat about 12 people apiece and the kitchen was open.  The menu design went with much of the rest of the place, employing paisley/psychedelic design.  The food and drink was very international, sometimes bringing elements from several different cultures into one dish.

 

There was a lot to look at on the menu, so while I was looking, I took a little time and ordered Coffee and a cocktail.  The coffee was served in a vintage coffee cup that looked like something I might see in my Grandmas house.  The coffee itself seemed to be a medium roast, was pretty flavorful, and was quickly refilled.  My cocktail was called a Wake Up Call and it was like a bastard child of and Old Fashioned and an Irish Coffee.  It started with Bourbon, and added Sparrow Cold Brew, Walnut Liqueur, Montenegro, Demerara, Mole Bitters, Coconut Whip, and topped it with Nutmeg.  It was really good.  In addition to the booze and coffee, the cocktail added some sweetness and spice topped with whipped cream and I really liked the Nutmeg finish.  With what was essentially two cups of coffee in front of me, I was definitely ready for the world.

As is typical for brunches, I will look at the pastry list.  While Beatnik didn't have a list, as such, it did have a platter.  While I do typically order multiple pastries for the table to share, with the Platter, it was a given that I was going to need to share.  The Decadent Pastry Platter included a Cookie, a Cupcake, Coffee Cake, and Banana Bread.  As the name suggests, this platter was pretty decadent with many international flavors among the sweetness with a Miso Butterscotch Cookie, a Pecan Pie Cupcake topped with crushed Pecans, Apple Date Coffee Cake, and a couple slices of Tahini Banana Bread.  It was big, very good, and almost too much for my party of four in addition to our regular dishes.

As for my main dish, I noticed on the menu before I even came, a dish with international flavors (and origin) that I will not frequently pass up, though I did look at the rest of the menu before ordering it.  They had Shakshuka.  Admittedly, I had had it recently at my last brunch at Bad Hunter a few weeks prior and had loved that, but that was done in small as a pastry, and this was a complete dish.  As I had mentioned, Shakshuka is a Mediterranean Dish that is essentially Eggs poached in Tomato Sauce.  This Shakshuka was made as a Tagine, a Moroccan method of cooking that uses an earthenware clay cone over it that essentially slow cooks and steams the food inside.  This Tagine Shakshuka was prepared with Duck Eggs  in a Spicy Tomato Sauce, Roasted Marcona Almonds, A Fresh Herb Salad, and Merguez Sausage.  It was served with Pita Bread.  I found the best way to eat this was to stuff it into the Pita (Sausage, Eggs, Tomato, Herbs) and eat it as a Sandwich.  It was good, I enjoyed the flavors and textures, and eating it as a sandwich was different, but it wasn't something that I will have to come back for, like some of the other flavors here.  This was a lot of fun.  I loved both the design of the place and the international flavors.  I will definitely have to return to try their dinner and other cocktails.

Flora Fauna - Tasting Collective Dinner

The day after I returned from Colorado, I did another dinner with Tasting Collective.  It was a brand new restaurant that had opened in the space formerly occupied by Bohemian House called Flora Fauna.  Located in the same building, it is likely going to look the same from the outside (except for the sign).  The entrance into the restaurant is also very similar, though there is now a very colorful mural of a parrot outside the heavy wooden door leading into the restaurant.  There is a menu outside the entrance that shows that the menu has completely changed.  What was formerly a restaurant focused on Bohemian cuisine (Austrian, German, Czech) is now very much an International restaurant with an eclectic menu focused primarily on the cuisine of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.  I did not get a chance to see the menu of the dinner that we would be served before I came, so I was kind of excited to see what we would be served.  Walking into the dining room, I found the layout largely the same with a large room with a high ceiling and a large bar on the wall opposite the entrance, kitchen in the back, and a large booth in the wall on the same side as the entrance.  There had been a lot of tile on the back wall and a brick wall on the bar side, but the tile had been removed with the wall painted a neutral color and the brick drywalled and given a green paint job.  There were still hanging lights, though the lights were now given a wicker basket cover.  We were seated at the front near the large windows.  After looking over the menu of what we would be eating, I then looked over the cocktails and started off with a cocktail called Basic Beach with Los Vecinos Mezcal, Coconut, Lime, Strawberry and Soda.  It was very tropical and refreshing with a lot of tart fruitiness and a sparkling finish.  I liked it and I thought the carbonation would be a good start because I figured that it would open up my taste buds as champagne does when you drink it at the beginning of a meal.   

We started with a spin on many types of Asian Cuisine, Braised Jackfruit Dandan with Papaya Noodles, Crushed Cashews, and Chili Oil.  Dandan is a noodle dish form the Sichuan region of China, Jackfruit is from Southern India, though is found in many cuisines of Southeast Asia, and Papaya Salad is a standard of Vietnamese cuisine.  As I was not familiar with Dandan, but was with papaya salad, that is how I related to it.  I really liked this.  It was spicy, tart, and crisp, and the jackfruit added a savory and  almost meaty side.  Dandan is frequently spicy, but so is papaya salad, and this was as well, but it wasn't overwhelming and added another flavor element to this dish. 

While I wouldn't call the second course strictly Indian, I will say that that is want it reminded me of, despite the fact that the ingredients used were largely Midwestern.  It was grilled Cauliflower and Broccolini with Goat's Milk Yogurt, and Mustard Seed Chow Chow (a pickled relish with varying ingredients with North American origins that is related to chutney).  The vegetables were tender and tasted very fresh with a lot of spicy flavor from what tasted like curry, though that may have simply come from the chow chow. 

For course number three, I would say that it was a spin Indian Cuisine which was pretty good.  We were served Seafood Fritters made from Octopus, Scallops, and Crab Meat, served with Kerala Curry, Chinese Broccoli, and Coconut Crema.  Kerala is a state in Southern India whose cuisines focus on vegetables and seafood.  The curry is made to go with vegetables and seafood and also includes a lot of coconut.   

The idea of the next course reminded me of Ssam, a Korean dish, or style of eating in which meat and vegetables are wrapped in a Sesame or Perilla Leaf.  In the Ssam that I have had, pork has been used.  This replaced the pork with a Fried Skate Wing and the Perilla with Lettuce.  Included with the Skate wing were a variety of vegetables including Carrots, Cucumbers, Mushrooms, Jicama, Lime, Tamari, and a Scotch Bonnet Vinaigrette.  This was really good and it was fun to see how the different flavors worked together.  The problem was to be able to fit everything on the lettuce leaf.  Many times I overloaded and had to eat over my plate so the vegetables spilling out didn't land in my lap.  The scotch bonnet vinaigrette could have potentially been so hot as to be inedible.  While there was some heat, it was not unbearable and did add some flavor to the fish and vegetables.

Our entree was largely Caribbean with the accompaniments reminding me of Cajun cuisine and the protein itself, Quail, North American.  We were served Jerked Quail with Dirty Ancient Grains, Braised Greens, and Mushrooms.  Jerk is a method of meat preparation native to Jamaica in which the meat is dry rubbed or wet marinated with a hot spice mixture including allspice, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Cinnamon, Ginger, Thyme, and Garlic.  The dish was spicy, but it was also very good and while quail are small, there was enough meat and vegetables to go around.

We finished off with a Mexican favorite, a Chocolate Taquito with Korean Chili and Tangerine Whipped Cream.  I love the combination of sweet and spicy and Mexican and Korean cuisines seem to go together well, so this was a great combo.  The tangerine whipped cream added a hint of tang to the whole thing and made for a great finish.

I enjoyed my meal here and liked the combinations.  When we came, the chef mentioned that they were brand new and were still trying some things out.  A few of the dishes that we had are still on the menu, so I assume that it was found that they work.  I would happy to return to see what other combinations that they do.

Mi Tocaya Antojeria

 

 

When most people think about Mexican food, they frequently think of street food like tacos, burritos, and tamales.  Mexican restaurant that serve these in Chicago are ubiquitous and are almost as common as the hot dog joints which are almost on every corner.  All of these things are Mexican, but Mexican food is much more than this as can be seen in places like Rick Bayless' places, Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and other restaurants like Chilam Balam and Dos.  Mi Tocaya Antojeria, located in Logan Square, aims for a place that, while not quite fine dining is definitely much more than street food.  Mi Tocaya is a Spanish term of endearment meaning "My Namesake" so, Chef Diana Davila named her restaurant after herself in a backhanded manner.  An antojeria is a place that serves antojitos.  I was first introduced to antojitos when I was visiting Peru.  There, antojitos were grilled skewers of meat or vegetables, some of the most popular of which were the beef hearts and the alpaca.  When I was there, I thought that antojitos were specifically grilled skewers, but I have since learned that antojitos literally means "little cravings."  Mi Tocaya Antojeria is Chef Diana's namesake and serves small plates.  Located on the boulevard near the square, it's small and very much a neighborhood restaurant.  It has a great patio in front (behind a steel gated fence) over looking the boulevard that would be great to enjoy a summer afternoon or evening, though it rained on the day that I came, so sitting on the patio wasn't really an option.  I walked in and sat at the bar overlooking the grill where Chef Diana was working.  The place is very colorful with murals and framed art hanging throughout the restaurant.  Notable to me was the painting of Wonder Woman surrounded by several other paintings done in various abstract styles, and the neon sign of Mi Tocaya hanging on the rear wall.  The drink menu has beer, wine, and cocktails, the beer focusing on Mexican Lagers with a few local craft beers, the wine having a Spanish Red, White, Rose, and Cava, and the Cocktails focusing on Mezcal and Tequila.  Looking over the cocktail list, I saw something that I had to order simply for the name of the Mezcal used, though looking at it again, I see that it was also a spin on my favorite cocktail, The Last Word, so it was a double win.  The name of the drink was Chicana 2.0 and it contained Peloton de La Muerte Mezcal, Finn's Gin, Yellow Chartreuse, Maraschino, and Lime.  In bike racing, the peloton is the main group of cyclists who are riding together and jostling for position, so Peloton de la Muerte is the peloton of death.  The Last Word is Gin, Green Chartreuse, Maraschino, and Lime.  The drink was essentially The Last Word with Mezcal added.  Having compared it to The Last Word, it definitely does not look like The Last Word.  Served on ice as opposed to the Last Word being shaken over ice and served clean, it was red as opposed to The Last Word's yellow-green color.  It was tart, sweet, and a little savory, with a slightly smoky finish from the mezcal.

The food menu is broken up into "Antojitos", small bites, Tacos, and "Antojos", what are essentially medium plates.  I went for a sample from each category, aiming for what might be considered some of the most challenging items, starting with Peanut Butter y Lengua, which was exactly what it sounded like, peanut butter and beef tongue.  The beef tongue was peeled, sliced into large pieces, like something I might expect to see on a skewer, and topped with Jamaica Pickled Onions and Grilled Radishes. The beef was tender, the onions were tart and sweet, and the thinly sliced radishes had a nice crunch to them. The peanut butter was spread around the plate, so you could avoid much of it if you wanted to.  It did have some spice, so the combination of beef, onions, and spicy peanut butter kind of reminded me of Thai food.  While I assume it was hoped that the beef and peanut butter would be eaten together, I did try them separately to get individual flavors.  Everything was good on it's own, but it was also very good all together, and I did make sure to eat most of the peanut butter.

For the tacos, there were some standards like the (beer can) chicken and the cochinita pibil, but they also had an oyster taco that really looked interesting and I would have gotten if it were not for the Milpa Taco, what was essentially a veggie taco similar to something that my grandmother used to make.  It was Grilled Butternut Squash, Chiles, Pinto Beans, and Corn Crema, on a Corn Tortilla.  My grandmother's version added zucchini and pork, but the same flavors were there.  It was very good and brought back some nice taste memories.

My main course was the most complicated to eat (and pronounce).  Called Tuetano con Sabores de Caldo, it was Roasted Bone Marrow and Short Rib (with microgreens and carrots) served on a Homemade Flour Tortilla.  I like roasted bone marrow, it's essentially beef butter, but it does some work to eat it because it has to be scraped out of the bone.  With this, the bone was presented on top of the tortilla and kind of buried with the short rib, greens, and carrots, so I had to unbury it because eating it in the bone would have been impossible.  After digging it out and rearranging things so I could eat it, it was very rich and good.

The dessert list was very short and hit a couple of Mexican classics, Flan and Tres Leches Cake.  Flan is very similar to Panna Cotta, and while I like it, I will never turn away a tres leches cake, a cake soaked in three milks, cream, condensed milk, and evaporated milk.  This tres leches, called Kristoffer's Tres Leches Cake, is made by Kristoffer's Bakery in Pilsen and has been name checked by Rick Bayless as his favorite tres leches cake.  This cake was very heavy with cream and milk and covered with a light chocolate frosting and served with an edible flower.  It was very rich and good and made for a great finish to a very good dinner.  It was a lot of fun and I will definitely return.  There is a lot more to try on the menu.    

Tasting Collective Dinner at Quiote

I really enjoyed the first Tasting Collective Dinner that I went to at Split Rail, but I was very familiar with the restaurant and the chef.  The next dinner that came up was at a location to which I had been (when it was Letitzia's Fiore), but I had not been to since it had become Mexican Restaurant, Quiote.  I had tried the food of Chef Dan Salls at Pop Ups, benefits, and other events, and had been pretty underwhelmed, but I had never been to his restaurant.  I had noticed that the restaurant was very popular, so I had to wonder if I had just picked the wrong dishes, so I decided to actually try it out.  I also invited my friend, Rich, to accompany me.  The restaurant is small and narrow and is divided into two dining rooms.  A small bar/counter area is in the back of the front dining room it looks over the preparation area and into the brick oven.  We sat here and were able to watch courses being prepared and were able to talk to the staff.  Like the first dinner, we were given a menu which was also a critique sheet and a separate menu for drinks which were offered on a cash only basis.  There were some interesting cocktails on the list, but I decided to take it easy and just stuck with beer, namely a Warpigs Lazurite IPA.  It was bitter, citrusy, and I imagined that it should go well with the flavors of the Mexican food.

We started out with Crab Tostadas with Uni, Mustard Seeds, Hot Sauce, and Microgreens presented in a pan of Dried Corn.  The Tostadas were small, but were full of flavor and texture.  THe tortilla chips were crisp.  The crab was tender and full of flavor and the mustard and hot sauce provided a nice burn.  It was a nice start and it began bringing my opinion around.

After the Tostadas came a Hamachi Crudo with Burnt Chile, Grapefruit, and Sunchoke.  While not precisely Mexican, it was very good.  The hamachi was very tender and flavorful in in a sour and spicy broth that was similar to ceviche.  The grapefruit was very juicy and had a texture similar to the hamachi and the sunchokes, a root vegetable that comes from the root of a sunflower, was served as crispy chips.  It was very fresh tasting, spicy, tart, and very tender with a crisp crunch from the sunchokes.  

After the appetizers came the salad/vegetable dishes.  We started with an Avocado Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Apples, Quinoa, Tomatillo, and Cotija Cheese.  The salad was fresh and crisp from the brussels sprouts and the apples,the quinoa provided some nutty crispiness, and the avocado gave the salad some creaminess.  The tomatillo provided some tartness and the salad was finished with a lot of Cotija cheese. 

The next course was widely thought of as the best dish served for dinner.  It was a Roast Cabbage served with Pepitas, Serrano Peppers, and Burned Sourdough.  The cabbage was roasted in the brick oven until the outside was burned and the inside was tender.  The burnt sourdough was combined with the Serrano peppers to make a sauce that was char sweet and spicy and the pepitas adding a nutty flavor.  It was apparently a very dish to make, but it was very good and well liked.

Our first meat dish started with pork, specifically Pork Belly.  Bacon comes from pork belly, although it is salt cured, smoked, and sliced more thinly than pork belly generally is.  The pork belly was served with Apples, Escarole, Jalapeno, and Queso Fresco.  The greens were crisp with some apple tartness, and a little queso fresco.  The jalapeno was thinly sliced and mixed with the greens adding a little spice.  The pork belly itself was crisp and tender with a good pork flavor.  The greens provided a nice counterpoint to the meaty flavor of the pork belly.

The next dish was another relatively simple dish that was prepared simply and very well and was a favorite.  We were served a bowl of Clams and Mussels with Crispy Rice, Pasilla Peppers, Grilled Orange. and Mint. The dish might have been fairly simple, but it was also kind of messy and it was good to have an extra bowl in which to discard the shells.

Our final savory dish was a Mexican classic, Pollo en Mole.  There are numerous moles, many that have numerous ingredients and take many hours to prepare.  This mole had something on the order of 27 ingredients and took a day to make and had a nice complex, bitter and spicy flavor, but did not use Cacao as many Moles do.  It was also served with Roasted Carrots and Granola which added a nutty and earthy flavor.  The chicken was well roasted, tender, and went well with the mole, carrots, and granola.

Being served nine courses, we will have numerous of each type of dish.  We were served two desserts, the first generally being a favorite of mine, Tres Leches Cake.  This version, served with Dulce de Leche, Burnt Cinnamon and topped with Whipped Cream, continued the streak.  It was desnse, soft, sweet, and very creamy, and very good.

The last dessert, served with coffee to finish the meal, while not bad, almost felt like an afterthought.  We were served Churros, Bananas, Banana Ice Cream, and Piloncillo (Mexican Raw Sugar).  It was sweet and had a nice banana flavor.  The coffee went well with the dish and made for a good finish.  I think that my biggest problem was the fact the churros were just one bite.  If the churros were emphasized a little more and were a little bigger, I think I might have liked it a little more.  Despite this complaint, this was a very good dinner, both as the food presented and the presentation itself.  I will continue to participate in Tasting Collective events and I will definitely return to Quiote for more very good Mexican food.             

 

Barrio - Restaurant Week

 

I love Chicago Restaurant Week.  It allows me to visit old favorites and try out new places at a price point less than I would normally pay.  In recent years, most of the restaurants that I have visited have been return trips, but I still visit the occasional new place.  One of the new places was Barrio, a Mexican place that is part of the DineAmic Group, the same group that runs Siena Tavern.  Like Siena Tavern, Barrio is run by a celebrity chef, another Top Chef Alum, Katsuji Tanabe.  I was a little baffled as to how a Japanese Chef came to be cooking Mexican food.  I have little issue with authenticity and am more concerned with whether the food at an individual restaurant tastes good.  A good chef should be able to cook just about anything well, I just think that some chefs are more comfortable with some styles of food than others.  I discovered later that Chef Tanabe had a Mexican mother and was raised in Mexico City, so it made a little more sense that he might gravitate toward Mexican food.  Located in the same building as Siena Tavern, Barrio has similar design elements.  It has both a modern and industrial look with references to Mexican style and some Japanese elements thrown in.  The dining room is large and open, but is also divided into several spaces with different styles.  The bar is separated from the main dining area with a screen and is large and oval with inlaid wood designs that reminded me of a combination of Mexican desert and Alice in Wonderland.  Both the Food and Liquor Menus are printed on single sheets of poster board about 11x17 inches in size and the Restaurant Week Menu came on another long and narrow sheet.  While there were several things on the main menu that looked good, I decided to reduce my choices and focus just on the Restaurant Week Menu to limit my choices.  In many cases, the Restaurant Week Menu is kind of a Best Of type of menu so I thought that it would give me some variety and an idea of what might be good.  The liquor menu had cocktails on the top divided between Traditional Cocktails and those made with Tequila and Mezcal, with beer and wine down menu.  I decided to start things off with a Mezcal based cocktail called Smoke Show, which started with Union Mezcal, continued with Ancho Reyes, a spicy liqueur using Ancho Chiles, Pur Likor, a German pear liqueur, Lime, and was garnished with a Dried Pear.  The drink was smoky and spicy with a fruity flavor and a tart finish.  I liked the taste of the cocktail even though I am generally not a fan of pears.  While I did like the flavor of the cocktail, I really didn't care for the dried pear garnish.  My issue with pears is not the flavor, but the texture, and the drying of the pear emphasized the grittiness that I dislike.

Even though I limited myself to the Restaurant Week Menu, I still had a bit of trouble making decisions as to what I wanted.  There were four items to choose from for the appetizer, four for main course, and a couple for dessert, and there wasn't anything that I could eliminate outright.  For my opening course I had a choice of Burrata (which isn't Mexican, but still looked good), Queso Fundido, Roasted Sweet Potato Guacamole, and Grilled Octopus.  I finally decided on the Grilled Octopus which was served with Crispy Papas (Potatoes), Agave-Jalapeno, and Roasted Tomato Mayo.  The octopus was meaty, the potatoes were large and had a nice crispy and salty exterior with a nice and firm interior, the agave-jalapeno sauce added some nice spice, and the roasted tomato mayo finished the dish off with a nice savory flavor.

For my main course, I had a choice of Forest Mushroom Tacos, Chicken Al Pastor Tacos, Diver Scallop, and Tamarind Beef Short Rib.  While everything here looked really good, I was able to limit my choices because I had had the Forest Mushroom Tacos at First Bites Bash, and while undoubtedly different, I had had Short Rib at Untitled.  I finally made my decision for the Chicken Al Pastor Tacos because I had already started with seafood with what turned out to be some very good grilled octopus.  The Chicken Al Pastor Tacos were served Deconstructed with Achiote Marinated Chicken, Pickled Onions, Avocado Rice, Crispy Kale, Agave Salsa Verde, Morita (Chipotle) Salsa, and Housemade Blue Corn Tortillas.  Everything was really good and went well together.  Because it was sent out deconstructed, I could put the tacos together in whatever combinations and whatever order I wanted.  My favorite construct was with rice on the bottom with chicken, onions, kale, and the morita salsa.  My only complaint is that I ran out of tortillas before I ran out of stuff to put in them.  It was okay though, because I just combined what was left and at it as it was off the plate.

Before I had my dessert, I decided to order another cocktail, this time from the Traditional list.  As I like Gin, I decided to try out their gin cocktail.  Called the Whispering Eve, it was kind of a spin on a Negroni, with Plymouth Gin, Combier Peche de Vigne (a peach liqueur with peaches grown in wine country, the Loire Valley), Campari, Lemon, and Thai Basil.  Negronis are pretty bitter, but the Combier Peche de Vigne added a little sweetness, and the Thai Basil added an Asian twist to it.  I generally have to prepare myself for a Negroni because it is so bitter.  The liqueur and the Thai basil moderated the bitterness and made it easier to drink.  That said, I did prefer the first cocktail better.

To finish things off, I had a choice between Churros and a Cocoa Taco.  I like both and both sounded good, so I just randomly decided to go with the Cocoa Taco.  Built in a Waffle Cone-style Taco Shell, It also had Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, Brownie Crumble, Coconut Crema, Guajillo Caramel, and Coconut Toffee.  It was sweet and chewy, with a lot of textures and a very nice finish to a very good dinner.  I really enjoyed the food and drink here.  While things were spins on Classic Mexican cuisine, dishes were updated and made a little more modern and seasonal.  The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, and willing to answer all of my  many questions.  I will definitely have to return for dinner, and also possibly for brunch.                    

Bar Takito

Having grown up around Mexican culture, I am kind of picky about Mexican food.  Generally, I am more picky about low end Mexican food (because that is what I am most familiar with).  But I also can be pretty picky when a restaurant is trying to bring something low end upscale.  I do really appreciate, though, those restaurants that can do this.  There are a few restaurants that are trying to do this with Tacos.  Big Star and Antique Taco do this well.  I had heard of another that people raved about, Bar Takito, which started in Wicker Park, but which has since moved to the West Loop.  I have been interested in visiting it since it's days in Wicker Park, but I had not made it there.  Recently though, an opportunity presented itself and I decided to try it out.  Located in a hot area, it was pretty busy on the Friday night that I went.  The entrance is on the side of the building through the large patio.  There was road construction occurring when I went so it might have been that the front entrance just would have been difficult to use.  The building largely uses wood in structure and design and looks, with the timber slabs used on the walls and floor, like a frontier saloon.  The tables on the patio are typical patio furniture.  The tables used in the dining room are long, white, and rectangular, and look both modern and kind of cheap with white formica tops and steel legs.  The seats are, depending on the table, either white plastic chairs, or fire engine red.  The chairs along the long bar are steel and also painted fire engine red.  It was Friday and pretty busy, so I sat at the bar.  Not that I wouldn't have sat at the bar in any case, but in this case, it was just easier.  The menu specializes in Tacos, but there are also shared plates, ceviches, and vegetables.  I knew that I wanted to get tacos, but I needed to decide what kind of tacos I wanted and if I wanted anything else, so I started with a cocktail.  Being a Mexican inspired bar, there were a lot of Margaritas with some other Tequila/Mezcal drinks, and a small selection of non-Tequila based drinks.  I have never been a fan of Margaritas, so I decided to go with a non-Tequila Drink.  Called Violet! You're Turning Violet, It was a very bright red-violet drink containing Rebel Yell Rye, Blueberry Grenadine, Lemon, Lavender Spice Bitters, and Bee Pollen.  It was pretty good and tasted very much of blueberries, very tart and sweet.

While I was enjoying my cocktail, I decided on my appetizer and tacos, both of which arrived at once.  For my appetizer, I decided on Papas Fritas, which is what potatoes are called in Spanish.  While there were other things besides the potatoes in the description, I though that I was getting fancy French Fries.  This was not the case.  They were closer to stuffed potatoes.  The dish was Crispy Peruvian Purple Potatoes, Spicy Cheese Sauce, Pork Belly, Parsley, and Garlic Mojo.  It was crispy, spicy, salty, cheesy, and very good.  While the presentation was a surprise, I really enjoyed it.  For my Tacos, I went with Octopus Tacos with Popcorn Tortillas, Polenta, Dried Chorizo, and Arugula.  I am not a fan of popcorn, so I was a little concerned about the tortillas.  Other taco tortillas used Pepitas, which I like, but I was interested in the Octopus, so I decided to take a chance.  While the popcorn could be tasted, my problem with popcorn is the texture and as it was ground, it was not an issue.  Between the polenta and the tortilla, the taco tasted strongly of corn.  It was good, but it was a little unusual.  The octopus used a single tentacle for each taco (I was served three) which was cooked perfectly.  It was savory and tender with very little rubberiness.  The arugula added a peppery flavor which went well with everything.

While I liked the food here, it has a vibe of a place to be seen at which is really not something that I am interested in.  I would be happy to try more of there tacos, but I don't know that I would return on a Friday night.