Nacarat, part deux

Nacarat, Fairmont Queen E's bar, is takin' out a new cocktail menu and it is hot of the press! Head mixologist Nader Chabaane worked hard (I know, because I know his wife... BAM!) on a new menu, set up like a tasting wheel: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and my fave, umami! I was SO happy to see that on the menu!

First of all, I love the vibe in that bar: not too fancy, not too serious, but still sophisticated! If I'd have extra money lying around, I'd be there, like, a lot. A LOT. Perhaps worryingly a lot. I say that because the drinks are pricier than at other bars (16-24$), but hey, at other bars, the quality perhaps just ain't there.

And seriously, if you'd hear Nader talk about the way he came up with drinks, or how they make them, or what kind of scientific method goes into it, you'd understand the price of it. And they just look damn good. In another life, if I'm the head notary at the National Bank next door (let's face it, this was my uncle's job--props to Jean, up there), I'd be there every day after work for a nice, and much needed cocktail.

First, I had the Toadka: vermouth, vodka, crème de menthe, sweet peas, wasabi. My eye obviously got caught on the wasabi part. A drink with wasabi in it? Ugh... YA! I was totes excited, nay, ecstatic! Nader explained that for this drink not to actually BE green (I was actually wanting a green drink... but in hindsight, I guess getting a green drink doesn't fit everyone's taste!), they have to... well, I heard the word centrifuge and my mind kind of drifted off. What's important to know is that they go through a lot to make this drink. And this just goes to show you how high end this bar is! I did taste the wasabi, even though I would've loved more in there, and I thought there was a bit too much crème de menthe. Let's face it, I am not a crème de menthe girl. I'm just not. It's ma fault: my eyes got stuck on 'wasabi' and I was like I WANT IT! All in all it was a good drink and I did not regret ordering it, but I would have been coo coo with less crème de menthe and more of the waaasss!

Second drink I had was the Nacarat Is The New Black: midori, mescal, citrus, orange bitter and squid ink to make it black (SO awesome!) I mean, how cool does this sound? And how cool does it LOOK? Makes me think of a detective in the 50's! Yes Imma call it 'Detective Nacarat' from now on! I really loved the fact that they used squid ink to turn it black! Who here has seen squid ink on a bar menu, like, ever? No? That's what I thought. They definitely go the extra 8 miles. Btw, I really didn't mean to refer to Eminem's movie here, HAHA! All the flavours were in there! All o' them levels! It was just strong enough and the citrus was lovely! They know how to dose their sh*t at Nacarat. Oh, they know!

Third drink was le Ptit Louis: rhum, Southern Comfort, pineapple, lime, clove and anise on top. The surprise here was the anis. I do NOT like anis. Just like I can't handle fennel. Meh. BUT, surprisingly, this fit and I wasn't totally repulsed haha. It was a tad on the spicy side, which was quite lovely. A good pick!

We also got food. I mean, what is a night at a bar without the food? Well, that doesn't make much sense since usually, I go DRINK at a bar and it's rare that I order food. But... when in Rome, am I right? I absolutely loved everything on this pic! There as also 'Les Chinoiseries' which is not on here: cold soba noodles with shrimp. hello, shrimp. Yes, shrimp. I gotta say that we were all a bit surprised when we had our first bite and it was cold. But you know what, it was still much liked. The salmon tataki + homemade kimchi (YA, I said homemade) was right up ma freaking Asian alley. It was legit one of the best kimchi I've eaten... and I've eaten kimchi before. Believe me you! It was spicy enough, fermented enough, awesome enough! The salmon was also perf cooked/uncooked. It was a bit of a peculiar pairing but it was, let's say it together, right UP my ALLEY! I happily finished it when my girls were like 'girl, there's too much kimchi in there', and I was like 'yo, there's no such thing'. I mean, there WAS, but who gives a sh*t. The duck tacos in chicken skin. Excuse me? What did you WHAAATTT!!! The duck was perfectly cooked, the seasoning was on par and the chicken skin was so effin good! Not fatty at all, surprisingly. Les escargots! I used to HATE snails. Hate them hate them hate them. Of course, like a lot of people that hate them little creatures, I just had never tasted them :p With wild mushrooms and a red wine sauce, there is no way this was going to be bad. Well, it was amazing. It was literally gone in 2.5 seconds. Oh look, there are some escargots... oh wait, look, no more escargots.

The service was worthy of a great bar: quick and efficient. AND, hey, it doesn't hurt that the waitress was dang hot. OK, I do feel a couple harassment cases coming my way but pfff you don't know who/where I am! Alright, I guess you could just look at my bio, damn it! Anyhoot, it was good serv!

And now, les scores!

Booze: 8
Service: 9

And another win for Nacarat! And y'all KNOW I'll be back!

Habanera

Cuban food. Been to Cuba, done Cuba. About 6 times. Well, I had to try the REAL thang. Cause, let's face it, when you go to an all-inclusive in Cubes, it ain't Cuban food. So I thought of La Habanera. And my girl Gigi was in! After all, I've never been to Havana ooh na na. Argh, I have that song in my head every damn second of every damn day. At least, this time, it was legit.

I absolutely LOVED the place and the vibe! You DO feel like you're in Cuba when you're in there! Super colourful, flamingo in  neon lights, palm trees, flowers in the windows, islandy festive music.

I just loved this wall!!! It totally brought me back to Cuba! Cuba Si! :)

We started off with a mojito. Duh. That's all I need to bring me back to the country where I saw my first good lookin' topless woman on la beach. And I'm totes serious when I say that it was every bit like the mojitos I use to order in the Cubes (not to confuse with pubes, hahaha). It had more lime than the usual mojito and that's what made it better, I my opinion.

We were sharing food, which is ALWAYS the way to go. Listen to me: always. It should read: 'Be smart, listen to Marie'. Yes? Yaaassss! We got the salad first. The Aguacate: avocado, nougat, red papaya, oseille leaves, cucumber and mojito dressing. Did anyone say 'mojito'? Mojito in EVERYTHING! This was a hit and a half. And no, I don't know how I got the half. First of all, oseille leaves are SO IN right now! They are so damn cute and they add just a bit of acid. The avocado was perfection. You know, when Chandler is trapped in an ATM vestibule with supermodel Jill Goodacre, and he says that gum would be perfection? Ya, THAT kind. And no, I won't stop with the Friends trivia. The cucumbers were just the crunchy greatness that they should be, and the papaya was just sweet enough.

El Cubano (forgot to take a pic :/ ). Oh YASS. Pork, ham, smoked mustard, Swiss and provolone cheese, and pickles. Get. IN. MA. BEEEELLY!!!! Yum: grilled sandwich, supes cheesy, and ubs moist. The mustard added an extra layer of flaves and that was dang on. Yes... dang.

Tostones rellenos de camarones. Basically, this was a plantain 'cup' filled with rum, coconut, garlic, and dulce de leche shrimp. Sounds good, right? Ya, we both thought so. Guys, you KNOW how much I loves me some camarones! A good shrimp can go a long way. Nothin' bad to say about them. The plantain, on the other hand, was dry as all hell. Yes, apparently hell is dry. I guess because of all the heat and fire? The coconut was nice though, but let's face it, coconut is ALWAYS nice.

Tacos de pescado OR fish tacos! I love me a good taco! Mmmmmm... tacos! The tortilla was yummers (it's a thing), but the corn was too hard (what IS this, popcorn seeds?). The fish was moist (ugh-effin word) but lacked in flava. Basically, the whole thing was a bit meh.

We got our drinks very quickly, but then it took our waiter a while to take our order for the food. And we were HUNGRY. I'd wanna say 'never go to a restaurant if you're really hungry' but that just doesn't make sense!

And now, les scores!

Food: 7
Service: 8

Although I'd gladly go back for one of dem mojitos, I'll probs just end up finding 8000 other restos to eat at before I do. 

 

 

La Capital

My homie Sasher was in town from his gallivanting (yes, I'm calling it that) in central and south America so I needed to see his ass. OK, he's actually working :) I was already eating with my other homie, Isa, so we decided that we should eat tacos. I'm always in for tacos. Always.

 

I had passed by La Capital many times, wondering wtf a Mexican resto was doing in Chinatown. Well, that's the magic of it, really. Who would've thought they'd put Mexico in China? NO ONE. One of the trick to having a popular resto is putting it somewhere where it has absolutely no competition whatsoever. Hence, Mexico in China. Brilliant!

The place itself is very colorful, with some Spanish music playing, brick walls with some pictures on them (including this creepy one). It had a nice ambiance, as if everyone wanted to be your friend. Do YOU wanna be my friend? Yes. Yes you do.

We shared appetizers, because that's what people that like each other do; they share. Cebollitas asadas OR charred green onions with Maggi sauce. I looked to see what this sauce was about and this is pretty much the gist of it: a lot of artificial ingredients, a lot of MSG and some soya sauce. Well, damn it, it tasted wonderful. I didn't necessarily feel like this had any place on the menu, and it was rather awkward to eat, but I still loved the flavors.

Guacamole. I loves me a good guac! It was perfectly smooth, perfectly spicy and perfectly limy. The totrtilla was just a bit too hard for me so, to reduce my consumption, I just put a motha fuck*n pile of guac on a tiny piece of tortilla. It works.

Los tacos! I had the carnitas: pork confit, coriander, onions, radish, grilled tomato sauce. The pork was what I always dread it will be like: dry. Argh. There should be a universal rule. Right? It was still full of yumminess and the coriander added another layer of flavor. The tortilla was the perfect tortilla: it wasn't breaking all over the place like some and I could bend it in every way (what??? I like to do that!). The tomato sauce was quite spicy, but sadly, a bit too much on the blend side.

I got a taste of some tacos el pastor too, because, as I mentioned, we be sharin'! The pork was dry as well. I'm gonna go ahead and give you, restaurateurs and chefs, rules about food that you must ALWAYS abide by: the pork must NOT be dry, the bread must NOT be stale, the shrimp must ALWAYS be cooked perfectly, the octopus/calamari must NOT be squishy and your pasta must NOT be overcooked. OK, I'm sure there are more but this is a pretty good sample. I really liked the onions and the coriander... but when do I not?! It was also on the spicy side, which was appreciated.

We had green sauce and red sauce. The red sauce was just... well, it was a firm no: it tasted like ketchup. Le green was OK but didn't add much to the dishes. Sasher, who spent a while in Mexico, said that this meal was just so so. So, blame the score on him, NOT on the blogger :p (OK, you can blame it on me too)

Deep fried plantain. Mmmmmmm!!!! This was f*ckin' awesome! It was crispy, it was moist, it was sweet! The salty feta on top balanced the sweetness of it really well. And you wouldn't think that, with all this fried stuff, it would still be all fresh and sh*t.. but it was! If it wouldn't make me gain so many calories, I'd have one of those bad boys every day!

Service was very good. We got a table in no time and had water on the table as soon as we sat down. And water was refilled. Many times. I felt good about this. The waiter was wearing one (or eight) too many pwish of perfume, which was not cool. Peeps that work in restaurants should not be able to wear perfume. NO PERFUME.

And now, the scores!

Food: 7
Service: 8.5

There are a LOT of new Mexican restos in town. Must. Visit. Them. ALL. 

Café Frida

I brought my Mexican, Gus, to yet another taco place last week. Whaaaaat? I like me some tacos! This time, it was Tacos Victor's neighbour, Café Frida. Yep, apparently, los tacos y los burritos stick together, with about 4 restos that serve up Mexican goodness in a two block radius.

This place is even tinier than the other one! To get to our table, we literally (and I do mean 'literally') had to hop over a couple sitting at the table next to ours! It was kind of awkward and I really hoped that I wouldn't need to go to the restroom during lunch!

It was such a cute, tiny restaurant! Very colourful! And by that, I mean EVERYTHING was colourful! The walls, the boards, the lovely garlands! It felt so warm, when it was so cold outside. Like a hot cup of cocoa! Ah, warmth. And Frida was everywhere. Seriously, I've never had so many unibrows look at me at the same time. To complete the ambiance, there was some nice Spanish music (I don't think we can say that the whole playlist was composed of Mexican music, so I'm going with Spanish!) playing. I loves me some good Spanish music, I tells ya! I absolutely HATE going to a restaurant where they decide to play the top 20 hits. Ugh.

Tacoooooos! Nopales, cochinita and chorizo! It was my first time trying nopales! Cactus! Whaaaaat! I mean, who can say they ate cactus? Except Mexicans. And perhaps South Americans? Oh, and of course, them desert dwellers. OK, so everyone has eaten cactus except for me! Damn it, I'm always the last one! Anyway, I HAD to have it. First off, I gots to say that the tortilla was perfect. JUST perfect. It was crispy yet still tender. The taco was quite tasty, a bit like I was eating a plant. Oh wait... :) I loved the onions in there that added a nice crunch. I gotta say that the cactus itself wasn't my fave. Shiz, I really wanted to like it. It just didn't talk to me, you know? I like it when cacti speak to me. Aaaand I've officially gone cray cray.

Moving on. Cochinita. Marinated pork with red onions. Pork? Yes. Marinated onions? Ya giiiirl! The pork was uber moist and just melted in my mouth. Mmmmm... melting meat. The onions were delightfully tangy and just fit so well with the pork. Let's face it, when do onions NOT fit? WHEN? Signed: biggest onion fan in the WORLD.

Last but not least, chorizo! Home made, of course! It was spicy and not dry at all (see how much I DON'T want to go overboard with the word 'moist'--which, for you newbies, I HATE!!!) It was very cheesy which is always yummy! Well, my lactose-intolerant stomach would say otherwise but let's ignore that for now. Gus was telling me how, in Mexico, only the cheap vendors would put potatoes in there to fill it up so that they don't have to use as much meat. AH-HAAAAAA!!! Gotcha!!! But seriously, there weren't that many so I definitely did not feel cheated but I also did not necessarily want the extra carbs.

Why not continue eating Mexican goodness? Quesadillaaaas! Ya baby! We had mushrooms sautéed with red onions, red peppers and frijoles. Gus looked really weirded out that there were frijoles (beans) in his quesadilla but did mention that he really liked it. But apparently, they're not supposed to put it in there. BUT it was really good. Dilemmas, dilemmas. It was cheesy goodness, that's what it was! We ate those two pieces in about 5 seconds, tops. That tortilla, again, was right on and the frijoles were perfect in there. They had the right consistency to kind of take up room without taking up too much, you know? You know? The peppers added some sweetness and the mushrooms were wonderful. Hey, simple CAN mean good. A bit o' lime on there and BAM! Awesomeness on a plate!

Pastel impossible. Whaaaaaat. The. F. Half flan, half chocolate cake, merged together. Again... WHAAAAT? How. Did. They. Do. Dis. It was sweet but not too sweet and as someone that is not the biggest flan fan (I mean, who is), it was the perfect dessert. Apparently it's a traditional dessert. Lucky them. Pffff. I wish WE had a cool dessert like this to call 'traditional'. I would just love to know HOW they stick em' together. Ah, the mysteries of life! I actually had never seen this before. Café Frida is now officially THE Mexican connection in MTL. Done.

Service was great. The waitress was all smiles and such a cutie. She spoke to Gus very quickly in Spanish while I tried to understand. Slowing down would have helped. Geez. I would have liked more water at some point but in her defense, we were very hard to get to! I even had to reach out and take plates from her hands because we were in such an awkward area!

And now, the scores!

Food: 8.5

Service: 8.5

Totes going back. Regresare por mas! You know, it was starting to look like a quest to find the best taco in town, but it's done. Iz over. Café Frida wins :)

Tacos Victor

Tacos are all the rage in St-Henri/Petite Bourgogne right now. Basically the whole south-west of Monteal is Mexicanising itself. And what do you need most when you go for tacos? A Mexican!!! Lucky for me, I know a good one :)

Gus and I headed to Tacos Victor on a very rainy Saturday. Ugh, you know, one of those days. The place is small with about 15 seats. It's all wood: walls, tables, ceiling! You get the Mexican vibe with the deco in there and it does give out a nice warmth, especially when it was so crappy outside. There was a tiny piñata in the window that was just screaming for customers to come in and have some good fun.

Jamaica water made with hibiscus and Horchata water made with rice. I felt like both could have been colder. The rice one was too thick for me although it was really good with hints of cinnamon. The hibiscus juice was special (I don't drink that every day!) and not overly sweet but not really my cup-o-tea.

Shrimp taco and flank steak taco were my two choices. Gustavo quickly informed me that in Mexico, they almost never serve tacos con camarones (shrimp) because it is too expensive and tacos should be made with stuff that dson't cost much. I like how they think.

The shrimp were perfectly grilled and had absorbed some great flavours. The tortillas (there were 3!) were on the soggy side  and not even that awesome coriander could save the dish. It was good but not super, you know?

The flank steak one had the same tortilla problem. The meat itself was on the dry side (booooo!) The onions were awesome in there, adding a tangy side.

And now, the potatoes. Why? Why put more carbs on top of carbs I ask? You should have seen Gus' face when they brought us our tacos! I mean, they were OK, but not the best and wtf were they doing in there. I wonder. Someone, please, gimme an answer.

They brought us pan de muerto to celebrate dia de los muertos. It looked great! The four lines were meant to be bones. Uh, awesome! You could actually SEE the sugar on that baby! Hahaha! It was very good and a lovely dessert! We obviously didn't eat all of it but it was very considerate of them to give us that dish! Actually, I then read that their first 50 customers on that day would get one for free!!! Ya boy!

Service was, for a lack of a better word, smily! She was such a cutie pie and frowned big time when Gus, in his severe voice, told her in Spanish that it was not that good. Poor little one!

And now, the scores!

Food: 6.5

Service: 9

So many taco places, so little time! I'll try another one next time :)

El Gordo

I bike past El Gordo all the time. It's only natural that I'd want to eat there. AND it's new. AAAAND they serve tacos. AND mojitos. Hello. Checking them out on the internet, I discovered that it was more like 'goodbye' because it was obvious that the food sucked a**, if you know what I mean. Ew, I don't even know what that means! Seriously, even for a new resto still trying to fit in and find its way, the critics were very harsh. One thing really made me want to still try it tho: the fact that you can get any drink in pitcher form. Yep, that's right! And since I was about to be able to start drinking again after 1 month off.... Hello mojito! 

It's way smaller than I thought it would be inside. I think they may have more seats outside than in, which is a rare occurrence. I really liked the lamps which kind of gave a homy, almost gypsy feel to it. Skulls were drawn on the walls, dia de los muertos style. The decor was a bit over the top but keeping with a chill feel. And I'm sticking to that!

Jad had called me at around 8h50 to tell me that the 5$ (usually 9$) margarita deal was finishing at 9. Totes wanted one to start off my evening of mojito drinking. I really loved the glass! It looked like a recipient you put your candle in. Right? Totes. The margarita itself was whhhaaaayyy (you know I'm serious when I add h's everywhere) too salty and sour. It made all my taste buds go cray cray. And not in a good way. And it was strong as all hell. Wow. Imagine this ad: 'Wanna get drunk fast? Well, just have a sip of El Gordo's margarita and you're on your way!'.

This is the reason why it all started: el mojito. Ah yes, my love affair with mojitos rages on! We obviously had to get the pitcher for 40 $. The waiter brings it to our table and also brings a can of San Pelligrino limonata. Why you ask? Well, he informs us that this drink is SO strong, that he STRONGLY recommends we dilute it. Hahaha! Me, dilute a drink? NEVER! But I sure did, after a sip. Ohhhh, did I ever. It was pretty much like taking shots one after the other. Dang! So, as weird as it was, that limonata did come in handy.

Tacos con puerco. I was bracing myself for narstiness. For realz. But these were really not that shabby. Not too shabby at all. The pork was moist, the pineapple brought in a bit of sweetness, the salsa was a tad too hot (and I LOVE me a good hot-as-hell salsa) and the cilantro was obviously awesome in there. All in all, a great little taco. Hello little taco, you want to get in my mouth? Ya, that's what i would say to it if it'd be walking down the street. I know what you're thinking: i need to stop doin' drugs. Ya, I'll get right on that.

Service was not the best. I had to actually physically get up to ask the waiter for water because after 5 minutes of being seated, I think it's ridunculous to not have a glass in front of you. The food arrived quite rapidly to our table and the drinks even quicker. That's the way I like it. All in all, really nothing to write home about. I ain't writing home about this, you best be sure of that.

And now, the scores!

Food/drinks: 7
Service: 6

Tacos are the new 'in' thing right now so there are about 800 new restaurants that serve them up in the area. I went to El Gordo and I had my pitcher of uber strong mojito.  I'm happy. I'm ready to try something else.

 

Fortune

I went to Fortune for the first time last year for a 'work meeting' with Val and Shar. We discovered their margaritas and then we discovered more of their margaritas. OK, let's just say tipsiness was reached... before work :) Hey, it's the best way to start a shift. OK, perhaps not. But it sure made it fun.

Quickly, because I've already described the place in my previous post: it is really small and you should definitely sit at the bar to have a good view of the tequila. You know, at some point in high school, my nickname was 'no more tequila for Marie'. I shant explain for I think it's pretty clear! My super duper friend Jad wanted me to try their shrimp n' grits and who am I to refuse good food? Come on, I'm a restaurant blogger, it's my job to try what y'all like. Fo serious! 

Hello! AND hello again! I'm probably the biggest shrimp fan I know. I'm like Bubba in Forrest Gump: I like shrimp cocktail, shrimp curry, coconut shrimp, shrimp in a stew, shrimp in a salad, pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, shrimp everything. And when I took my first bite of this dish, my eyes actually lit up. Holy f*ck! Those shrimp were cooked to damn perfection. Shrimp are a bit like calamari; cook em' a second too long and they become plastic. And that ain't no fun. They pretty much melted right in ma mouth. Melting shrimp, that's what I love. FYI, grits are coarsely ground corn kernels boiled with water or milk. Ps, that was for you AND for me, cause I don't think I had ever had grits before in my long life. It kind of resembles the texture of polenta. These grits had cheddar in them and the dish was accompanied by roasted jalapeno, tomatillo sauce and chicharron. By the by, this was only 7 bucks. Aight, so the chicharron brought a lot of taste to the dish but some of that nice pork rind was a tad too hard for my teeth (read: rock hard). So that kinda sucked for me; it was like putting small pellets in my mouth. Jad LOVED them tho. The jalapeno was just awesome in there and brought in some nice heat. The tomatillo sauce, i would have liked to have more. But you can't have everything, can ya? Coriander obviously fit right in there. For me, coriander would even fit in with ice cream. Cereal. Cake. I. Just. Love. It.

Back to dem grits. Those grits were like magic, man. You lookin' for magic grits (as Vinny described them in one of my all time fave movies, My Cousin Vinny)? They reside at Fortune. They were soft, they were pillowy (is that a thing? it is now!), they were cheesy and lovely and smooth. I want to say they were the best grits I've ever had but I really believe that I've had grits just this one time. But oh God were they ever good. You got it, right? GOOOOOD!

The pork guédille. Carrots, radish and cucumber. And a little cabbage on top. This looked great! You're sensing the tone, aren't you? Mmmmya, for me, it didn't turn out as good as it looked. The cucumber was awesome and marinated. I just love that briny taste. The bread was crunchy and very guédille like. Hahaha, suuuure! The pork, in my opinion, was a bit on the dry side so that was kind of a turn off for me. The thing that ruined it tho was that it wasn't radish per se, it was dikon in there. I usually like dikon in dishes but here, it had an overpowering taste that just didn't fit in. Obviously, the lime and coriander made shizzle better, but just couldn't save the day.

Service was good, with a no muss, no fuss kinda way of doing things. We got there when there was no one (it quickly filled up), so we got to order and get or dishes within 15 minutes. There was one girl in the kitchen and one girl serving. That's what we call 'knowing how to manage a restaurant'. I didn't find our waitress particularly great, and it seemed to be hard for her to crack a smile. But she did ask us if we were happy with our choices and so that gives her a good 5 points!

And now, the scores!

Food: an overall of 8. But we gave 11 gazillion for the grits plate

Service: 8

I went back, didn't I? I would totes go a third time for dem shrimp n' grits!

T & T Tacos and Tortas

I was invited, a couple weeks back, for a 'blogger event' at T & T Tacos and Tortas on Rachel in Le Plateau. I think they've been opened for about a year and I guess they wanted some good publicity from us bloggers. I just have to say that I'm always in for that. Hint hint.

I went with of my favorite people, my little cousin, who it so happens is only about 7 months younger than I am. Oh and she's taller. Little cousin my arse!

I've been to big openings and smaller openings but never a blogger event. Basically, we got there and I wondered if I had misread the date. There were maybe 2 other tables and that was it. Usually I have to force my way in... kinda :) Turned out great in the end: more time to talk to my cuz and my fellow blogger Val (from Juliette et Choco)! Plus, hello, more attention from the super cute waitress!

Gen had been there a couple times since her office is about 3 steps away and knew what she liked. I, on the other hand, know I love tacos but didn't know what to pick on the menu. Actually, I must admit that in the end, we totally forgot about the tortas! Bad blogger, BAD! 

But I obviously didn't forget about my drink! We could order one and then pay for the rest: good deal! I had me a mojito. But it wasn't just any mojito, it was the BEST mojito I've had... EVER. Ever, people! You know, minty but not too minty, sweet but not too sweet, perfect but oh-so-perfect? Ya, that was it. Good God I'd want one of those right about now!

We wanted to get an order of every taco on the menu (there are 6 kinds and 4 tacos per order) but the waitress strongly suggested that we calm the f*ck down. SO, what we did was narrow it down to 4 and got 2 of each instead of crazy 4. But first, there was the tortilla sopa!

This was a tad watery but it was the only bad thing about it. The flavors were great, the avocado was oh-so-good and creamy and there were little islands of sour cream that just popped in your mouth! Coriander was also present and as always, appreciated. I just LOVE coriander. I remember, when I was in my 'Découverte des aliments' class at ITHQ, we had to make something and present it in front of the class and then the students would eat it. I made coriander pesto. Because I love it that much. The tortilla itself was ok but could have tasted more.

Beef with grilled cactus taco was a tad disappointing. Basically it was thin sliced marinated beef with some onions, and grilled cactus. The cactus was special, cause seriously, when does one eat cactus, but the meat was dry. So dry that we needed to add some lime juice but to our very dismay, the lime wasn't juicy! *Sniff* There were some great salsas on the table that helped out: salsa verde, and two salsas rojas including one hot one that y'all KNOW I was licking off by the end of dinner.

The other tacos on this plate were the chorizo ones. You can add cheese for 1$ but when it's free you don't even need to think about it--just add the damn cheese! Unfortunately, they weren't much better than the beef tacos (enter sad face). The meat was also a tad dry--although not as dry as the beef. The coriander saved the dish-ish but again, we needed to put lots-o-salsa on it for it to taste good. Hey, at least the tortillas were good: crunchy but not too much, and flavorful!

Tacos el pastor should be renamed 'tacos al Maria'. Mmmkay, I see how that makes no sense but they are my fave. Just having pineapple on a taco makes my mouth water. This one was very nice: the juiciness of the pineapple and the tang of the onions made it heavenly. The pork was nicely cooked and well, you know, the coriander :) This was our fave by far. The last pair of tacos were the carnitas: pork belly, onions and coriander. The meat itself was a bit tough and chewy and lacked in spices. I love pork belly but this was a bit of a let down.

Churros!!!! The tacos may not have been up to par but the churros were riiiiiight up there! A set with chocolate and the other with dulce de leche, they were cinnamony, crunchy, yummy goodness. I was suddenly back in Spain.

Again, food may not have been extraordinary that evening but the service surely was! First off, there was the hotness of the waitress, of course. But apart from that, we always had water, we got our drinks in no time and she explained the menu to us and what we should order.

And now, the scores!

Food: 7.5 (those churros and drinks saved the day)
Service: 9.5

I think I'm gonna be bold here and say that I'd go back. I feel like this place has a lot to offer and that maybe, just maybe, it was a bad night.