Rosa Mexicano

My experience with real Mexican cooking is miniscule, and comes mostly from descriptions from friends. That said, I offer commentary based on a single dining experience.

The spouse and I had dinner there on a Saturday night. We both had alcoholic beverages to start, a bit unusual for us, but we were without the bambino. The spouse enjoyed the house specialty of pomegranate margerita, and I enjoyed a La Paloma (Sauza Hornita tequila and Squirt). I did appreciate the fact that they used Mexican Squirt, rather than American. I suspect it’s another one of those Coca Cola products where they use sugar in Mexico and corn syrup here in the States. But I digress.

As neither of us is fans of avocado or guacomole, we skipped the tableside preparation. Instead, we had the queso fundido (cheese from chihuahua and some chorizo). It was extremely bland. When we asked the waiter, he said that the cheese is very mild. I’ve had mild cheese, and this was on the mildest side of mild. I was aware it had the consistency of melted cheese, but no taste. And very little taste from the chorizo. Perhaps this is authentic. Or perhaps is tastes better with no tequila (or more tequila). I can’t recommend it.

Dinner was the Enchiladas Suizas (corn tortillas filled with chicken) in a tomatillo sauce and the Alambre de Camarones (grilled shrimp marinated in a garlic vinaigrette over rice). Both were quite tasty. And very large portions. Especially with the included sides.

Those of you who know me will not be at all surprised to hear that I had the Flan de Coco (coconut flan) for dessert. That, I can highly recommend. The coconut flavor was just right, and the texture of the flan was perfect. The Pastel de Queso (Mexican cheesecake) was also pronounced very nice. But not as nice as the flan.

The location on F Street is very, very noisy. Indeed, it was a Saturday night, and not unexpected. It’s a large space, with hard walls and high ceilings, and only the people to absorb the sound. The noise level didn’t rise to the level of disturbingly loud. I don’t think it would be conducive to a large group, though.

The water running down the wall looks very cool. And it’s fun to watch the bubbles slip by and the patterns change as the water traces slightly differnt routes. It loses it’s charm, though, if you’re in the middle of five two-top tables, and spend a couple of hours staring at the blue wall.

I’m afraid the bloom is off this rose. The last few visits haven’t been as impressive. The first thing the waiters do is try to upsell. I hate that. And while a few of the dishes are outstanding (the pork mentioned below), others are just mediocre, like the camarones al ajillo: the sauce was unbalanced by a strong vinegar flavor that overwhelmed the shrimp and mushroooms. My last quibble is that the portions are way too large (and priced accordingly). Those shrimp were listed as an appetizer, but were more than enough for a main course. And I am not a dainty eater.

To get your money’s worth, you need to pick and choose, and hopefully share a course with a friend. Also drinking some of the fine tequilas might soften the shock, but the drinks are pretty expensive, too.

[review from 9/30/04:] On a later visit, I wasn’t quite as impressed, although everything the group of us ordered was tasty and well-exectuted. However, I must point out that I was particularly impressed by the iced tea one friend ordered: she got a big glass full of ice, a pitcher of cold tea, and a small pitcher of simple syrup with which to sweeten it. That’s outstanding. Also: props to our waiter for being willing to make us a small dish of pico de gallo, and boos to the restaurant for not having it available to begin with.

[original review 7/3/2004 follows] Before I review this DC outpost of a famous New York establishment, I must make one thing clear: Mexican cuisine — not Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, New Mexico-Mex, or any other American corruption of — is my very favorite in the whole wide world. It started when I was in college in Boston, and I lived one and a half blocks from a place called Sol Azteca, whose chilaquiles and cafe de olla I still dream of. It opened up a whole new world for me; indeed I consider it my gastronomic awakening (my mother’s Northern Italian specialties were, after all, familiar fare). On summer break I bought Diana Kennedy’s “The Cuisines of Mexico”, and for years after would spend days laboring over dishes such as mole poblano de guajolote, chiles rellenos (con picadillo), and pollo en pipian rojo for special occasions.

So when I set out to dine at and review a Mexican restaurant, I do so with a strange mixture of anticipation and dread. Maybe, just maybe, my beloved favorites will be accessible again (Mexican cooking is the most labor intensive I know of). Andale is off-limits for me (see kobi’s review), which is a shame because it is wonderful, and I have a lot of respect for Alison Swope, who must have had a revelation similar to mine (she closed her previous place, The Mark, and re-opened it as Andale after a culinary tour of Mexico).

So today I finally made the plunge. Steve and I had a large, late lunch at Rosa Mexicano.

I loved it.

The guacamole is the third-best I’ve ever had. This is higher praise than it sounds, for the second best is at a restaurant halfway between Santa Fe and Espanola, and the very best is at my house, when I can get good Haas avocadoes. (No modesty here. My guac rocks.) Anyway, they make it to order in and serve it from a molcajete (a black basalt mortar), and serve it with warm corn tortillas. It’s outstanding.

The margarita was not so good. Not bad, just average. Guajillo in Arlington still has my vote for Best Margarita in the Greater DC Area.

Steve’s main course was chiles rellenos made with anchos rather than poblanos, and the picadillo was rich and complex and very satisfying. My main course was shredded pork in a spicy sauce, with more corn tortillas to wrap it in, and two salsas to dunk it in. Bowls of rice (good, not great) and black beans (quite tasty) were also set on the table.

Desserts were a little wacky. I was hoping for something traditional, like flan; instead they offer flan with coconut and roasted pineapple. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I guess, except everything on the dessert menu takes a basic concept and whoops it up for a party. Sometimes I just want a little something sweet, not a big to-do. Steve got a sundae of vanilla ice cream with chocolate, pineapple, cajeta, and pecans. He seemed to enjoy it. I opted for a cafe de olla, sans Kahlua, which ended up being coffee with orange peel, cinnamon, piloncillo, and whipped cream. Though not anything like what I had at Sol Azteca, it was a nice way to end a delightful meal.

The interior space is, well, how shall I say? My interior designer would say “it’s a little too to, if you know what I mean”. Which means I think that it’s very catchy and arresting, but tries a little too hard to impress. But it is kind of fun.

I’ll be back. It ain’t perfect, but it’s about as good as Mexican gets in the DC area.

The short answer is yes, it’s trendy, but it’s good. Gimmicky or not, the fresh guacamole IS worth the trip, and is better than the fresh guac at Cafe Atlantico. They also make the best queso fundido I’ve had yet.

Entree-wise you need to exercise some caution. The lamb shank in parchment has been unfortunately variable. It’s always tender, but is often overpowered by ham-handed seasoning. If you want a winner, the various pork dishes seem to be consistently excellent.

Rosa also stands out for their tasting flights of tequilas, in which you pick maybe six shooters to sample. Their list includes perhaps 15-20 premium varieties in each of the principal categories — blanco, reposado, and anejo.

They seem to have given up on the waterfall that was to dominate the back wall, and that’s just fine with me. If you book the party room behind the bar, you’re in for extra entertainment as guests periodically fall into the well-camouflaged well where the floor drops away next to the sliding door to the bar.