Zocalo Restaurant and Tequila Bar

Met good friend/bridesmaid/fellow wino C for dinner at Zocalo last night.  It's a mexican restaurant and tequila bar---both descriptors of which I'm very fond of, tequila being the only liquor i can actually drink straight. 

Yet I managed to resist the 100+ list of reposados, anejos, and blancos---and even the flights and infused tequilas--and instead focus on the food elements of the menu (stage 2 wedding diet prohibits extra alcohol...keep reading to see how well my resistance played out...)

The menu is mexican, but not "americanized" mexican (no burrito in sight) and not entirely authentic either.  I think they are going for slightly upscale versions of mostly familiar mexican items, but with an interesting twist.  Dishes are much more creative than your typical mexican restaurant, and devotees of wet burritos might find the menu to be a bit unfamiliar or unapproachable. Most entrees fell between $12 and $20, making it very affordable, for the city, anyway.

We skipped an appetizer and decided to get drinks instead.  C spent about 10 minutes grilling the waitress on the drink menu--which drink was stronger, which size glass they came in.  It was funny to watch.  I got a cactus pear martini--pear and coconut liquor with pear juice and a lime slice.  Delicious, but more more coconutty than peary.  C liked her margarita--but who doesn't?  However, at least they seem to make them from scratch, not from the overly sweet & sour mix.

C went with the "Tacos N Tequila," three simple tacos (they have several varieties, including lamb barbacoa, pibil pork and ancho-mayo-rubbed halibut) accompanied by red jalepeno salsa and a shot of infused tequila (in her case, it definitely had vanilla and something floral in it).  I got the "Tinga Poblano," two grilled, chipotle-marinated chicken breast halves (boneless and skinless, not my favorite) over a poblano-potato-chorizo cake with avocado crema and queso fresco, accompanied by their homemade corn tortialls.  WOW it was good, even if I could only get through 1 chicken breast and 3 small tortillas. C liked her tacos, though the heat factor of the salsa was a bit much. 

Their homemade tortillas were the star for me--I grew up on flour tortialls and am a newcomer to more authentic corn, thanks to the 1/2 breed A's influence =)  Using them to scoop up the avocado crema and errant bits of chorizo...man, was that fun.  The chicken was an afterthought--but I put leftovers to good use....as you shall see soon.

Verdict?  GO, especially if, like me, you like tequila.