Mírate

A Monday night dinner out for us last night, and not in Pasadena!  Will wonders never cease?!

Because of his work schedule, our friend Denny finds it easier to meet up with us midweek (today is his Saturday) rather than on weekends.  Not impossible on weekends, but he has to be mindful of work the next day if we do get together.  He's in WeHo, we're in Pasadena, so we sometimes try to meet halfway-ish.  Last night that meant heading over to the Los Feliz neighbourhood and dining together at a restaurant Van had suggested for all of us:   Mírate.

The drive was fairly easy, and we all arrived on time.  We had a quieter corner upstairs, which I appreciated for Conrad's sake.  Handsome space as well, I have to say.  And I liked the menu.  It's a simple menu for the most part with only a few large plates (which we didn't order - we stuck to smaller plates).  They take pride in having a bar that is stocked with only Mexican spirits and wines, and while that constrains them in terms of making some classic drinks, that constraint can also lead to some very good things, some creative beverages.  As was the case with my first one, the El Pulquero. 

Made from pulque and featuring some savoury flavours and a pickled onion and cilantro garnish, the drink was meant to spin off from a Gibson.  I liked it, simple as that.  It was not an obvious or sweet drink, and each sip made me pause and think a moment.

That said, the clear winner of the cocktails last night was the one that Van ordered and that Denny and I ordered as our second drinks (he and Conrad each had a Cadillac margarita to start with):  the El Caminante. 

An excellent drink that was modeled on the classic tiki cocktail the Jungle Bird, but served up in a Nick and Nora glass.  Tasty.  I also had a digestif with dessert, the Fernet Vallet.  It was like Fernet Branca but less body.

The food was good, too.  We shared some smashed avocado and queso fundido

and the mole and turon. 

Each were tasty.  Simple, which was fine.  My sense of the food last night was that it put a focus on the ingredients and didn't hide them under lots of sauce or fat or frou-frou.  After the shared plates, we opted for tacos, and I had a shrimp taco and (this will shock some) a mushroom taco. 

I actually preferred the latter.  And yes, I do sometimes eat certain mushrooms, just never those revolting button mushrooms.  My rule of thumb for restaurants is that if they identify the type of mushroom, then it's probably a safe bet, but if they simply say "wild mushrooms", they're using a blend that will include button mushrooms or some disgusting variant thereof.

We did share two desserts. 

The cheesecake was fine, but I didn't get any hint of tamarind from it.  The pan de elote, a blue corn cornbread with banana ice cream, was far better.

All in all a nice evening to catch up with Denny.  He's a great guy, and he likes a good cocktail, so his company is very welcome!