Last night, St. Patrick’s Day, seemed like any other weekday night out during this recession. I didn’t see or hear any crazy party people. I thought I would have to battle crowds last night and only agreed to go out because Tracy (a friend that recently moved to DC) is in town for work. We met up at Mercadito Grove Mercadito Grove, a dark little place, with tightly packed tables, and not much decor. The paper printed menus were held together by a single binder ring so I was surprised to see that the food was a little more refined than most Mexican, which means it was less oily and plated nicely, but also more expensive.

We started with the Guacamole Tasting, and while I’m not normally a fan of guacamole, I have to admit that I really liked the mango guacamole. The smoky chipotle flavor really won me over and it didn’t really taste like avocados. The Guacamole de Naranja (roasted garlic, orange, chile de arbol) was also good, quite unique and fruity, but I could taste the avocados more here and of course, the regular tasted like avocados. The chips were really crispy and fresh, and totally addictive.

guacamole tasting

The Mole Tacos taste like they look, chicken with a sweet Mole Sauce, fresh and simple.

Chicken Mole Tacos

The Pescado Tacos were a little more unique than the average fish taco, with the pungent kick of huitlacoche and the texture of grilled corn. It was a little hard for me to pay $14 per plate of 4 tacos, after the 50 cent tacos in Mexico, but these were packed with filling so I think it’s reasonable for NY.

pescado tacos

The Enchiladas Verdes was where I thought they got too pricey. Even though the shrimp were nicely cooked and it was presented well, $23.50 for enchiladas just bothers me. It’s really just a creamy tasting dish that wasn’t all that special.

Shrimp Enchiladas

It does come with some fluffy rice and black beans.

rice and beans

This was an enjoyable meal but some of the prices seem out of place. For entrees over $20, I feel like the place has to have more ambiance, not just colored plates (which I didn’t like). Stick to the guacamole and the nice long taco list.

posted by jessica at 08:49 AM Filed under Latin, Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.