There is soooo much great Mexican food in New York City, I have already highlighted some of my favorite Mexican restaurants, tacos, guacamole, etc., in previous blogs, but since I’m never going to be finished looking for the most amazing food, here are some more spots that I absolutely loved. As a bonus, all three of these restaurants were chosen by me as locations for various birthday dinners. Nothing says Happy Birthday like a good Margarita and some tacos and guacamole. As a disclaimer: While I personally took the pictures in this blog (even the bad ones), I have to admit that I was so excited to taste the short rib at Bar Tulix, that I forgot to take a picture. Therefore I ended up “borrowing” a picture from an unknown source, just because I feel you shouldn’t be deprived of seeing how delicious it looks. Now. Let’s get to it.
Oso
Oso is located all the way uptown. I don’t get up there too often these days, work has been very time consuming ever since the end of the Covid closings era. I’m so happy that I made the effort to wander up there, this restaurant was absolutely amazing. It is a fresh and modern place with wonderful paintings on the walls. The food? Just wow.
Of course we started with Guacamole, it’s an absolute must whenever I dine at Mexican restaurants. This one was topped with radishes, onions and tomatoes, and once you mixed it all up, and dug in with the chips, the chair dancing began. It was really good, I’m a big fan of tomatoes in guacamole. Another dish I will never forgo, is Elote. One large piece of grilled corn was cut in half, and then covered in chipotle aioli and Cotija cheese. Scrumptious. Then of course tacos! We chose the Birria tacos, and they were all that. It’s the latest craze here in the Big Apple, and of course for good reason. They were seasoned perfectly, and the dipping gravy was the perfect match. My son (who took me on this birthday dinner), is a big Quesadilla fan, so that was his obvious choice. These were made with Blue Corn tortillas and Chihuahua cheese, and according to him, this was the best Quesadilla he ever had. And I believe him. I felt adventurous and ordered something I never tried: Chilaquiles! It’s a plate of stewed tortilla chips, topped with salsa, pickled onions, crema, and Cotija cheese. Then it has a fried egg on top. So, so delicious and comforting. I adored this place, and it’s worth the little trip uptown.
La Contenta
La Contenta is smack dead in the middle of the Lower Eastside. I love this area, it used to be my old stomping grounds, lots of good memories are to be had here. The restaurant itself is small with small tables, like most of the restaurants in this area, with some outside seating, which became popular during the worst of the Covid times. I’m used to the small seating areas, I welcome them, it makes it easy to see what the neighboring table is feasting on, and it usually invites conversation all across the tables. It’s only a problem when I order too much food! This was a dinner to which I was invited by a few of my girlfriends, and we all loved it.
We began the evening with (of course) Guacamole, which was also topped with tomatoes. I was instantly addicted. We matched it up with Queso Fundido, and I can say with full confidence that this was the best one I ever had. The chips to go with it were thick and sturdy, which can never be underrated, being that the thinner kind will usually break as you dip into the cheese. Full success. I chose the the Pollo en Mole Poblano, which consisted of braised chicken, wild rice chicken risotto, topped with Mole sauce and plantains. Just incredible. My friend Sandra picked the Enchiladas Suizas, which had braised chicken, tomatillo salsa, Swiss cheese, and Rajas con Crema. And then she had it topped with Mole Sauce. Wow, what a combo, great choice. My other two friends went with the Branzino Veracruz, which is a baked fish topped with olives, jalapeños, and red peppers. A feast of flavor, outstanding. Another great dinner in the books.
Bar Tulix
This lovely restaurant is located right on the edge of Soho, on West Houston Street. It is modern with cozy lighting and an upbeat atmosphere. I instantly liked Bar Tulix. The margaritas were excellent, especially the Spicy Cucumber one. Just saying. This was another birthday dinner, this time for my friend Elvira. I so love these birthday dinners.
Did we start this night with Guacamole? Of course we did. Baja Guacamole to be exact. This one was served deconstructed, so we had to kind of mix it up with our tortilla chips, which was a fun twist. The addition of crema and Epazote Oil gave it an extra flavor punch, and we were all about it. Great stuff. Chips and salsa was next, very delicious! And then there were oysters on the menu. With Ponzu Mignonette. It was a no-brainer, and they were really, really good. Sandra and I made a beeline straight for the Braised Short Rib with refined beans, salsa Morita, Chimichurri, onion and Serrano served with tortillas. It was one of the best short ribs I’ve had in a long time. Yvonne chose the Branzino A La Plancha, served with Ava Tomatillo Sauce, Salsa Brazas, Serrano and an Onion-Reddish salad. Very light and chuck full of flavor. Last, but not least, Elvira had the Masa Encrusted Bronzino Tacos, which were topped with Chipotle, Cucumber Slaw, Cabbage and herbs. Yum. We all left happy and full, this was absolutely a great dinner.
