| rev:text
| - It was a cold and snowy Sunday afternoon... this reads like the start of a horror movie, but in the case of Vida there was no scare, just an relatively awesome food experience.
Now in fairness, it was snowing outside and it was a holiday weekend, so my party of 3 basically had the whole restaurant to ourselves. Our server spent all the time in the world making recommendations on the menu and describing the dishes while making sure our drinks never ran empty. Real world experience? I dunno, but our server's knowledge of the menu and the preparation of the dishes was impressive and spot on, so I'm impressed regardless of whether he was resigned to the fact we'd be his only table for lunch service.
What impressed me most were the little extra touches that accompanied most dishes and drinks. For example, I'm not quick to choose a margarita because of the sweetness or the cake of salt rimmed on the glass. Vida, though, has a Partita, which uses agave nectar in place of sugar and fresh squeezed lime juice. No salt needed because this guy is smooth and dangerous- as in, "I could've drunk them all afternoon and gotten seriously messed up."
I also appreciated the inclusion of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce mixed into the salsa- it added that smoky zing that made the salsa memorable. It was also adjustable according to your level of spice preference. Perhaps it was the Partita getting to me, but I think I liked the first bowl clean.
Table-side guac is as fresh as it comes and also adjustable according to your likey of the spicy. Just tell your chef as he mixes it all in the huge stone bowl before your eyes. Freshly made chips, fried in-house accompanies your order, and our party of three cashed the whole thing.
My table shared three main dishes- the tortilla soup, a shrimp and lime salad, and carnita tacos. All were very good. The carnitas were some of the best I had, the meat was awesomely flavorful and moist. The shrimp were grilled just right and the salad portion was sufficiently large. In all, we three were stuffed and happy.
But we couldn't stop there- we also were talked into the homemade churros. They come out piping hot, freshly fried, with a bowl of rich and dark dipping chocolate. Calories be damned, because these things were worth every extra lap around the neighborhood I'll have to run to work them off. One plate was enough to share.
Mexican is plentiful around Charlotte, but well-executed Mexican that stands out from the competition is hard to find. Luckily for Vida, I think they've done it. Each dish was smartly prepared without being an order-by-number conglomeration that is common at most Mexican joints. If I had one suggestion, it would be that these guys get away from the mainly traditional dishes that populate their menu and get a little more creative. The hints of inspiration are there and the kitchen obviously knows what it is doing, so I'd like to see them find new and interesting ways to bring those flavors to the table. In the meantime, I will return, lured back by that awesome drink. Viva Partita!
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)