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| - I planned to meet a friend here for lunch. The day before, I saw in the Arizona Republic that Barrio Cafe would be featured on the Cooking Channel's Taco Wars show. I watched and knew that I had to get the cochinita pibil.
First of all, Barrio Cafe has extraordinary murals on and around the building. It creates a fantastic atmosphere. Inside also had very vivid artwork. It's cozy and a little loud, but it's not too hard to hear people.
I was not thrilled by the complimentary bread and tapenade. The bread was okay, not noteworthy at all. The tapenade just didn't do anything for me. I would have much preferred the standard chips and salsa. This was the most disappointing aspect of my visit.
Both of us ordered the pork, and it was indeed as delicious as it looked on the TV show. It was messy--the little corn tortillas soaked through right away--but my fork and napkin did their jobs. The salad on the side was fresh, but not outstanding. I really liked the dried cranberries--they were plump and delicious.
For dessert, we shared the churros. Oh my. EPIC CHURROS, PEOPLE. Loosen your pants, grab your forks. Best churro I have ever had, no question. It's served with a massive scoop of vanilla ice cream and a slathering of cajeta (goat caramel). A cat could have a bath in this puddle of caramel goodness. It's probably a good thing I was in public and with a friend, or I probably would have licked the platter clean.
I was afraid it would be a lot crazier because of the TV show coverage, but I think it was to our benefit to come on a Thursday afternoon. The restaurant stayed busy the entire time but I never saw anyone need to wait for a table. The parking lot was small but there always seemed to be a few spaces open.
Overall, it's probably the freshest Mexican food I've had here in Phoenix, though not a life-changing experience. Maybe my expectations were a little too high. I would like to return here with my husband and try some other dishes.
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