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| - In my never ending search for local color when I travel, Barrio Queen kept coming up as a must-visit place here in the Phoenix area. Since this location was the closest to my hotel, I told Waze where to take me and off we went.
The place was hoppin' for a Wednesday evening, but I spotted some empty two-toppers on the patio on the way in. I was quickly seated there and my server came by for the drink order. I selected a jalapeno margarita, skinny style; it was delivered fairly quickly along with chips and salsa. The margarita was as close to perfect as I've had in a long time; the skinny style really suits me, as it's much lighter on the sweet, leaving this one tart and a little spicy, and none of that neon green stuff. An excellent start to the meal. Chips were very, very good, and a bit unusual in that they were fairly thick, yet still delightfully crunchy and definitely quite golden brown. I should have asked for just a half basket :(
Moving on to the more substantial food, I chose the coctel de elote and the cochinita pibil. The elote was a generous portion, and was very, very good. It hit all the right notes in terms of ingredients, though I might have grilled the corn a bit longer and maybe had more lime. This are really nitpicks, though - it was delicious.
The pibil was a VERY generous portion, and I had asked for mashed potatoes in lieu of Mexican rice. The black beans were good, not mushy at all, and seasoned well. The mashed potatoes had a nice garlic note, could have used a tad more salt, but in the end, I just ate them as-is. The pork, of course, was the real star of the show. Tender, perfectly shredded, well seasoned, it was an absolute delight to the palate. A little container of pico was provided, as were crunchy pickled onions on top. It was all very delicious.
I realized after I left that I didn't receive the hand pressed corn tortillas, but I had had enough carbs for the evening with those chips, so I'll come back another time for those. Even with what was delivered, I took a substantial to-go box with me for lunch the next day.
Atmosphere is really good here as well; the patio features misters that were mostly unobtrusive and definitely effective, and the lighting and furnishings were very nice. It would definitely be a good place for just a single diner like myself, or a group. Whether you're a resident or just passing through, you need to check this place out. It's outstanding.
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