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| - I've been to this resto long time ago, but haven't been back since...for what reason I don't remember. Well I'm so happy I came back! Now I'm just learning of the history of this place. Chef Silvana Esparza has won numerous awards and has been nominated for James Beard many times. Her restaurant has been acclaimed as the "Best Mexican" in AZ for many years since opening by not only local mags, but publications such as NY Times and Epicurean! She was raised in a family whose ancestors were once appointed the official pastry chefs to Spain's royal family! Then Esparza family emigrated to Mexico in the 1600's where they continued to practice their trade for generations. This restaurant has been here since 2002 and there's a sister resto called Barrio Queen where I haven't been yet. After my experience at this resto, I'll def go and try it next time!
What I had:
Horchata
Homemade horchata served in recycled Coke bottle! Interesting presentation, but it was absolutely delicious! It was one of those huge Coke bottles too, so I got like 3 glasses out of one bottle!
Salad
A side salad that comes with lunch order. The BEST side salad I've ever had! Mixed organic greens, chopped tomato, raisin, and chopped hard boiled egg whites. Tangy dressing. Size was pretty big for a side salad too!
Guacamole del Barrio
An award winning guacamole. The you'll see a theme of pomegranate everywhere! That's because they believe in using ingredients that are available now in season. Note that this was about two weeks ago that I was here, so they might not have this particular version of guacamole anymore when you get there, but this was absolutely delicious! It was more like an avocado salad rather than a guacamole that I'm used to that are more mashed and mixed up, but it tasted so good! Needed more salt so I added some salt & pepper at the table and it was scrumptious with their house made chips!!
Chips
They look thick and chunky, but oh boy! Wait till you taste it! Light, airy, and crispy! One of the best tortilla chips ever!
Bread and Tapanade
Tapanade at Mexican resto? Wow! That was a surprise and it was a pleasant one at that! At first I thought it was their salsa, and I was thinking to myself, why are they serving with baguette?? Well it turned out to be tapanade made with olives, roasted peppers, and other tasty goodness!
Chiles en Nogada
This Chef Silvana's Iconic Dish us a roasted poblano pepper filled with chicken, apple, pear, dried apriocot and pecans, in a delicate almond cream sauce. Finished with the colors of the flag: cilantro, queso fresco, and pomegranate seeds. I'm not into sweet entrees, but this dish was excellent! Flavors worked very well together and it was refreshing to try something entirely different. If you're used to just a staple Mexican like carne asada burrito and enchiladas, you're in for a treat!
Cochinita Pibil
Barrio's acclaimed pork is marinated in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in a banana leaf and slow roasted over night. Topped with pickled red onion and Yucatan-style pico de gallo. Flavors were spot on!
Veggie Side Dish
Creamy mashed papas and vegetables del Barrio. Sooooo good! Veggies so good that even Critsy will finish! Zucchinis were so sweet and tender and the papas (Mexican mashed potatoes) were so creamy and yummy with a slight kick!
Churros Rellenos de Cajeta de Cabra
Their famous churros filled with goat's milk caramel, served with vanilla bean ice cream, and topped with more caramel and candied pecans. This was really delicious! I also know that sometimes hot and cold dessert are match made in heaven! With that said, for this particular dessert, it would've been a 10 out of 10 rather than this 9 out of 10 had they skipped the ice cream and served more caramel sauce or chocolate dip on the side. The churros were perfect fluffy, chewy, and crispy, but it would've really brought out the flavor with a hot choc dip on the side rather than the way it was presented. Again, it was still very good! I might be just super picky. :) Next time I'm going back for their flan. It looked AMAZING and I kept hearing the other table moan with foodgasm! :D
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