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| - Here's a new one. Where is the best place to eat in Old Town on Christmas Day? The answer: an old white church in the middle of town.
On December 25, the doors to the Mission swung open at 2 pm, and not a moment earlier. The crowd gathered outside this rustic old building immediately swung into action, darting inside to secure a table in the much sleeker and un-Church-like confines of a trendy Latin American restaurant, where the only thing that's holy is the tequila selection.
Indeed, the Mission boasts a most impressive interior, with beautiful furnishings that are aggressive but tasteful, contrasted nicely with antiquated style of the building itself. Waiting for a table would hardly be a punishment on this festive day, but with a reservation, we were seated promptly.
The Mission is and always will be a successful restaurant, I think, because it serves truly first-rate food and drink. There is no debating this. Each dish that was brought out, from the duck empanadas to the crispy pork belly, packed enormous flavor into perfectly-textured bites. The portions were sizable for appetizers, too, ensuring that you could create a tapas experience for yourself without going home hungry. The cocktails were also delicately prepared and delicious, and in many cases inventive.
Because this restaurant has the food and drink down to a tee, it has the potential to be a five-star powerhouse for years to come. But I hesitate to anoint it as such due to some conspicuous flaws in service, which should be easy to fix. On at least five different occasions through the meal someone on staff attempted to remove a plate before we were done eating. The wait time for drinks was also too long, perhaps owing to the cocktails' complexity, but also perhaps to the need for another bartender to churn out drinks for a thriving and busy restaurant.
Above all else, though, the service was friendly and generous, complementing well the warm and inviting vibe this space gives off. Next time I make a southwest sojourn, I will gladly return.
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