Tuesday, September 22, 2009

XOCO


We have been waiting so long it seems for this place to open and we finally got to go downtown and eat at the new Rick Bayless restaurant called XOCO (pronounced sho-ko). As we were driving by to find a parking spot we saw Rick Bayless walking up to the restaurants. All of his places are next to each other. XOCO, Topolobompo, and Frontera Grill, all in line like heavens gates.

We got there around 10:45 on saturday and to our surprise there was no line. That was just not what we expected at all. So we went inside and learned that the tortas were not served until 11 but that we could wait in line until then (at that point it was only about 11 more minutes). I can deal with that. So we were the first in line. There were others streaming in.


I had to order the last piece of vanilla coffee cake. It was good. The flavor was good, it just wasn't as moist as it looked to be. It was afterall the last piece so it had probably been sitting out all morn. It tasted sort of like a vanilla wafer. We also got a Mexican chocolate biscochos. It was awesome. I ate it later that night but mad it was awesome. It was sort of like a scone I guess but wasn't dry like a scone. It was light and airy with a slight crumb. It had bits of sugar on top and the Mexican chocolate was oooh so good. I would buy a dozen of those next time. Those and the chocolate hazelnut cookie that I got as well. Man, that thing was one of the best cookies of my life. It was the perfect texture. Soft and chewy with that amazing Mexican chocolate yet once again. That stuff is money.

My parents were in for the weekend. They enjoyed the hype of it all. Rick ended up showing up inside there too. I stood down by the woodfire oven watching him as he tasted everything to make sure it was perfect. It was amazing to see him and to see him doing this. He is so awesome. So each of us ordered a different sandwich which was nice because we got to try everyone elses food. Of course we ordered home made tortilla chips and guacamole. His is the best there is.


My mom had the
Gunthorp Chicken: Wood-roasted red chile chicken, caramelized onion, black beans, avocado, tomatillo salsa. It was delicious. A perfect balance of flavors and always nice to have some avocado in there.


My dad ordered the Choriqueso: Homemade chorizo sausage, roasted poblano, artisan jack cheese, tomatillo salsa. This too was delicious. Not my favorite because I am not a big chorizo person but still very very good.




Jason got the Pepito: Braised Tallgrass shortribs, caramelized onion, artisan Jack cheese, black beans, pickled jalapenos. I have to say other than mine, his was the best.


I ordered the Ahodaga: Golden pork carnitas, black beans, tomato broth, spicy arbol chile sauce, pickled onions. It was so wonderful. And the presentation was beautiful. The broth was such an pleasant addition to the sandwhich. The nice thing about it was that they ask you how you would like the heat level of the broth. I chose medium and it was perfect.



And how could we pass up dessert. We ordered the churros and the chocoflan. The churros were amazing. They were dusted with a coarse sugar and tiny bits of Mexican chocolate. Three for $3. How are you going to just order one? Yeah, that's what I thought. The chocoflan was interesting. It was not what I expected. It looked dense like a cheesecake but was more loose than a cheesecake and had a slight taste of pumpkin to it that was a pleasant surprise. It was good but not my favorite. This dessert is interesting because when it starts out, the pumpkin flan layer is on the bottom and the chocolate on top. During the baking process they reverse themselves somehow. It's magic I guess.

All in all, I loved it. I can't wait to go back. I will have to go two more times at the very least. Once to try out the breakfast and another for the caldos (soups) which are served only after 3. Some interesting facts about XOCO are that they have a window at the front of the restaurant where you can see them making the freshly baked goods. They are making chocolate from raw cocoa beans. What that means my friends is the freshest richest hot chocolate of your life. Please go give this a try, and even if you have to wait in line, it is well worth it.

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