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Over the past few years, my taste buds have become sharper and clearer. It has a lot to do with all the meals I eat in restaurants, comparing dish upon dish. It also has to do with the fact I cook and know how ingredients should taste. Years of experience matters in matters of taste.
I’ve noticed, too, my hearing has become keener, as has my intense dislike of poor restaurant ventilation, especially on hot summer evenings.
Cousin Carl and I discussed this over dinner at Azul, a two-month-old Mexican cantina that opened across the street from Kanella, the delightful Greek restaurant I reviewed two weeks ago.
Happy hour runs 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Carl was sipping a half-price margarita at the bar when I walked in.
"We better see if the air is better in the back," he said. "It’s pretty warm here."
The air was a little better, so we slid into a table for two. Banquettes run the length of the narrow space and the walls are washed in deep blue with yellow appearing around the ceiling. The black, wrought-iron lights and chandeliers give Azul a warm, sedate and festive look. The tabletops are inexpensive and plain, but they use cloth napkins.
Carl advised the margarita was fair. I took a sip and found it bitter, so I asked for a martini ($8.25), which was medium-sized.
Our server brought us a bowl of tortilla chips along with a ramekin of dipping sauce so hot I could not eat it. The sauce looked like the bottled creamy French salad dressing found in supermarkets. The chips were OK, albeit a bit greasy.
Carl said he saw something waltz by that looked interesting.
"They looked like egg rolls standing up," he said with a smile. "That was the flautas," our server explained.
Drunken chicken flautas ($7) consisted of six, Mexican-style egg rolls where the won-ton wrappers were replaced with thin, crispy, tortilla-like skins. The chicken was nicely seasoned, but the salsa verde was so hot we nixed it. The rolls sat upon a pool of thickened cream enhanced by cilantro.
Since tomatoes and corn are in season, we ordered the tomato salad ($8). It contained sweet fresh corn that had been grilled and removed from the cob. I immediately knew it was fresh because some of the kernels stuck together. The other ingredients were disappointing, save for the Oaxaca cheese, which resembles and tastes like string cheese. Watercress is a wonderful spicy green, but we could hardly taste it because some of it was turning dark and it was way overdressed. The plate also contained avocados, cherry tomatoes and red onion. It didn’t need the croutons.
Taco platters are generous with three to an order. The chicken version ($9) was filled with shredded breast meat that was so sweet it ruined the flavor. I think brown sugar was used due to its brown coloring. The addition of peppery, thinly sliced radishes and coriander did little for the tacos. Carl thought the coriander herb was overpowering. The shells, however, were warm and almost crisp.
We decided to share a pint of Yuengling, but our server told us the bartender was having tap problems. So the beer was poured from a can or bottle — and thus taken off the tab. It was nice and cool since we were still on the warm side.
We ordered the Mexican chocolate cake ($8), which brought smiles all around. It had the consistency of a fudgy brownie and was enhanced by slivered toasted almonds and a tasty cooling blood orange sorbet.
Azul was packed and noisy, although not so loud that Carl and I had to scream. Service was excellent despite the crowd. Our server brought us side dishes and clean silverware when we needed it. Our water glasses were filled and it’s a good thing because I drank two big glasses.
One tip of the toque to Azul.
Azul
941 Spruce St.
215-627-5200
Credit cards accepted<
