Margarita Monday

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

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For its refresh, revive, repeat margarita ($15), Tico infuses Casamigos blanco tequila with cucumber and jalapeño for three days before it’s shaken with Patrón Citrónge, lime juice and agave. Ideal for sipping on the Back Bay restaurant’s patio, this drink leads with a spicy kick that’s tempered by cool cucumber.

Yellow Door Taqueria’s top-selling coconut margarita ($11) is a creamy compliment to the Dorchester spot’s Mexi-Cali fare. This tropical sip combines blanco tequila, a housemade coconut lime cordial, Naranja orange liqueur and lime juice. Bonus: A toasted coconut rim gives customers a double dose of the fruit.

Subtly sweet with a touch of spice, Masa’s habanero watermelon margarita ($12) blends a fresh fruity puree, Combier, orange juice and agave nectar with reposado tequila infused with dried habanero. Served with a lime wedge, the concoction is only $8 during the South End spot’s Margarita Mondays.

Taco Tuesday

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

Keith Schubert classifies this cornmeal-crusted mushroom taco ($4) as the most earthy-tasting offering at Taco Party, his Somerville vegan restaurant. “The salsa roja made from guajillo peppers paired with the light corn salsa offsets this earthiness,” Schubert says. The meatiness of the mushroom coupled with light toppings, including arugula, makes for a balanced bite.

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

Tu Y Yo’s mini appetizer of tacos de chapulines ($13.50) packs a spicy and salty crunch thanks to a combination of guajillo, ancho and árbol chiles and fried grasshoppers. For a boost of flavor, chef/co-owner Adolfo Alvarado adds onions, tomatoes and the herb epazote. Alvarado boasts: “Once you combine the poblano sauce with the taco, it has an amazing taste.”

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

Chef Allan Rodriguez looks to the past for inspiration on how to prepare the slow-cooked beef for this barbacoa taco ($5) at El Centro’s three local spots. “We cook the beef overnight with a special recipe from the 1920s from my grandmother in Mexico,” says Rodriguez, who will open a fourth restaurant in Dedham this month. The beef is served in a homemade corn tortilla and dressed with a hint of guacamole and lime before it’s topped with pickled red onions.

Huevos Wednesday

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

Combining silky textures with salty and creamy flavors, the polenta ($13) at La Brasa is rounded out with delicata squash, fried eggs and peperonata—a mixture of roasted red peppers, charred red onion, paprika, red wine vinegar, brown sugar and tomatoes. “Polenta and runny egg yolks are a magic combination just like butter and popcorn,” says chef/owner Daniel Bojorquez. “The texture of this dish is nurturing, the ingredients are relatable and it’s everyone’s idea of a family breakfast.”

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

With fluffy scrambled eggs, the burrito ranchero ($7) at cozy counter-service spot Chilacates combines a breakfast fave with comforting Mexican flavors. Opt for the veggie version with long-grain rice, Monterey Jack cheese, refried beans and whisked eggs cooked in a sizzling pan with a touch of butter—or add bacon or sausage for a heartier bite. The burrito is stuffed with salsa ranchera—a blend of garlic, onions and dried peppers simmered with tomatoes—which can also be slathered on top.

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

To make the sausage that stars in the papas con chorizo ($8), Lone Star chef Rod MacDonald marinates the whole pork butt overnight in a blend of spices including ancho chili, sweet and smoked paprika and cinnamon, before grinding the meat and mixing in poblanos. It’s served with roasted sweet and red bliss potatoes for a counterpoint to the smoky spice, and MacDonald adds: “The yolk from the fried egg ties the whole dish together.”   

Tortas Thursday

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

At the center of the blackened fish torta ($14) is a spice-rubbed mahi-mahi, but that’s far from the only component. The sandwich is layered with a radish and cilantro salad, serrano and pickled jalapeño mayo, pork charro beans and tres quesos and is served on grilled telera bread alongside a pickled vegetable salad and an extra helping of pork charro beans. Painted Burro chef/owner Joe Cassinelli says: “It’s nice and light for the summer with a little bit of a kick.”

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

This might seem like an upgraded grilled cheese, but its a fruit—not delicious dairy—thats the star of this sandwich at Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar. The avocado stands out in the eponymous avocado melt torta ($10), made with a mix of Chihuahua and Oaxaca cheeses, sliced tomatoes and topped with a smoked tomato aioli. “The spiciness of the aioli really is cut by the fresh avocado,” says executive chef Matt Drummond.

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

Campechana means a combination of ingredients, and this campechana torta ($8) at Tenoch certainly mixes a lot: carnitas, chorizo, beans, avocado, tomatoes, Oaxaca cheese, onions and chipotle mayo. “The ingredients are like an orchestra and every one of them represents an instrument,” co-owner Andrés Sandoval says. “When the ingredients play at the same time, they create a masterpiece.”

Flauta Friday

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

It appears Forrest Gump’s pal Bubba missed one shrimp variety: shrimp flautas ($8.50). Luckily, Casa Romero offers them as a crispy appetizer. Tortillas are stuffed with prawns, deep-fried until crunchy and then served atop a generous layer of guacamole and accompanied by an array of sides, including Mexican sour cream, pickled red cabbage, pico de gallo and salsa verde.

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

These flautas ($6.50) at Rincón Mexicano put a comfort-food spin on a Mexican staple. A mixture of shredded chicken, mashed potatoes and cheese with adobo seasoning is placed on a bed of lettuce and tomato sauce before the dish is topped with red and green salsa, sour cream and queso fresco. “The combination of all these ingredients together is mind-blowing,” says owner Lorenzo Reyes.

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

Inspired by his culinary tour through Mexico City, Citrus & Salt owner Jason Santos’ duck confit flautas ($10) look like they have a load of flavor on the outside with trimmings like crunchy cabbage, cold tomatillo salsa, pickled onions, cheddar and a drizzle of smoky crème fraîche. But it’s the duck inside that really packs the flavor, as it’s seasoned with spices, seeds and even Mexican chocolate before it’s tucked into a corn tortilla and fried.

Salsa Saturday

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

The black salsa ($1.50) at Villa Mexico Cafe is so good that owner Julie King says some customers put it in vanilla ice cream or atop a buttered piece of toast. Made with tomatoes, peppers, garlic and salt, the secret is to smoke and burn the peppers. It takes two days to make one batch, and King says getting the cooking length just right is an art. “A lot of people have been trying to imitate it, but they can’t.”

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

El Pelon chef Jose Torres knows the consistency of salsa is key to success. Too runny and there’s no texture for dipping. Too thick and you can’t spread it easily. The fire-roasted salsa ($4) threads that needle and adds a kick from a few different types of peppers—including habaneros—and onions. After the ingredients are roasted, he mixes them in a large container until the texture—and consistency—is just right.

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

If you’ve got Champagne taste but a salsa budget, Casa Verde’s mango salsa features Champagne mangoes mixed with lime juice, red onions, serrano chiles, cooked mezcal and housemade chili powder. The tropical fruit adds a burst of sweetness to the spicy and smoky flavors, and Owen Royce Nagel, chef at the Jamaica Plain spot, serves the salsa on the new cider-braised pork belly taco ($6).

Sotol Sunday

Photo credit: Holly Rike 

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Along with under-the-radar agave-based spirits such as raicilla and bacanora, Bodega Canal offers Hacienda de Chihuahua’s Anejo Sotol ($10) from Moët-bred distiller José Daumas Gil de Partearroyo. Ask to swap it in a margarita, or beverage director Mike Wyatt suggests first-timers sip it neat to catch the full flavor: “It’s got some earthy and grassy notes to it with a bit of vanilla and caramel from aging.”

Move over tequila and mezcal—there’s a new Mexican spirit in town. Found a bit farther north in Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango, sotol is made from one of 16 plant varieties. “Desert spoon was originally thought to be a type of agave, but is actually closely related to asparagus,” explains Backbar manager Carlo Caroscio. “Unlike agave, which can only be harvested once and may take a decade to mature, sotol can be harvested several times throughout its life.” Backbar stocks sixth-generation distiller Sotol Por Siempre, which roasts the plant underground—instead of steaming it—for a subtle smokiness. Caroscio mixes this Tumbling Dice cocktail ($13), “a bitter, herbal, slow sipper modeled on a Negroni,” with Suze, Italicus and blanc vermouth.

Celeste’s Latin American bar program highlights the mineral-driven Fabriquero ($10), found in the Malverde ($14), a combination of elderflower, yuzu, mint and cucumber. Says bar manager Paola Ibarra: “Sotol enhances the fresh and citrusy flavors of Peruvian ceviche and causas, and is also a good option to anticipate or follow the hearty stews on the menu.” Come back soon for a taste of Sotol Coyote—one brand that’s not yet available locally.


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