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Authentic but not Typical Mexican Cuisine
By bukkhead | June 30, 2007
Get on 85th Street north and head west. Keep going past Aurora, past 15th ave, even past 25th ave. Eventually 85th will end, and you can take a windy road right down to Golden Gardens. Instead, turn left, and tucked away behind the Caffe Fiora, you’ll find Cocina Esperanza. It’s worth hunting for.
This place might become our gold standard, the place we go to when we feel like Mexican food and there’s no place new on our list. It’s the sort of authentic, but individual, Mexican place you can take someone who claims to not like Mexican food. Traditional dishes, to be sure, like enchiladas, tostadas, and tamales. But everything is so fresh and made from scratch, there’s no need to smother it all in cheese and sour cream.
Lucky for us it was sunny day, and inside it was open and cheery. Everyone else who came in seemed to be repeat customers. Our server was bubbly and enthusiastic, and obviously loved the place. When we ordered the baked queso appetizer, she said “oh, you have to.” Then we settled into the chips and home-made salsa. The salsa had a flavor to it; I’m not sure what it was… I want to say it was tomatillo, or maybe something sun-dried. I like it—for a change, it didn’t hide the flavor of the tortilla chips, but worked with them. At the same time, it wasn’t so salty that I found myself gorging on the stuff. A few small baskets, and I was ready for my main dish.
I couldn’t decide between that day’s pork special, the pork tostados, or something called “Sincronizadas,” but eventually went with the latter, just because I had never heard of it before. To quote their menu: “Ham, carne asada and Mexican cheese layered between 2 tortillas (choice of corn or flour).” I went with flour. Oh it was exquisite. Like what so-called quesadillas would like to be when they finally get their degree in Good Food. The GF had a traditional tamale, which I have to say, was unlike any tamale I had ever seen. Instead of corn meal being the dominant factor, it more played a supporting role to the chorizo, obtaining a creamy texture that was light at the same time.
As we left, we were already thinking of our next visit, and so was our server, who said “next time you’ll be regulars!” So go there when you get the chance. Sooner would be better than later. They only have 11 tables, and since everything is made from scratch, you might have to wait a bit for your order if the place is busy. (We happened to be there early enough that there was no wait.) Also, they serve wine, beer, and sangria, but no spirits, so you won’t get a margarita. They do, however, serve Mike’s mike-arita, which, with a little salt on the rim of your glass, is just as good. The food’s so good, you won’t even notice.
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