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- Critic Tom Fitzmorris visits Rosa Mezcal and finds a menu, though “almost impossible to read, given the darkness and the light-on-light design of the card,” that cures the lack of “focused” Mexican restaurants in the Crescent City. He’s delighted by the number of mezcal cocktails, “three times as many mezcal-based cocktails as the number of margaritas.” T-Fitz’s favorite dishes include elotes (Mexican street corn); fish and/or shrimp ceviche; Magazine guacamole; chicharrón preparado (pork rinds with cabbage and sour cream); tacos (“available in a dozen styles in orders of three”), enchiladas (11 different styles). [CITY BUSINESS]
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- Critic Helen Freund keeps it light this week with a trip to Poke Loa, the trendy Hawaiian poke spot on the corner of Magazine and Louisiana. It’s the first New Orleans restaurant entirely devoted to the dish that has swept the country. Freund describes the restaurant a “casual spot with a Chipotle-style assembly line model, with an array of bases, proteins, ‘mix-ins,’ marinades and toppings.” She likes most of the protein choices (and gives a shout-out or the tofu for its “ nice texture with a slightly salty, umami flavor”), but finds the octopus “chewy and fishy.” The brown rice adds a “nutty and sweet flavor” to the poke bowls. The wasabi tobiko falls flat and she yearns for some Cajun bowfin in its place. Even though the restaurant is a build-your-own-bowl place, there are some “signature bowls” and Freund recommends them. The vegetable bowl is “colorful” and the salmon bowl “is topped with chunks of the fatty fish, avocado, strips of silky seaweed and a mayonnaise-heavy imitation crab salad. Bright green edamame and cucumber slices add crunch while sweet, pickled onion strips intermingle with chili paste and sesame oil for an addictively slick and spicy emulsion. The lemon aioli binding the mix adds a creamy touch.” [GAMBIT]
