MXCO

MxCo
1491 2nd Ave. Upper East Side



Normally, we would not travel this far for a normal meal-out, but we want to make sure our blog covers restaurants from all areas of the city, to appeal to all New York City foodies. So this time, we ventured to the Upper East Side. Coming from midtown you take the C up to 81st then take the M79 across Central Park to 2nd Ave. It's not bad, actually. And I really suggest checking this place out if you have a chance, it is worth the commute for all you West-Siders!




Drinks: 

House Margaritas, on the rocks, with salt (of course)
Their house margarita is made with tequila (good tequila for a house drink!), triple sec, and freshly-squeezed lime juice. We love it- NO MIX! Just goodness. Yum.








Passionfruit Patron Silver Margarita:
Kelsey says: I just don't know if I can go back to a margarita without Patron...amazing. And they didn't put Passionfruit syrup in it, it was so fresh, 100% natural juice and Patron.
  
Jenn says: This margarita was sublime, and I'll happily admit I'm a marg-snob.  The juice was so fresh and full of flavor.  Without a doubt the most refreshing margarita I've ever had.  You're gonna love this baby once the lovely East-Coast humidity kicks in.




Appetizers:
Chips, Salsa and Guacamole 
Kelsey says: Finally fresh, hand-made Guac! The salsa was great for a "restaurant" salsa (you can't make them too spicy, you have to appeal to the public) had just a slight kick but was smokey, which I LOVE! And thank you, MxCo for those NOT-stale, great blue & yellow corn chips!



  Jenn says: Echoing Kels, FINALLY FRESH GUAC!  I still was sad
about the 'guacamole' at Lime Jungle, so this definitely was a happy sight. 






Entrees:
We give major points to them for their creative and innovative entrees! The combinations of food items, flavors, marinades, glazes, etc. was so different, so we went away from the traditional Mexican food items and branched out, so we could recommend something different and unique to our followers.
Our ONLY complaint and reason for the 4.5 Jalapeno-rating is, the portion sizes are small. We almost ordered one entree to split, since it's a restaurant versus tapas, but the portions were between the two. What we did get was exceptional and we would definitely come back, but the plate just seemed empty. There were no sides (rice, beans, etc) which could have been fine, except you got a small entry with a lime and a dipping salsa. Maybe it was psychological, but the plates should be smaller, or they should add something to the plate so it doesn't seem so empty. The prices are not cheap, so we felt that if we didn't have the Living Social coupon, we would have been paying too much for what we got.


Artichoke Quesadilla: idiazabal cheese, sweet corn, tomatillo salsa
Kelsey says: Wow! One of my favorite foods is Artichoke, so as soon as I saw this on the menu we had to get it. The salsa on top was so fresh and good. The inside was a little more pureed than I was expecting, but the flavors were great.
Jenn says: I do like artichokes, but the thought I had upon seeing it
on the menu was confirmed when I tried it.  It's an interesting flavor
for Mexican food.  It was good, but I probably wouldn't order it again.



Pomegranate Glazed Skirt Steak Tacos: guacamole, carmelized onion, pickled cabbage
Kelsey says: Again, really awesome and unique flavor-combination. The pomegranate glaze gave the steak a really nice subtle flavor, barely detected, and then the pickled cabbage gave it an extra punch of sweet, but it wasn't overwhelmingly sweet, which we appreciated. Going back to the portion size, take a look at the picture. This entree was especially lonely, since the tacos were so small.
Jenn says: Now THIS I'd order again.  These little babies were delish.  The steak was cooked perfectly, and the flavors blended nicely.  The little side salsa wasn't even needed in my opinion.  The flavors were fresh and perfect.  I loved them.


We were definitely nice and full by the end, especially since we had TWO margaritas, but we were very glad we ordered TWO entrees as well. Aside our slight complaint on portion size, it was hard not to give this place 5 Jalapenos. Overall, we appreciated the REALLY quick service (lightning-speed, really), the fresh quality of, and the innovative take on "normal" Mexican entrees, and the great ambiance.  The Cali-ente girls definitely recommend this one.