A fiesta of flavors
Review: The lively restaurant Mexicana serves up wide-ranging tastes of a cuisine that has been designated a world treasure, starting with lip-smacking margaritas.
In 2010, the same year that UNESCO added French gastronomy to the coveted Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, they accorded the same status to traditional Mexican cuisine. Since then, Israel has also been discovering the wonders of this culinary treasure, in great measure thanks to the many young Israelis who have traveled to that country after their army service.
One place in Tel Aviv people gather to enjoy Mexican food is Mexicana, a cheerfully decorated restaurant with colorful wooden chairs indoors and plenty of al fresco seating at the busy corner of Ben Yehudah and Bograshov Streets. The menu actually reflects both Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, that fusion from the American Southwest bordering its neighbor across the border. According to the restaurant’s manager, the chef travels once a year to Mexico in order to refresh menu offerings.
It is a no-brainer what to order first at any self-respecting Mexican restaurant: a margarita, of course. Mexicana makes it easy, proffering tastes of frozen margaritas in four flavors: classic lime, passion fruit, mango and coconut. The original lime was blended expertly and is available on the rocks as well as in slush form; additionally, drinks come in three sizes: by the glass, carafe and pitcher. People who like their cocktails sweeter should find the passion fruit very rewarding.
The menus themselves are in Hebrew and English, and display symbols for items that are vegan (or have a vegan option), vegetarian, or gluten free. There are also red chili pepper icons indicating spicy and even very spicy; just bear in mind that degree of heat is in the mouth of the beholder: I myself did not always agree with the menu’s designations.
From the starters section of the menu, we first had the ceviche margarita: fresh fish marinated in lime and tequila, with avocado, tomatoes, red onion and cilantro, plus either jalapeño or chipotle (the latter is milder than jalapeño). Another variation is that the sauce can turn out to be thicker than the usual ceviche juice, depending on how soft the avocado chunks are. The Mexicana version has a higher ratio of vegetables to fish than most, but the chipotle-seasoned ceviche had just the right amount of heat to render it excellent.
Next came shrimps in a smoked chipotle and cream sauce, garnished with greens and served in a skillet. The shrimp were plump and juicy, enhanced nicely by the delicious sauce with understated heat, to create an outstanding dish.
Nachos con queso is quintessential Tex-Mex: corn tortilla chips with frijoles (beans) and pico de gallo (tomato salsa), smothered in melted cheese. Startlingly, however, the Mexicana version uses mozzarella cheese, which would never make an appearance in any authentic Tex-Mex dish. The manager confessed that they have replaced more appropriate choices of cheddar cheese or queso fundido with mozzarella in order to cater to Israeli preferences. The nachos benefited somewhat from hot and smoky chipotle sauce, but I admit I could not get over my disappointment at not getting the real thing. Since the restaurant does have grated cheddar cheese in its pantry -- it is offered as an optional topping for other dishes -- it should come as an option here as well.
It is just as well that we did not fill up on nachos, because we then moved on to the tasting menu called Dos Mexicanos: three different kinds of meat and assorted sides, served with flour or corn tortillas and a generous portion of rice seasoned with lime and herbs.
The barbacoa -- slow cooked shredded beef -- was subtly but perfectly seasoned; there is hot sauce as a separate condiment for anyone desiring more heat. Indeed, a few drops plus extra salsa helped the chili con carne, made here with beef that was ground rather than cubed. Also good with the chili con carne were the cheddar cheese, as well as the seasoned sour cream; it is fun trying out the different combinations.
The third dish in the tasting menu trio -- chicken tinga, shredded white meat with chipotle chili and tomatoes -- was also quite mild; in this case, the best condiment was the mole poblano -- a uniquely complex Mexican sauce, made with chocolate and other spices. Mexicana’s mole is as good as many that I have had in Mexico.
The Dos Mexicanos dishes were washed down nicely with the house sangria, a bold concoction of red wine and brandy with chunks of apples, pear and orange. The restaurant also has a nice selection of beers imported from Mexico that would do the trick.
There are two interesting salads on the menu, of which we tried the piñata: mixed greens, pineapple, kohlrabi, avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion and caramelized pecans, dressed lightly with a pleasing citrus vinaigrette. A wonderful interplay of textures and flavors.
Desserts here are more akin to what you might expect at a much fancier restaurant, and certainly much more elaborate than you would find in a typical Mexican or Tex-Mex eatery. The Montezuma comprises a nougat-chocolate mousse with chipotle brownies and caramelized bananas; the mousse is accented with just a hint of spicy heat.
The crema de mango, meanwhile, is mango mousse with meringue and a delicate white chocolate cream and mango sauce. The pudding-like mousse is light and sweet, a fitting ending to a heavy Mexican meal.
A nice touch at the end is warm, moist cloth towelettes, a cut above the usual packaged paper wet naps.
Mexicana has clearly hit on a winning formula: its popularity has led to opening a second branch in north Tel Aviv (Yirmiyahu Street). It is not perfect -- few places are -- but it has a lot more hits than misses.
Mexicana
Not kosher
Bograshov St. 7, Tel Aviv
Tel. 1-700-500-993
