Pollo la Brasa
By James Reid
If you have dined at Mi Cocina or Taco Diner, you havebrexperienced the culinary skills of Mico Rodriguez. From humble beginnings, hebrbuilt a restaurant empire that featured elegant, modern locations with top-notchbrservice across the Metroplex. But at the top of his game, he left the companybrhe helped build behind and took a three-year break to get sober and regain hisbrlegendary focus.
He began his comeback to the Dallasbrdining scene in winter 2011 by opening a cozy Tex-Mex-American restaurant onbrMcKinney Ave. in Uptown. It had all the key “Mico” hallmarks: excellent servicebrfrom the staff, elegant décor and simple yet satisfying dishes. Yet it was onlybrthe beginning.
With the opening of Mesero Miguelbrin the space formerly occupied by Cuba Libre, the short-lived Alma and the evenbrshorter-lived Lemon Bar, the full force of Rodriguez's personality is onbrdisplay. The space has been reborn as a glossy, elegant and sleek destinationbrfor well-crafted drinks and carefully prepared food served up by sharp,brenthusiastic wait staff. On the first floor, sliding glass doors open thebrentire dining area onto a small outdoor seating area perfect for cool springbrand fall nights in Dallas. Upstairs, a lively bar scene makes waiting for yourbrtable an enjoyable experience. With five versions available, the margarita isbrking here as the wine selection is lacking in depth. Go for the “b.” margarita,brfeaturing lime, peach and fresh basil.
Rather than overloading the menubrwith overly ambitious dishes, it features easy-to-discern sections highlightingbrcarefully selected combinations of high-quality ingredients. Our group began bybrsupplementing the complimentary chips, salsa, tomatillo dip and spicy cheesebrdip (not the queso you might be imagining) with a platter of fresh guacamole. Thebrwaiter served the first portion onto a thick corn chip to each diner. We couldbrhave easily eaten a second platter of it. The avocados were just the rightbrtexture, plus it was well salted and had a perfect mix of garlic, onions andbrcilantro.
We also sampled the lump crabbrfritters that arrived at the table perfectly hot and fried. They weren't greasy,brand when cut in half with a fork, they split open, revealing actual chunks ofbrcrabmeat. When dipped in the sweet corn and herb aioli, they were tangy,brcrunchy and flavorful. If you love seafood, you must try this dish.
For the main course, two of ourbrguests shared a brisket taco and several tacos de asada on corn tortillas withbra side of white rice. These reminded them of dining at Taco Diner, but thebrportions were larger. While a solid choice, they were not spectacular. Ibrordered off-menu and asked for their braised chicken covered in a rich, smooth,brdecadent mole sauce and a side of rice. By itself, the braised chicken wouldbrhave been fairly average, but the addition of the mole sauce made the dish comebralive. My other dining companion chosebrthe cheese enchiladas. They were not smothered in chili con carne; instead,brthey had just the right amount, so it didn't overwhelm the actual enchiladabritself. The kitchen executed all the dishes very well.
Finishing off, our waiter highlybrrecommended the cinco leches cake, describing it as smoother, creamier andbrsweeter than tres leches cake. He was spot-on with his description. All four ofbrus had to stop eating it only because it was so rich and also because webrordered the s'more ice cream sandwich as well. brBoth desserts were a fine finish to the meal.
Mico Rodriguez has done it again bybrshowcasing his excellent taste in elegant décor, attention to detail in thebrfinely crafted menu and his expectation for excellent service from his staff.brWelcome back, Mico.
Mesero Miguel
2822 N. Henderson Ave., Dallas
214-821-6426
MeseroMiguel.com