Holy Guacamole!!@#$%@!
El Vez: This Steven Starr location in center-city Philadelphia has it all: great food, great drinks, and a photo booth. Like every Steven Starr establishment the place had an awesome décor complete with a circle bar in the center with one of the most gaudy low-rider bikes on display that happened to be a tribute to none other than Oscar De La Hoya. It was a Sunday night when I went to El Vez and we actually had about a 10-minute wait, enough to start a drink at the bar. I had a blood orange margarita that was deliciously sweet and a perfect start. Soon after our drinks were poured and served we were guided to our table. Recommended to us first before we even got a chance to look at the menu was the Bazooka Limon Guacamole: goat cheese, pistachio, Chile flakes and roasted tomatoes. It was the best tasting guacamole I have ever eaten (a return trip is necessary just for this dish alone). I really enjoyed that the menu had 7 different variations of the dish including an original guac. We skipped an appetizer and ordered another round of drinks to go with our guac. This time I indulged in the traditional margarita that was perfect again. I always get nervous at restaurants because sometimes you can’t taste the tequila and question if any even went in. That was not the case here. For my entrée, I had the Mahi-mahi tacos (items served a-la carte so order your sides if you want them). A beautifully decorated plate with 2 nicely portioned tacos came out. The fish was cooked to perfect and tasted fresh and great. The red cabbage and chipotle pepper remoulade was a perfect compliment to add on top of the fish given it another dimension of texture and taste. For our dessert we had the Tres Leches Cake. It was a beautiful piece of cake that was so rich and moist. Topped with a medley of fruit this was heaven on a plate. El Vez is a great place to go if you’re having dinner with friends or even for a nice evening out.
-J
Price: $$ - moderate
El Vez’s Location: 121 S. 13th Street Philadelphia, PA
