Spiral Project #6: Itzocan Cafe

Heading back onto east ninth st (I had started halfway up it) we come to Itzocan, a Mexican/Aztec-themed  restaurant. The online reviews say it is hybrid French/Mexican, I didn’t really notice. Shows what I know!

When I went it was full (given that there are only 5-6 tables) but I got seated and served pretty quickly, so service is fine. I got a queso fundido – a traditional cheese dip – with a huge hunk of not-melted brie swimming in a watery butter sauce, not so great. I guess the brie is the ‘french’ influence. How do I eat this? The chips couldn’t cut the brie and couldn’t pick up the sauce. If it was truly french/mex then some bread would have been a better compliment.  For an entree, I got a flank steak in a chili sauce over semolina dumplings.

For $18, the serving was pretty small – maybe 6 thumb sized dumplings and a soap-bar sized piece of meat. It was spiced nicely, hotter than I would have expected, and the meat had been roasted until soft, which was good. The atmosphere was cozy but interesting with Aztec decorations and brickwork inside.

So service, taste, and atmosphere all good – value a bit questionable. I say good for taste but not great – the hybrid never really felt like one or the other. I think the chef should stick to the Mexican stuff, because he obviously has ability.

This place strikes me as a cozy date night if its not crowded, but I couldn’t see going back for any compelling reason, or making it a go-to, which is a shame, given that it’s 100 feet from my apartment.

Oh, and cash only? What is this, the dark ages? Get a credit card terminal. Cash only is for a taco truck.