I’ve never been to Cabo or Cancun. If I wanted to try to make it to one of those cities, I could sort of emulate the experience by bringing a heat lamp to Rumor or Mantra. Instead, my fondest memory of Mexico was landing in Cozumel at the Aztec ruins when a vendor desperate for tourist attention threw an iguana into my arms and snapped a Kodak, then sold the insta-photo to my parents for $15. What I don’t remember is the food ‘-‘- and Mexican cuisine boasts the most flavorful spices and complex sauces, or mole, in North America. So now, over 10 years since my preteen conquistador days, I’m craving a taste of Mexico. It just needs to be somewhere within an 8-mile radius of BU Central.
Marcela Nava, a senior at BU from Mexico City, helped guide me to Casa Romero, a hidden restaurant right off of Gloucester Street in the Back Bay. The doors to the belowground restaurant are covered in azure-painted tile, matching the vividly painted murals and ceramic mosaic’d interior.
We were greeted by Herman, our Honduran waiter who was incredibly helpful in recommending dishes and drinks for our party of five gringos.
Per his request, we started out with a smorgasbord of apps, including the Baja style fish taco ($6.50), a crispy fried whitefish lying between folds of a homemade tortilla; the shrimp and avocado cocktail ($9.50), large, succulent shrimp resting on a cold, chopped vegetable and cilantro salad; the baked cheese with crumbled chorizo ($8.75) which featured molten monteray, cheddar and mozzarella cheese scattered with well-done chorizo, which gave the dairy goo some texture; and the special appetizer, a thin but satisfying cactus and tomatillo soup, slices of fresh avocado buoyed in the bowl ($7). All of the chosen appetizers were delectable, but the shrimp cocktail could have been skipped. After the few shrimp had been eaten, nobody touched the leftover salad because we had guacamole and salsa with our fried tortilla chips (all house-made).
The entrees were equally as impressive. The chicken enchilados poblanas came dressed in a thick, cocoa-and-cinnamon-laced savory mole, with fluffy refried beans and a hefty portion of Mexican rice ($15). Similarly, the enchilados verdes were stuffed with pulled chicken with a creamy cilantro sauce and enough on the side to sop up with warm tortillas. Other noteworthy options were the medallones de pollo rellenos de nopalitos en Mole Poblano ‘-‘- chicken stuffed with cactus and cheese ($20); the puerco adobado en chipotle y naranjo, the house’s signature dish of pork tenderloin marinated in oranges with chipotle pepper ($25); or the calamares rellenos al chipotle, saut’eacute;ed squid in a tomato chipotle sauce ($19.50).
We were too stuffed for dessert (although the tres leches soaked-cake sounded incredible), so instead we ordered more tequila. Herman made incredible cocktails; The Paloma, made with Jimador Reposado and jarrito soda ($7), the Perfect Margarita, El Jimador Reposado, Cointreau and fresh lime juice on the rocks ($8.50) or if you’re feeling particularly risky (and sober) try the Chartreuse-laced Romerita, with El Jimador Reposado and fresh lime ($8.50).
As the Nor’easters roll in and kiss your cheeks with frostbite, remember that you don’t have to scramble for tickets to Acapulco ‘-‘- a cozy paraiso with a well-stocked tequila bar ‘-‘-‘ located right off of Newbury Street, and you can even keep your shirt, and dignity, intact.
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