Tequila tasting menu – a new experience: Restaurant La Tequila (7. April 2017)
Years ago in Cancún, I have been to a place which serves a lot of different tequilas, called ‘La Distilleria‘. Now, I had expected no less from ‘La Tequila’ obviously. To start we were offered various lemonades and I went for the “Lemonada de fresas” (strawberry lemonade) which was quite tasty but the glass only had limited practical use.
Shortly, after being seated and after the drink was served, “some dip and chips” were served which helped perfectly to feed one until the courses started coming.
Now, if I was a restaurant, I would highly promote a “tasting menu with tequila” (750 MXN) but I only realized by chance that there was such a thing. Basically, there is just a small note on the menu saying that you should talk to the waiter in case you’re interested in having such an experience. Which I obviously did. And well, that was the start of a fun night.
You basically get a separate sheet with a variety of dishes and you get to pick eight of them (by crossing them) and each comes with an individual tequila. But before you get started with the menu – and you have to be patient before you get there – there will be some ‘spicy Mexican sauce’ prepared for you. Luckily, they ask you in what spiciness you want to have the sauce.
And it goes quite well with the chips which have been served previously.
As a first dish, I went for the “Grasshopper Quesadilla (blue corn quesadilla stuffed with grasshoppers from Oaxaca and a melted blend of three different cheeses: Oaxaca, Chihuahua, and Goat. Served with guacamole and morita chile sauce)” which sounded weird but frankly, it was quite an interesting dish. It was rich in flavour and the fact that one leg stuck out a bit was definitely awkward but not really a big deal.
It was served with a “Tres Generaciones Plata” – and if you asked me now how these tequilas all tasted I can genuinely answer that I have no memory of that.
Next in line was the “Mixe Chile Taco (buttered mixe chile from Oaxaca stuffed with pork and olives. Served with a roasted tomato and smoked chile sauce)” which was rather standard but the smoked chili sauce was definitely something quite unique in my book. I have tried quite a couple of chiles since I have been to Mexico various times but this I have never tried so far (or at least I can’t recall).
And it was served with a “Campo Azul Reposado”.
After the first two dishes which were served approximately 40 minutes after we had placed the order, we received an “amouse bouche”, a “shrimp soup” – I mean, I know the restaurant was busy and all but why not just cut it if you don’t manage to bring it in the very beginning (as you were supposed to).
The third course I had picked were “Stuffed Plantains (plantain croquettes filled with refried black beans and covered in mole. Served with cream, fresh cheese and chopped onion)”. While I was wondering a bit what ‘plantains’ were, I figured that it was the cook-able bananas and I must say, it was quite delicious as it had everything in terms of sweetness and spiciness as well as consistency-wise.
This time, a “Herradura Reposado” was the lucky winner to pair with this dish.
The next course was the “Octopus al Pastor Tostada (grilled with a dash of Chintextle, served with avocado, red onion, and fresh cilantro)”. Now, usually, I like seafood a lot and the combination of the flavours was quite nice too – but the fact that the octopus was cold and quite chewy was not really the way I would want to enjoy it.
And the “Don Julio Blanco” was quite intense and didn’t help to mitigate much …
While the fifth dish definitely did not look too appealing, the “Coconut Shrimp (breaded with grated fresh coconut and flamed with Tequila: served over pineapple and rice on a coconut, pineapple and chipotle coulis)” was actually quite interesting. I like coconut a lot, and the breading of the shrimp with coconut definitely made for a great combination with its sweetness and crispiness.
And with that, another “Tres Generaciones” was served – this time a “Reposado”.
The first ‘main’ course was a “Tenochtitlan beef tenderloin (tenderloin of beef with huitlacoche, topped with melted cheese, mild poblano pepper sauce and served with white rice)” which was chewier than it should be (imho) but went quite well with the poblano pepper sauce. Now something which started bothering me here was the fact that yet the second dish was served ‘on rice’. It might generally be a good addition to whatever kind of dish you serve but if you have that consistently throughout almost all your mains, I think it lacks a bit in creativity.
And the beef was served with a “El Tequileño Gran Reserva”.
My second main was the “Chile Norteño (poblano chile topped with melted gouda cheese, stuffed with arrachera steak cooked in a chipotle sauce. Served with white rice)”. Guess what? Yes, served with rice again! The dish itself was fine, but definitely below impressive.
And it was served with a “Patrón Reposado”.
I only went for one dessert – “Crepas la Tequila (crispy crepe stripes with cajeta (goat’s milk caramel). Served with vanilla ice cream)” and it was actually delicious. However, my company had the same dessert and it had way more cajeta on it – I think they were taking sides here! Besides, the dish is good, the crispy crepe stripes do the trick but there are almost too many of those.
And it was served with an “Arette Añejo”.
When I ordered the bill, a “Nieve de Tequila” was carried to the table with the bill. A nice gesture really and something really Tequila-y.
As stated above, you only get the menu when you explicitly ask for the tasting menu as it is not really mentioned properly in the actual menu.
The waiters are incredibly caring – but were definitely a bit challenged with us ordering the tasting menu (seems like that doesn’t happen too often). But they were also dedicated to accommodate as many people as possible so they were shifting tables and chairs basically all the time. Now, that’s okay, as I would also try to get the max out of my restaurant capacity but at some point it became slightly ridiculous as it was really like watching waiters play Tetris with tables and chairs.
But as you can see, the place itself is quite nice as it offers not only space, some interesting atmosphere but also quite a wine cellar and a tequila selection to pick from. Definitely quite outstanding!
Overall, the La Tequila can be recommended as you get to spend an evening with good food and well paired tequilas – just be patient and check you don’t empty out the chips and dip before the actual menu starts as it is quite a lot in the end. Also, despite the size of the place, make sure to book a table in advance as else, you won’t stand a chance to get a free table (especially, if you’re in larger groups).
Rating:
| Atmosphere: |   |
| Service: | |
| Dishes: | |
| Price-Performance Ratio: |  |
| Overall Rating: | |
Contact Details:
Restaurant La Tequila
Avenida México 2830
Terranova
44600 Guadalajara (MX)
Tel.: +52 33 36 40 34 40
E-Mail: reservaciones@latequila.com
Homepage: http://latequila.com
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
