Restaurant Review: Rosa Mexicano

Rosa Mexicano is an acclaimed Mexican restaurant with 3 locations in New York City, a place in Washington DC and more coming soon the Atlanta and Miami. So you can say they know their food. The wife and I have lived in NYC for almost 2 years now – and Rosa Mexicano was one of the first recommendations for Mexican food we received. But for some reason we never made it there.

Then, just a few weeks ago we were struck with the Mexican food/margaritas bug and we decided to try it out. We made reservations a week in advance (for a Friday night). The Lincoln Center location ended up being much closer to our place then we expected, which made it all the easier to roll home after eating. The place was hoping (what isn’t in NYC on Friday night) and the bar was packed – always a good thing! The waterfall wall was pretty impressive but it didn’t really fit the Mexican food theme that we chileheads are accustomed to.

Like all good foodies, the wife and I had thoroughly researched Rosa Mexicano before going and knew from the reviews that the pomegranate margaritas were going to end up on our bill along with some of their raved about table side guacamole.

Okay I like guacamole as much as the next guy, but $14 for a serving of guacamole is highway robbery. Yes they made it at our table, yes they served some other fancy sauces (sauces not salsas) with it – but when I saw the price I almost fell out of my chair. We asked for it extra spicy (of course) and it didn’t even register on the wifes heat meter! All that being said, it was quite good. The next time we go, we will most likely order it again – now that the sticker shock has worn off.

So while we were digging into the guac our drinks arrived. The pomegranate margarita for the wife and a can of Tecate for me. A can? At a place that charges $14 for guac? This I didn’t get – but I dug it. The wife fell in love with her margarita – so much so that I couldn’t snap a picture of it (or the next 2). They must have a margarita slushy machine in the back of the house – all of our drinks were delivered in record time and we were seated upstairs.

Nick- Tacos de Carne Asada
Grilled marinated skirt steak served in a cast iron skillet with Chihuahua cheese, charro beans, roasted corn esquites and salsa chile de arbol. $19.00

The Ex – Pescado a la Veracruzana
Roasted filet of seasonal white fish served with spicy potato flautas and Rosa’s Veracruz sauce (roasted tomatoes, sweet peppers, olives and capers). $24.00

You can see the remaining menu here.

The pictures don’t do it justice, but holy moly was the Carne Asada perfect. The meat melted in my mouth but maintained just the right grilled texture. The Chihuahua cheese (underneath all the meat) was perfectly melted and remained that way since it was served on a tiny heated cast iron pan. All the accompaniments were really just filler, but very tasty filler. Once the food hit the table the wife and I didn’t talk much, just exchanged bites of food and satisfied smiles.When we go back, I’ll be very hard pressed to order something different. And I just found a section of their website where you can order some of their sauces/salsas for home delivery. Score! I think I’ll order some just as soon as a few of the open containers are polished off.

Rosa Mexicano
61 Columbus Avenue at 62nd Street
New York, NY, 10023