Short review/recommendations- Enmoladas, Ceviche De Langosta (Atún if available,) Steak Tartare. To a lesser extent- Aguachile Verde De Navajas, Mar Y Tierra. All were tasty though.
A sister restaurant to Casa Enrique, Quique Crudo is an excellent little spot specializing in Mexican seafood or more particular, a raw bar though there are some excellent meat and cooked seafood options. They get quite crowded and don't have much room at all even by NYC standards but if you're looking for fancier well flavored composed Mexican seafood, I can't think of a better place right now. To drink, I had a cocktail/cóctel from their extensive menu which was the Noche Buena Mezcal with Mala Santa Mezcal Espadin, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice, and brown simple syrup which was $18. The drink also came with a tajin rim on the outside and it was very tasty with it having a nice sour-sweet mix from the juices with a subtle nice smokiness from the mezcal. They recommend people order two to three dishes a person so 7-8 for our party of three but we made due with what we ordered with me adding an extra dish as one of the specials sounded excellent.
The first thing that arrived was the Aguachile Verde De Navajas for $25 with Cape Cod razor clams, cucumber, lime, red onion, cilantro, chile serrano, and avocado. As per all seafood, the raw razor clams were very high quality with some citrusy notes and as per the word, aguachile, the dish had a kick to it but it didn't overpower the rest of the ingredients. This was tasty and I would recommend two people to share this or three if each wants to have one piece.
Soon arriving was Ceviche De Langosta which was market price/$MP (I believe around $50) with Maine whole lobster, coconut, ginger, salsa macha, cilantro, cucumber, and red onion with it also coming with some totopos/fried nixtamal chips. The lobster had a nice supple bite to it due to it being partially cooked from the ceviche juice with the light coconut flavor adding to the natural sweetness of said lobster. The slight spice and smokiness from the salsa macha made the dish helping to reduce the sweetness and balance everything out. Even with the price point, I would recommend it heavily.
The last raw seafood dish ordered was a special of the day which was the Tuna Ceviche (or rather Ceviche de Atún) for $25 or so with said raw tuna, guava, yuzu, lemongrass, pistachio, and serrano. I'm using not usually the hugest fan of guava as I find it to be a bit too sweet but with the other citrusy flavor, it worked nicely with the yuzu and lemongrass adding a touch of sourness for balance. The large pieces of tuna melted in my mouth and the bit of crunch from the pistachio worked nicely. This was excellent as well.
We also got two orders of the Tostada Steak Tartare for $22 with peanuts, capers, chives, cornichons, parsley, shallots, grain mustard, and salsa macha. The steak was roughly cut within the tartare adding a nice texture with there being some crunch, some sourness, and a little smoky bite from the salsa macha. It was tasty overall.
There was also the popular Mar Y Tierra for $28 with seared scallops, homemade chorizo, hash potato, cashews, chipotle aioli, and salsa verde. The plump scallops were nicely seared though I found the chorizo less spiced than usual. Surprisingly, the potatoes paired nicely with the scallops and the mix with the meat was a fun spin on chorizo y papas. This was not my favorite but it had good contrasts.
The last main dish was the Enmoladas for $24 with chicken, black beans, mole, crema, queso fresco, onion, and avocado. The mole is apparently Mole de Piaxtla which is the same Puebla style mole used at Casa Enrique and is made with dry peppers, almonds, raisins, plantains, sesame seeds, chocolate, and other ingredients. The mole was of excellent quality with a good subtle bitterness along with some sweetness and savoriness with the shredded chicken being tender. This was excellent and a worthy main for those who don't want seafood.
We didn't bother with dessert though the Pastel de Tres Leches sounded good. The price point might be high but as said by a local place by me, fresh fish isn't cheap and cheap fish isn't fresh. Overall excellent quality with equally excellent drinks. I would definitely go back even with the cramped space as the quality of the food was that good. read more