Rosa Mexicano is more than just a restaurant. It is an establishment that stands for tradition, family, and community in addition to great food. I’ve been going to Rosa Mexicano for as long as I can remember. My family has celebrated many milestones at the place, one of the most notable being my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary. Rosa has a special place in my heart…
The first thing I do whenever I step into a Rosa Mexicano is order the tableside guacamole. You would be crazy not to. In my opinion, there is literally nothing better in life than fresh avocado, and you can’t get much fresher than guac made right in front of your eyes. My friend and I shamelessly devoured the entire order, even though the portion would normally serve as an appetizer for a family of five. We ate part of the huge bowl with the crispy, salty chips that had been provided to us, but the other half just with a spoon. We joked we would try a low carb diet someday and rely on this guacamole by the spoonful for sustenance but it actually isn’t much of a joke, because I would totally do that and live prosperously.
For the next course, we ordered the Huevos Rosa and the Mahi Mahi tacos. Before I dive into the delicious details of these dishes, I must mention I was convinced by my server to order a frozen pomegranate margarita. I usually shy away from frozen margs because I’m scared they will be too cloyingly sweet, but this margarita was perfect. I could actually clearly taste the flavor of the pomegranate and the margarita, because the drink wasn’t loaded with unnecessary sugar. In addition to being delicious, the drink was also a bright pink color, which was very visually stunning.
Okay, back to the food. The Huevos Rosa was their version of Huevos Rancheros, which in this case meant corn tortillas layered with black beans, topped with bacon, a fried egg, crispy tortilla strips, and both green and red salsa. This dish was really quite delicious. The tortillas held up well in terms of crispiness despite being soaked in sauce. I especially appreciated the dish came with both salsas, because I find I’m constantly attempting to decide between green salsa and red, and this way I didn’t have to decide. The Mahi Mahi tacos were insanely delicious. One thing I love about Rosa Mexicano is their tortillas are incredible. They’re the type of corn tortillas that are so fluffy and voluminous that you ask your server 15 times if they’re truly corn rather than flour, because they’re so smooth they couldn’t possibly be made with masa! But they are. And they are amazing. The fish was very tender and accompanied by a nice slaw. This time I opted for some green salsa on top, which rounded out the flavors very nicely.
The last course consisted of fresh Carnitas, elote, plantains and, of course, rice and beans. I have to admit, I’m usually not a fan of fruit with my meat, but the pineapple served with the Carnitas was so delicious, I forgot about my preconceived hesitations. It takes a great dish to change your thoughts about something, and Rosa Mexicano’s carnitas did just that. I have a mild obsession with rice and beans and have had one every since I was a young child and Rosa’s rice and beans did not disappoint. The rice was extremely moist and flavorful, and the black beans were refried, and very smooth. I especially enjoyed the side order of plantains we got to accompany my meal. Every sweet bite served as a nice little palate cleanser in between bites of meat. The elote were as delicious as they looked, and should always be a part of your order when dining at a Mexican restaurant.
All in all, my experience at Rosa Mexicano was a great one, but they always are. Rosa Mexicano is consistent, flavorful and interesting, and I will surely be back.