I had always imagined this restaurant to be an elegant one; the façade reminiscent of regional…read morecolonial architecture inviting new patrons to come and taste the delicacies of northern Veracruz, as well as a welcomed sticker letting Amex users know their credit card is accepted here. I imagined the decor and ambiance à la Nico's, with well-trained servers, white tablecloths, and handsome platings. However, my excitement soon turned into dread as I stepped inside the contradicting restaurant. It looked like a typical fonda that tried to be a sit-down eating establishment: a simplistic, almost non-existent decor, faux-leather tablecloths, and what I expected to be plain-tasting food served on a plate without any form of inspiration.
We ordered with low expectations upon seeing the seemingly mass-made Pan Dulce, which probably came out of the factory-like ovens of Costco. Our food arrived on ordinary plates, but the food actually looked inviting. Handmade tortillas unexpectedly made an appearance along with a tasty looking salsa, and we slowly recuperated our appetite. The stellar dish was the Cecina, Veracruz-style, which was slightly thicker and not as dry as Yecapixtla Cecina, but still packed a ton of flavor and saltiness typical of a slab of cecina.
Here you can pair your cecina with nearly everything, be it chilaquiles, scrambled eggs, dobladitas, a variety of enchiladas, or even as tacos. They also have a variety of regional specialties, such as Huastecas, Migadas, and Bocoles. Ultimately, the food makes you forget the decor, and that is a good thing.
Either this place is an unconventional stroke of genius with so many instances of juxtaposition taking place, or just a circumstance of people cooking awesome food in a not so awesome restaurant. While I lean towards the latter, I would rather leave it for up for people who have not eaten here to decide for themselves.
