Hello and Welcome to another episode of Restaurants Reviews!
Today we're taking a look at a brand new restaurant serving upscale authentic Mexican food inspired by the La Huastecan region of Mexico.
ABOUT THE RESTAURANT
La Huasteca is a restaurant located on the top floor of the new shopping mall, The Source, in Buena Park, CA. Inspired by the small southeastern region of Mexico, their decor reflects many aspects of authentic Mexican culture including original artifacts, murals, and furniture.
Although there are many familiar dishes on their menu, this is a restaurant that's cooking up meals that are definitely not your typical Mexican food.
THE DRINKS
1. All-Natural Mango Margarita ($11)
Description:
Fresh Real Mango Juice and Tequila topped with a Lime Wedge and a Tamarind Rim.
Review:
They actually have a decent selection of interesting signature cocktails here, but given that this is a Mexican restaurant, we decided to start off with one of their fruity margaritas.
I'm not sure which brand of tequila they use here but it was extremely smooth and was great with the fresh mango juice. Because the juice was freshly squeezed, the cocktail was slightly thicker and almost had the consistency of nectar juice, but was perfectly sweet and refreshing. The tamarind rim was also a nice touch and added a Mexican candy-like spice and sweetness that only enhanced the sweetness of the mango juice.
Result:
A classic and refreshing margarita with quality tequila. 9/10.
2. Jarrito El Burro ($11)
Description:
Ginger Beer, Lime Juice, and Tequila served in a Copper Cup and topped with a Lime Wedge.
Review:
This drink seemed to be inspired by the classic cocktail, the Moscow mule, but being as this is a Mexican restaurant, La Huasteca uses tequila instead of vodka for the alcohol base.
The tequila again was super smooth in this cocktail and the lime juice and gingerbeer added some very refreshing and citrusy notes that were quite pleasant. The ginger beer definitely had some kick to it as there was a noticeable little spice on the back end that was just subtle enough to match with the rest of the drink without being too overbearing. If you're a fan of tequila and also like Moscow mules, you definitely won't be disappointed with this one.
Result:
A subtle but pleasant twist on the classic Moscow mule that's refreshing, smooth, and little bit spicy. 8.5/10.
APPETIZERS
1. Empanadas de Flor de Calabaza ($8.95)
Description:
Corn Tortilla Empanadas filled with Squash Blossoms and topped with Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, and their House Signature Sauce.
Review:
I'm not sure if squash blossoms are beginning to become a thing but I'm starting to see them in more and more restaurants and their unique floral flavor should be a welcome ingredient for both vegetarians and non vegetarians.
Despite not having any meat filling, the empanadas were actually pretty flavorful, especially with the addition of the stuffed squash blossoms, various toppings, and drizzled white sauce.
The pastry was light and airy and the filling was soft and a little creamy (like yams or sweet potatoes) but with a bit more texture and floral aroma. The toppings also gave this dish some additional flavor and textural complexity adding some freshness from the tomatoes and onions and some rich creaminess from the guacamole, and milky white sauce.
Result:
For meatless empanadas, these were actually very good. 8.5/10.
2. Ceviche Huasteca ($8.95)
Description:
White fish, Shrimp, and Avocados marinated with Lemon, Serrano, Habanero, Cilantro, and Tomatillo sauce.
Review:
This is labeled as one of their signature appetizers on the menu and everyone around us seemed to have ordered this dish as well.
When I was watching the waiters serve this appetizer to other tables, I first mistook it for guacamole due to the distinct green color but this was just the variation of Mexican ceviche that they specialize in here.
The ceviche was bright and citrusy from the lemon juice and various peppers but had a nice creamy texture from the mixed in avocados. There was plenty of soft and meaty fish and shrimp throughout the whole dish and was complimented well with the crunch of the pickled onions included over the top. They serve their ceviche with a side of saltine crackers, which I wasn't too big a fan of, but they tasted great with the complimentary tortilla chips they serve at the beginning so I definitely appreciated the different options they provided.
Result:
Overall a pretty good ceviche with plenty of fish and shrimp throughout the dish. 8.5/10.
THE MAIN EVENT
1. Molcajete Azteca ($30.95)
Description:
Rock Stone filled with Chicken, Beef, Pork, Chorizo, Shrimp, Panela Cheese, Grilled Cactus, and Grilled Onions over a Mexican sauce served with Spanish Rice, Beans, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, and Corn Tortillas.
Review:
This was actually one of the main reasons I wanted to try this place out and even though the menu says that it's for 2 people, I saw many tables around us sharing this dish between 3-4 people. Us being us and normally ordering twice the amount of food that normal people would usually order, we decided that the 2 people suggestion justified that we should order this entree, despite the 2 drinks, 2 appetizers, and mountain of chips we just consumed...
The molcajete came with two sets of sides of tortillas, beans, spanish rice, pico de gallo, and guacamole. The presentation of this entree was actually pretty cool and had every type of protein you could possiibly ask for in one dish.
Starting with the carne asada steak, the beef had a nice char and slightly smoky flavor and was decently tender in the center.
The shrimp was a tiny bit overcooked (more than I personally prefer) but was still nice and meaty with a good smoky flavor.
The chicken (which is the flat meat that kind of looks like a fish filet) was soft and cooked pretty well but was probably my least favorite protein out of the four here just for it's basic simplicity.
The pork, which was served with the bone, was probably one of my favorites here as it was tender, meaty, and had a nice grilled taste to it. It was definitely the most tender out of the four meats, which I think was supplemented by the choice of the bone-in cut they decided to use for this dish
Lastly, there were a couple of other interesting items included here like a whole roasted pepper and grilled cactus (which was really interesting and tasted like literally half pepper, half fruit and had a bit of a tart taste) but the real star of this dish was the sauce and chorizo that the whole molcajete was sitting in the center. The sauce was rich and meaty and tasted like the inside of a meat pie but in a more stew-y kind of way. It really enhanced the overall flavor of the otherwise relatively standard meats.
Result:
This is a great dish to share with friends and the sauce was absolutely amazing, but I think they could have made the flavor of the meats a little bit more special. 8/10.
THE DESSERT
1. Cheesecake Huasteca ($6.95)
Description:
Goat Cheese Cheesecake topped with a Whole Strawberry and Sweet Jalapeno Sauce and drizzled with Chocolate and a Mixed Berry Sauce.
Review:
I'm not gonna lie. By the time dessert came around, both my girlfriend and I were absolutely stuffed but we needed to order this because:
1. We both have a sweet tooth and
2. I needed to order it to fill out and complete this Steemit review for you guys (can I get an upvote for that? :P).
Anyways, we went for their recommended dessert, which was the goat cheese cheesecake and it was pretty dang photogenic. The cake itself was relatively dense and you could definitely taste the slightly tart, earthiness of the goat cheese which went well with the subtle sweetness from the dark chocolate drizzle and mixed berry sauce.
The menu noted that there was also a sweet jalapeno sauce but I couldn't really taste or identify which part of the dessert had the sauce. Nonetheless, this was a pretty solid cheesecake and I think it's worth ordering.
Result:
The presentation of the dessert was simple and beautiful and the overall taste was pretty good. 8.5/10.
OVERALL RATING
Upscale Mexican Food isn't something you come across every day but La Huasteca's unique dishes and classy ambience made the whole experience novel and pretty enjoyable. They have a great selection of solid cocktails and interesting dishes that should cater to the tastebuds of various people and although this isn't the first upscale Mexican restaurant I've been to (the other being Javier's which I'll probably be doing a review on in the near future), I would say this place is definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.
Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8.5/10
Value: 8.5/10
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