Once the hottest Mexican restaurant in New York City, a revamped Rosa Mexicano makes a play for suburbia
“Rosa Mexicano eschews the leaden and starchy cliches of most Mexican places to eat in New York and attempts to serve what Mexicans genuinely consume. It is also one of the handful of such destinations exactly where you will not wish for a stretcher to carry you house soon after meal,” The New York Times declared back in 1986, when many servers at the Burlington Mall’s Rosa probably weren’t born however.
Rosa’s new culinary vice president, Manuel Trevino, claims the model stagnated above time. Ownership altered the pandemic took a toll the menu veered towards Americanized dishes.
“Not a lot modify experienced appear to the manufacturer, and there was genuinely no pleasure at the rear of it. If you check with anyone who knows the brand, they’ll generally say the very same point: ‘Oh, I try to remember Rosa, I used to consume there. I have not been there in so lengthy,’” he says.
Now there is an overhauled menu and additional areas, which include 1 in Boston.
“My aim was to make Mexican food items the way it must be created. I am Mexican-American I grew up in a Mexican household. … The greatest food in Mexico is ordinarily in someone’s property. We preferred to bring that form of homeyness to the dining places,” Trevino says.
Rosa is the most recent New York-dependent cafe to open in Burlington, joining Parm and Shake Shack.
“The Burlington Mall … is virtually starting to grow to be a culinary vacation spot,” he claims, a assertion that would probable shock any individual who arrived of age at their meals court circa 1995 (me).
What to consume The menu listed here is much diverse than at the perennially packed, marginally less costly Border Café across the avenue, which specializes in Cajun and Tex-Mex and whose atmosphere remembers a summer camp dining hall. (I say this with like.)
In this article, guacamole is organized tableside by a server with a flourish — from time to time aided by youthful diners, by ask for. It’s creamy and prosperous, blended to your preferred spice amount and augmented with extras like bacon, crabmeat, or grilled pineapple. Also great: velvety queso (insert chorizo if you like) in excess of ultra-skinny, super-salty chips. Rosa is also regarded for their enchiladas, tightly rolled and liberally sauced. Try out the trio: nutty mole poblano pink guajillo chile and shiny, clean tomatillo salsa verde.
There is also an intriguing twist on the common chile relleno, commonly a battered roasted poblano pepper stuffed with Oaxaca cheese. Right here, it is lighter and presumably more healthy, filled with quinoa, black beans, and corn, topped with a tangle of watercress, all in a fiery chipotle sauce. It is fulfilling, but I also skipped the ultra-tacky, ultra-greasy version.
If you’re viewing with a team, attempt the parrilladas: a sizzling blended grill with all the protein your coronary heart dreams: purple chile hen, grilled chorizo, jumbo shrimp, and more, together with stuffed jalapenos, vegetables, guacamole, beans, salsas, and hot corn tortillas.
What to drink: Rosa has generally been recognized for its margaritas (mango, pomegranate, blood orange), specially the spicy cucumber with jalapeno-infused tequila, cucumber juice, and a chile-salt rim. Sadly, my edition was watered down, encumbered by an ungainly hunk of cucumber. It also lacked the promised rim. Improved: the agave-hefty Mezcalrita, which arrives at the desk using tobacco atop a layer of dry ice.
The takeaway: The support right here is fast and thoughtful. When my son’s Sprite tasted like seltzer, an apologetic server quickly whisked it absent and warned off yet another table from buying soda. When we required the verify, it was developed promptly with an knowing that we have been headed to a movie down the street. The meals aspires to sophistication, and there’s a lot to check out on the menu (ceviche, birria tacos served with consommé for dipping, shrimp in chile de árbol). If they up their margarita video game — and end off their patio, which was beneath development when I frequented — it before long may be much easier to get a table at Border.
75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, 781-352-9190, www.rosamexicano.com
Kara Baskin can be arrived at at [email protected] Observe her on Twitter @kcbaskin.