Relocating from Brighton over a year ago,
Zócalo has made a home in the former Stix Restaurant space on Stanhope Street, directly across from the Clarendon Street entrance of Back Bay Station.
Serving contemporary Mexican cuisine in an atmosphere almost identical to that of its former predecessor; hard angled wood panels and large circular light fixtures define the space.
Large flat screen TVs at the far end of the dining room and at the bar lead me to believe they are beckoning sports fans. While initially off putting (being sat directly under one) it turned out to be no big deal, especially since we happened to be dining during a Bruins playoff game. Borderline creepy decor points include the pictured mask in the ladies room and the life size wicker/ skeleton-esque statue of a woman greeting you at the front door.
Never one to criticize individual tastes, usually I embrace whacky decor, (the mask, ok fine!) but there was nothing inviting about that wicker woman.
Far more impressing was their blackboard specials done up in bold artistic writing and brightly colored chalk. More importantly, (wait for it, wait for it) what was most impressive about Zocalo was
THE FOOD!
Holy Guacamole! Their Award Winning batch is prepared fresh to order and costs $9.95.
It seems a little steep but we all know avocados are no joke and you do get a pretty huge portion, living up - in my opinion - to whatever awards it has been granted.
Crispy corn Tortilla chips are served warm with a side of salsa.
We went all out and ordered the non complimentary bowl of salsa as well, (unpictured, however the portion size compares to the guac bowl) the
Salsa De Jalisico ($9.25) which is also prepared fresh to order with roasted chiles, roasted tomatoes, roasted tomatillos, garlic, onions and cilantro. I wished it had a little more heat to it, but otherwise it was a flavorful salsa with prevalent chunks of roasted green chiles.
My
Mango Chilita ($10.95) cocktail made with
Corzo Silver Tequila, mango puree, jalapeno syrup, and fresh lime was good but not remarkably strong or spicy. I only half expected it to be spicy since cocktails promising heat often let me down. I think the jalapeno syrup served to temper the sweetness of the mango and lime, overall making this a well balanced and refreshing drink. The final touch of a chili pepper rim was inventive and appreciated.
Plantains came alongside some of the entrees and they were fantastic! (Photo borrowed from
Yelp.) My friends
Gretchen and Lisa both loved their entrees of
Chile Rellenos ($19.95) two roasted poblanos chiles; one stuffed with mixed Mexican cheeses, spinach, raisins and toasted almonds; the other with braised pork. Served on a roasted tomato broth, plantains and Mexican rice. Sounds amazing, looked amazing, clearly Zocalo knows their Mexican. The menu did look to offer some vegetarian options and
DeMane was able to customize a vegan dish (though what it was escapes me) to her liking. The waiter was happy to accommodate her requests which is always nice to see.
I was equally as impressed with my entree choice of
Carnitas ($20.95). The tender, flavorful braised pork adobo sat over a brilliantly paired mango-cucumber guacamole. Were talking thick, fresh chunks of juicy mango and smaller bites of crisp cucumber smothered in more of that creamy, lust-worthy guac.
A cold pico de gallo piled on top of the pork adobo rounded out the dish.
Mexican rice and black beans accompanied, I especially enjoyed the presentation of the beans in a mini cast iron skillet.
The reasonably priced entrees utilizing high quality, authentic ingredients proves
Zócalo Cocina is a worthy choice for your next Mexican meal out in Boston!
*While dining at Zócalo last Wednesday, I watched the intense thunder and lightning storm from the comfort of the restaurant. The illumination of the sky was breathtaking, actually, and a little rain never hurt anybody. (Queue exiting the restaurant mid downpour.) As we are all well aware, the rest of the state was not as fortunate.
In light of the Tornados that devastated Western Massachusetts last week, my friend Alicia is donating her June Foodbuzz income to aid the victims. "Western Mass is where I grew up, and home to some of the most hard working, real, and kind people I've ever met...They are in my prayers" Please visit The Clean Plate Club (all it takes is one click!) and help Alicia generate more earnings in support of those who've lost so much.*
I ended up scoring tickets at the last minute through Urban Daddy but had I known about the event before hand (which apparently sold out in 5 minutes) I'd say it's easily worth shelling out the small price of a ticket ($10) to feast on the avocado in its finest form. 
I brought my sister along as my plus one; we had a great time sipping margaritas and sampling each and every guacamole offered, starting with the amateur guacmakers, who just so happened to be a trio of friendly faces. 
Justin prepared an Asian influenced batch, made with ginger, scallions, water chestnuts and sriracha. It proved one of the most original and inspired guacs I tasted all night.
The girls of We Are Not Martha prepared an equally fantastic Bacon Guac with grilled corn, onions and queso blanco. 
Besides Poe's Kitchen, the other Boston based Mexican restaurants shelling out green goodness by the cup or spoon full included local chains Anna's Taqueria and Boloco, tequila havens Temazcal and Papagayo, Brighton and Fenway taquerias, El Pelon and La Verdad; respectively, Back Bay's Zocalo and Inman Square's Ole. 
A good majority of these restaurants boast award winning versions and justifiably so. I reviewed Zocalo's guac on a recent visit, tonight's batch did not dissapoint. Otherwise - I was sampling all these creations for the first time!
Temazcal's guacamole mountains were laced with a serious amount of onions adding a super sharp, pungent zing to their batch. 
I adored the versions that incorporated summer fruit lending a welcome sweetness and juicy texture. 
Poe's was defined by huge chunks of peaches, while Ole went the route of adding mangoes. Also in Ole's mango infused version - sliced almonds! Diverse guac at a scene like tonight is easy to love. Smokey bacon, sweet corn and juicy tomato, I tasted all these components incorporated into creamy and luscious, thick and chunky avocado goodness. My sister and I both agreed La Verdads was our absolute favorite. With serrano chiles, charcoled corn, cilantro and salsa roja, it's slow burning spice took the creamy avocados to another level. 
The event saw a huge turnout. I think it's pretty fantastic that these Boston restaurants along with the guacaholic community came together to raise money for local hunger relief organizations. I'm officially looking forward to Guacanon 3!
If photographing toilets are wrong, (annoying overused cliche as it goes) then I don't want to be right. An experience in itself is taking a trip to the womens room, but 
past the extravagantly lit up Boston Public Library over to Delux to close out the night with Jen's Margaritas.
Tequila makes a night interesting/fun/crazy that is for sure.
