"About Last Night..." Gia Goes Tijuana - Chic

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Casual. Yes, it was casual. I wasn't in the mood for anything too crazy. Mexican is always good for a night like this. Nestled in my lime green Lululemon Athletica hoody I was ready to grab a cozy spot in a nice booth, snuggle with my date and down some yummy Margaritas. That's what I had in my head - that was my plan. Maybe it was the wrong night. Maybe my headband was pinching and affected my thinking. Maybe my expectations were just too high. It was ok. The entire night, up to the kiss goodbye was just OK. Rewind one hour. From the street, Angels & Mariachis has Rock Star curb appeal. It's a place that invites you in out of curiosity. This Rock Cantina has soul, but I just wasn't feeling it. The lights are funky. The skulls, the urban art adorning the walls, and the vintage photos left me with very, very high expectations of the food.

There I was, propped up on a booth with my date across from me, smiling and laughing. I was ready to start the alcohol. The Swirl Margarita was calling me. Half strawberry and half lime - it was like a ginormous goblet of yum. Two drinks later, it was all good. No, not really, I can't lie. I was hankering for a fish taco; something I think always let's you know how good a Mexican place is. Well, our server kept saying they were "delicious", but that they were very "fishy"

"Ummm...are you kidding me?". But, she was so excited about the fishy fish tacos I had to try them. They were good, but not great, and they weren't "fishy" at all. What was she thinking? The Tortilla soup was luke warm, and the beans and rice had no distinct flavor, it was like it all tasted the same.

So it's my understanding that there has been a recent change of ownership and that it may have lost some of its authenticity - a MUST in the world of Mexican cuisine. Our server raved about the drink specials and all the various venues during the week. This was all pretty good and well, but I probably won't be heading back any time soon. The date didn't go very well either so it was kinda like the Last Supper all the way around.

In these photos: Gia Claire, Professional Bloggess

Angels & Mariachis is located at: 1721 W. Division 773-227-7772

Oh WAIT - they have a very cool website - check it out: www.angelschicago.com