While the menu boasts many beers on tap, I was in the mood for a cocktail, so I decided to order the "formulaforsuccess." This drink consists of Tito's Vodka, Rosewater, Agave Nectar, Ginger Beer and fresh lemongrass. It was very refreshing, and while sweet, not too sweet. The ginger beer evened out the sweetness of the agave nectar, and the rosewater added a lovely scent to the drink. (Let me apologize for the quality of the photos - it was dark, and my flash didn't do enough justice to the delicious things put in front of us!)
While waiting for the fourth in our party, we decided to order a small plate, of which the menu has many to choose from, to tide us over. We opted for the "Papas Fritas," crispy triple-fried fingerling potatoes, served with a red pepper-garlic mayo. This was a new take on fries, for me, but they were really tasty. The fingerling potatoes had been halved, and because they had been triple-fried, they were tender, but crispy. The mayo really took this dish from generic to unique. It was so flavorful, and we really couldn't get enough.
Once we were all together, we decided to order another appetizer while we decided on our entrees. The menu has a section of differently flavored wings, so we decided to try the "drunken wings" first, beer marinated with tequila, chile, lime and salt. The wings are served in little cast iron skillets, and they are crispy, juicy, and delicious. Each flavor that is mentioned in the description is noticable as you take each bite. I love it when you can pick out each flavor, but also realize that as a whole, they make for an incredible dish.
When placing our entree order, we decided to order another flavor of wings as well, since the first batch were so good. We opted for the "Sticky Wings," sticky, sweet and marinated in a slightly spicy BBQ sauce. As the next little skillet was brought to the table, I got the scent of tangy BBQ and saw the sticky pile of wings. The flavors were so different from the "Drunken Wings," but still so delicious. They complemented each other quite well, but I think I liked the "drunken" ones better. Something about tequila, lime, and chile on chicken...yum!
For my entree, I decided to try one of each of the four tacos that they offer. The tacos are sold per piece, but if you bunch a couple of them, the price goes down, so it made sense to try this as my entree. The "Pork Belly Taco" is a flour tortilla with crisped confit pork belly, pickled red onions, and dragon lady sauce, which is SPI-CY! The pork belly was so crunchy and crispy, and pickled red onions just add something to an otherwise spicy taco, a refreshing relief from the heat. The "Tuna Taco" had Shichimi dusted rare seared tuna, greens, jicama, avocado, and a blood-orange chile glaze, all served on a flour tortilla. Again, Shichimi is spicy, but the avocado and jicama balanced the flavors quite well. As for the glaze, the citrus of the blood orange cut the spice of the chile as well. The "Toro Furioso Taco," is the probably the spiciest of the four...with chili marinated short rib, banana peppers, pickled Thai peppers, red dragon sauce and micro cilantro, again on a flour tortilla. This sure was a "furious" taco, with the red dragon sauce, AND the pickled thai peppers, AND the chili marinade, but since I only had one of them, I braved it. The short ribs were tender and easy to bite into, and the flavors melded so well together!
But wait, that's only three, you say? You're right! I got a fourth taco. The "Potato Taco," and the only of the four that were vegetarian, was a flour tortilla, served with crispy oven roasted potatoes, bean puree, avocado, herb vinegar and sea salt. While there was no meat, and no chili included, I found this to be the most refreshing of the four tacos. The potatoes were crispy, rather than mushy, which added a nice crunch to each bite, and the flavors were very bright. The sea salt and herb vinegar brought out the flavors very nicely, and I was actually happy to finish my meal with this as my last taco.
With more catching up to do, we all ordered one more drink, so I decided to try the other cocktail that had struck my fancy. Called the "Midnight Interlude," Grey Goose Poire was mixed with a Blackberry Balsamic by the Boston Olive Oil Company, and topped off with Prosecco. It was a very interesting flavor combination, and the first time I'd ever had balsamic in a cocktail. I liked the tartness that it brought to the drink, and was a nice way to end the meal!
Five Horses Tavern is located at 400 Highland Avenue, in Somerville, MA. It's a great scene, a great menu, and a great staff, so if you are in the area, definitely go check it out!
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