Crystallized Cactus

Last night, my husband and I decided to go out for dinner, so I took the pile of vouchers I've accumulated off the fridge, and thumbed through which ones might be expiring soon. I came upon Acitron, a new Mexican bistro in Arlington, that we've been interested in trying for some time now. I put the voucher in my purse, and we hopped into the car for the 3-minute drive to Arlington Center. Upon walking into the new bistro, we were immediately aware that we should have made a reservation weeks ago! The place was hoppin'! Hoping for something to open up, we approached the hostess and asked for a table. To our chagrin, there was just nothing for us due to upcoming reservations, but the three elderly women at the bar were paying their bill...albeit, slowly...and we could sit at the bar if we so chose!

We've never been known to turn down a seat at the bar so we patiently waited for the women to gather their belongings. It was like watching an episode of the Golden Girls, acted out in front of us. Goodness! After about 10 minutes, they were finally bundled up and ready to go, so we took our seats at the bar, where the bartender, who later introduced himself as Mo, was shaking margaritas like it was his job...haha, wait a minute. :) We placed our order for margaritas into the queue, for my husband, a Jalapeno margarita, and for me, a Blue Sky Margarita. It contained tequila (of course), blue curacao and a splash of Amaretto DiSarono. It was delicious...but stay tuned for the best drink of the night...it's coming up soon.

While we enjoyed our cocktails, we glanced over the menu and immediately realized that this was going to be a tough decision! Everything looked SO good! There were plates being brought from the kitchen that made both of our mouths water! While perusing the options, we received a bowl of what I can only imagine was homemade salsa, as well as some tortilla chips which were still warm!

We decided on sharing the Queso Fundido Con Chorizo as our appetizer. This sizzling skillet of chorizo, poblano pepper strips and sauteed onions mixed with four different kinds of melted cheeses was to die for! It was ooey, gooey, and delicious! It came with some fresh from the oven tortillas which really complemented the dip, as well!

By the time we were almost finished with our appetizer, it was definitely time for round 2 of the cocktails. When we sit at the bar, we like to ask the bartender questions, and tonight was no different. My husband asked for something different, keeping with the bold flavors that he already experienced in the Jalapeno Margarita. Well, Mo really delivered on this request...and I got one of the same! Instead of tequila, he used Mezcal, something neither of us had much experience with. The smokiness of Mezcal is bold and delicious, and paired with his own version of a dark and stormy, this was probably one of the best drinks I've ever had! It was like...a summer's night, in a glass! Refreshing, savory and bold...only three of the MANY words I could use to describe this cocktail!

Yes, that's a lime half, turned inside out! Now it's a little cup!

When our entrees arrived, we were excited to dig in! I ordered Camarones En Mole De Tamarindo, a shrimp dish with a tamarind-based mole sauce. The shrimp were cooked to perfection, and drenched in the sweet and savory tamarind mole, served over a piece of cornbread. Since all of the entrees come with two sides, I opted for a vegetable medley which consisted of mushrooms, cauliflower, peppers and a delicious sauce, as well as a Poblano Pepper rice which was fluffy and spiced to perfection!

My husband decided to go with Conchinita Pibil, an axiote seed, spices and fresh orange marinated pork dish, served roasted and shredded, and garnished with pickled onions and scallions. For his sides, he chose the refried pinto beans, and Elote, which is grilled corn on the cob with chipotle aioli, cotija cheese and spices on top. 

We were full, but we had to order a serving of Tres Leches for when we arrived home. This dessert was rich, delectable, and definitely fresh! The perfect ending to a delicious meal!

The plates were aesthetically pleasing, the food was delicious, the staff were extremely friendly, and I don't think I've had such good Mexican cuisine since the last time I was in Mexico, and that was a long time ago! Everything about this meal was awesome, and I can't believe it took us this long to give it a try! If you want authentic, fresh Mexican cuisine, definitely give Acitron a try...but don't forget to make a reservation! You can find all the information about Acitron if you click here.

Acitron is candied nopales, which are the fleshy, oval leaves of a prickly pear cactus.

Pasha

One cuisine that I haven't explored nearly enough is Turkish food. Thankfully, a Turkish restaurant has moved into a nearby town, and we've tried it twice now. The first time we had it, we ordered take-out, but when I walked into Pasha's space to pick up our order, I was immediately transported to a small cafe in the center of Istanbul. I had to try eating there, and tonight, we did!

First, let me say that the presentation on every dish that was brought to us was absolutely gorgeous. The colors, the music and the decor in the restaurant are so authentic, and I think it will quickly become one of my new local favorites. We decided to order a bunch of things to share, and I got some great pictures too! I'm also going to include the Turkish name for each dish, in parentheses, for fun. I love learning new languages.

For appetizers (mezeler), we chose to order Mujvair (mucver), which is baby zucchini fried with fresh vegetables, topped with garlic yogurt sauce. We also ordered Beet Tarator (kirmizi pancar), which is boiled and shredded beet with homemade yogurt and mayonnaise. The zucchini was crispy and well seasoned, tasting fresh and light. The beets were REALLY good! It was a chilled dish that would make for a great summer side dish...I think I'm going to try making it sometime soon!

For our shared entrees, we chose to order the Shepherd Salad (coban salatasi) and Baytea (beyti). The salad included diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green peppers, mint, dill, parsley and was lightly dressed with a house dressing. It was so fresh and crispy and cool...really the perfect dish for a warm spring day like today. Very refreshing! As for the Baytea, it is sauteed ground lamb gently rolled in fillo dough, topped with yogurt and tomato sauce. There must be some lemon juice in the sauce as well because it had this wonderful hint of acidity in every bite. That acidity is something I never would expect, looking at the dish, but it just adds a brilliant touch.

Everything we've ordered at Pasha has been delicious, refreshing, and satisfying. It makes me want to visit Turkey so badly, to experience everything for real. Until that day, I will live vicariously through my visits to Pasha, which is located at 669A Massachusetts Avenue, in Arlington, MA. Right now, they aren't delivering, but it's worth it to drive there to pick up your order if you are looking for take-out. Their number is 781-648-5888. Check out their menu here!

Mmmm...Za!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope all of you are sharing the love in some gourmet-rific way tonight! Matt (my husband) and I have our own tradition for this, the 14th of February. We try and avoid the craziness that surrounds this day with some takeout from a very special pizza joint near us. Pizza and our DVR...does it really get any better than that?

This special pizza joint I speak of is called Za and it's located on Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, MA. My favorite part of this restaurant's concept is that many of their ingredients are locally sourced and the menu rotates based on what's growing in the area. They even serve locally brewed beer, along with some wines.

We frequent this establishment quite often but we've made it a special tradition to get takeout on Valentine's Day. The menu consists of salads and pizzas, both interesting and unique combinations. Their trademark chalkboard depicts the seasonal specials up on the wall, and we usually choose from those, rather than the regular varieties available on the everyday menu.

From Za's website

While the pizzas are on the small side, we've found that getting one salad and one pizza works well for a two-person meal. On special occasions, like today, we usually add a dessert or two as well. Tonight, we opted for the Crisp Iceberg Lettuce salad with tomatoes, red onions, grated carrots, Applewood Smoked Bacon, and blue cheese. It's all topped off with a Creamy Buttermilk Dressing. As our main course, we chose one of the special pizzas, per usual. Pears, gorgonzola, fontina, toasted walnuts, cranberries, thyme  and scallions top this yummy 'Za! They had some really interesting special desserts on the menu so we decided to try one each - and try each other's! :) I decided on the Lemon Tart with Organic Strawberries, and Matt opted for the Chocolate Goat Cheesecake.

The salad is from the regular menu, and we order it all the time. I'm not sure how they do it, but they've managed to get the dressing to drip in-between each layer of iceberg lettuce, making each bite totally delicious. The pizza was piled high with nice big pieces of crisp pear, and I thought the dried cranberries were really a lovely touch. The flavors meld so well together in all of their combinations. Dessert was yummy, and mine was quite colorful wasn't it?! I found that the tartness of the lemon went really well with the light, fluffiness of a slight bite of whipped cream. Yummy!

We washed all this down with a lovely bottle of white wine. It was a very enjoyable dinner, and everything is packaged nicely for take-out. I find the restaurant itself endearing as well. The owner has an adorable collection of different pigs on all the shelves in the restaurant: piggy banks, pig statues, pig collectibles, you name it. The walls are adorned with local artwork that's also for sale and rotates on a regular basis. It will always be a different scene when you walk in! The staff is super-friendly and welcoming, and the surroundings are cozy in the winter, airy in the summer. I love when they open all the windows!

If you haven't visited Za, I highly recommend it. They can be found at 138 Massachusetts Avenue. They don't take reservations, but I do think they'll take a call-ahead on busy evenings.

Hug someone special tonight!