You’ve got a spot on your shirt,” I say, pointing at my husband.
“Hey, I do, too,” says our friend on the other side of the table.
I look down at my blouse. Me, three.
Such are the hazards of sipping margaritas and dipping into salsa on the rooftop deck of The Latin Quarter on a balmy night. Yet the reward of a brilliant sunset boosted by some chips and a bowl of chunky guacamole makes breaking out the spot remover seem a minor inconvenience.
The newest restaurant in the Kapow Group’s portfolio (they also own Tsunami and Lemongrass), The Latin Quarter replaces the former Metropolitan with a Cali-Mex, made-from-scratch, concept: everything from infusions for cocktails to tortilla chips is made in-house. But while menu offerings are consistent throughout all three floors of dining, each dining space will add a distinctly different flavor to your meal.
Each floor boasts a bar, but the similarities end there. The rooftop is über-cool casual. Techno music wafts through the loudspeakers over built-in couches buried in pillows and tables shaded by umbrellas bearing Dos Equis logos. You half expect your server to address you as, “Dude.” (Thankfully, he doesn’t.) The middle- floor dining room is more formal, with deep red walls and intricately woven wicker chairs, while the snug bottom floor sports acid green walls and a smattering of tables and booths.
It’s likely those interior rooms will fill up when the weather turns cooler, but for now, the rooftop is the place to be, mainly because of the pleasing view rather than any spectacular food. While none of the dishes we tried were objectionable, nothing was markedly better or different from any number of Mexican restaurants in the area either.
As is so often the case, the best items at The Latin Quarter remain the simplest ones: a bowl of chunky guacamole flavored with roasted garlic; lightly battered fish tacos served open face with a tangle of slaw; a side of black beans zesty from a generous squirt of lime. Pancake-like papusas are another pleasure, especially stuffed with a thin layer of roasted pork.
Other dishes fall short of expectations. A Cuban salad tempts with a combination of fresh jicama, mango, and cucumber, but its pineapple-rum vinaigrette is oddly bland, and a burrito pairing ahi tuna with chorizo somehow fails to enhance either ingredient. Instead, they both get lost in the cheese and beans and guacamole that covers every surface of the plate. A little more sauce could have saved a braised pork torta from dryness, though the accompanying yucca fries are a welcome substitute for potatoes.
The Latin Quarter offers a full selection of Mexican beers and a handful of fresh cocktails, including a very nice margarita and mojito, served by folks who are as laid-back as the setting, but still attentive and kind. They honestly seem to want you to have a good time, and who, on any given day, couldn’t use that?
Mary K. Zajac writes extensively about food.
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