Toloache: Me Emborraché

Toloache: 251 W. 50th (Bet 8th and Bway), Midtown

Toloache gets its moniker from a Mexican flower, supposedly used in the creating love potions. Call me a disbeliever, but I'd bet on the potency of tequila before the flower. Flower or not, I love Toloache. As far as this gringa can tell, the food is authentically Mexican, with clearly decipherable ingredients, a sharpness of flavor, and freshness of ingredients that I think Rick Bayless would appreciate in crusading for the cuisine. There don't seem to be any bad dishes on the menu, unless "bad" means walking a little sideways from one of their potent cocktails. I've had the "Tacos de Pescado" (fish tacos) a few times and enjoy the small, but satisfying portions of all dishes from ceviches to salads. Despite the tired ubiquity of guacamole in Mexican cuisine, Toloache's trio of guacs manages to resuscitate the classic with three distinct versions using incremental spice: traditional (cilantro, tomato, onion) fruit-packed (with pomegranate, peaches, mango, and habanero), and spicy (red onion, chipotle, and queso fresco). You'd be un burro to dismiss this as just another "Tex-Mex" restaurant or a margarita bar. Given the fact that they have an intimidating list of tequilas, my recommendation is to go for the food and stay for the drink (my dad likes the Bohemia beer...he enjoys pronouncing the "soft b"). If only Gabriel Garcia Bernal would join me in imbibing one of those intoxicating Toloache potions...