We made our return trip to El Xangarrito last night with a large group and I can confirm that this place is still firing on all cylinders. I got to sample a variety of items and pretty much every bite ranged from great to exceptional. This time I decided to take a few pics of some of the highlights:
Mini FlautasJuicy chicken and cheese filling, crispy exterior, not much more needs to be said.
Chicken Poblano FundidoServed with warm flour tortillas, this was gooey deliciousness. (Though the use of mozzarella did create a few moments of "cheese pull" hilarity at the table reminiscent of classic pizza joint clichés.)
Pork TenderloinThis temporary special was described as "Soft pork tenderloin drizzled with morita sauce, accompanied with Peruvian beans, quelites, arugula, and pickled onions". Each component was superb but when mingled together the earthy fresh bite of the quelites, tangy onions, rich warmth of the morita sauce, and unctuous beans all perfectly complemented the pork -- the only minor quibble was that it was cooked just a little bit more than I prefer, but that wasn't enough to wipe the smile off my face. Not pictured: the Enchiladas Morita special, with the same sauce and stuffed with shrimp and provolone (also a big hit at the table).
Camarones a la Veracruzana"Shrimp, onions, chile serrano, tomato, green olives and cilantro, on a tomato-habanero sauce served with rice and jicama salad". I only got a couple of bites of this one but my tablemates raved about the perfect briny-ness of this dish. As with many of the offerings at this restaurant, it's a traditional dish executed superbly.
I am already looking forward to my next visit. One thing to note is that while the patio seating area along Rockwell is fairly expansive, the interior of the restaurant (while also lovely) is fairly tiny and didn't seem ideal for larger groups. So I imagine it's a very different type of experience in inclement weather.