A Taste of Mexico: El Catrin

Today I had planned on going to a Mexican restaurant in the Distillery district that I had been to before.  I "knew" they did not have a TV so decided to go for a late lunch but not too long into the first half of Mexico’s game I wondered if they would have brought in some TVs for the game.  I called and found out that they were in fact showing the game so at halftime I made my way over. 

The place is called El Catrin and my understanding of the place is that the owner took a trip to Mexico and fell in love with the cuisine.  As a result he/she revamped the restaurant to serve an authentic Mexican cuisine.  When I arrived I realized that by accident I was wearing a green top similar in colour to the Mexican green so I blended in well with the Mexican fans.

I started by ordering a drink called the Hibisco Rosa. It had two types of tequila in it, hibiscus syrup, rosewater and citrus.  I really liked it because it was so different from what I’m used to drinking.

As I reviewed the lunch menu I knew I wanted to try at least two things.  So I settled on pork tacos and a shrimp, mango and papaya salad called Ensalada Destileria.  The waiter was kind enough to inform me that I could order two tacos and a side salad of my choosing for a lower cost which was perfect because I really didn’t need all the food I was expecting with my original order.

The restaurant and large patio seemed a little over half full but my waiter was quite busy running between customers inside and outside.  Only a fraction of the customers were there for the game and the restaurant is set up to show all the games.  I’d say if you are looking for someplace to hang out and watch some games then this is a great spot, especially for last minute plans.

I really enjoyed my lunch today.  The salad was delicious.  I don’t know how they managed to slice the mango and papaya so thinly.  If you’ve only ever had Canadianized tacos/tortillas then you really should try these ones out.  The tortillas are different from any typical tortilla shells you get at most places, unless of course you’ve been eating authentic tortillas somewhere else.

Given that this was no less than my fourth visit to the restaurant it is safe to say that I will continue to return here.  If you want to try various tequilas  a) be careful with that stuff as it could have you doing unexpected things later  b) this is a good spot given all the varieties they have behind the bar.