Xochimilco = Fine Mexican Dining

The top five Mexican restaurant blog seemed to get everyone commenting on their favorite Mexican eating establishments. Jacob had suggested I try Xochimilco, which is located in Mexican Town in Detroit, Mi. So last night Jacob, Nicole, Sarah, Chris, Katherine, Jeni and I went to D-Town to experience come fine Mexican eating. (Emily and DJ were supposed to go, but ended up not attending.)

Jacob was right. The food there is awesome. As always I ended up ordering the beef and cheese enchilada plate. However, I did so only after it fairly won a tournament against the three combination plates. The enchilada plate was on par with El Az, but I would also recommend getting a combo plate because they looked so good. The enchiladas were huge. For a moment I thought I could double up and have another plate, but alas it was too much food for me.

Combo number three (I made the Mambo Number Five joke three or four times last night, because I’m stupid) consisted of a chicken and cheese enchilada, chunky beef burrito and two beef and cheese tacos all served with rice and beans. I was pulling for that plate, but enchiladas won two out of three coin tosses.

The salsa was very good. There were two selections: mild and hot. The hot had a unique aftertaste to it. It was different than any other salsa I have ever had and I was very impressed. I would have liked to bottle it up and take some home, but with the whole check fiasco I opted not to ask our waitress if I could do that. The chips were served hot. I burned my mouth.

The margarita I had was different as well. It tasted as if it were carbonated; like I was drinking All Sport spiked with tequila. I enjoyed it, which is odd because I hate All Sport. I would have had another, but they were strong and my tolerance isn’t what it used to be.

The service was the only iffy part of the whole Xochimilco experience. Our food was served faster than a speeding bullet. We ordered and in less than ten minutes we were eating our food. (So a speeding bullet is anything faster than ten minutes.) However, when it came time to get the check the waitress could not separate the bill and was rude to Nicole. Every party at the table had to pay their own portion of the bill (with no tip included) then they brought back a separate receipt in which you could pay your tip. Sound confusing? It was. The manager said it saved time. It confused me more than the first time I had to learn the pathogenesis of left ventricular hypertrophy and the resulting diastolic dysfunction in cardiology.

Finally, the ambience. I love Detroit. It is an amazing city despite its dwindling population and negative portrayal by media outlets. Detroit boasts great sports, from the outstanding Public School League of high-school basketball to the Red Wings; fine culture, there is the culture rich area by Wayne State University featuring the DIA to Greektown and Mexican Town; rich musical history, such as the birth place of Motown and home to rockers like Mitch Ryder, the White Stripes, Brendan Benson and Eminem; and amazing architecture, like the houses on Grand BLVD and the Fisher and Fox Theatres. Detroit has it all. Xochimilco and Mexican Town offer everything Detroit has in a small couple of blocks. The restaurant itself is rather large and has a brick entrance that made me feel like I was walking into a castle (and I like to feel like I am a king, which I am).

It was a good night at a good restaurant. Does it make my top five? Yeah, knock out Taco Bell (but I still love you Taco Bell, don’t be mad at me). With some more visits to Xochimilco it may move up even higher.