Frida Kahlo’s face was the first thing I noticed as I walked into Frida’s restaurant. I admired the painting for a moment before the giant wall of tequila caught my attention. Both the paintings throughout the restaurant and the tequila wall are works of art.
The Mill Creek restaurant is named for the famous Mexican surrealist painter, who the owners, Antonio Pina and Rocio Pina, have always admired. The names of many of the menu items pay homage to Frida in some way.
We visited Frida’s recently for an early dinner, and were pleased to discover a different type of Mexican restaurant. The food was delicious and interesting.
Deciding what to eat was a challenge. Because the menu offers such interesting options, I found myself reading it as if it were a book before I could make a decision.
The service was comfortable and friendly. It’s a restaurant where you feel like you can linger as long as you want, or enjoy a quick meal and go. The waiter was patient with our attempts to pronounce the menu items. I’m sure, however, that his assurance our pronunciations were “perfecto” was rather generous.
The wall of tequila is hard to resist. We shared a margarita ($7.50), which was everything I like in a margarita: simple, on the rocks and just tart enough to nicely pair with the tequila.
If you are a tequila aficionado, you can choose from a variety of tequilas for your margaritas. You can also order a nice sipping tequila. The restaurant offers about 300 tequilas, ranging in price from $5 to $100.
Despite my curiosity and love of tequila — and because I respect my checking account — I refrained from sampling the $100 options. What if I liked it? Then I’d really be in trouble.
The sangria was a perfect summer drink. The half carafe ($11) was a generous size and each glass came with an orange, lemon and lime on the rim — perfect for a citrus fanatic like myself. There was also a slice of apple in the glass. I strongly encourage eating the apple after finishing your drink; it was refreshing and crisp after soaking in the cold drink.
The meal started with some chips, with three sides for dipping. My favorite was the fruit salsa. We ordered the Empanadas de Camaron ($9.95) for an appetizer and Sopa de Dona Matilde Calderon ($6.95) for our soup. The empanadas were a handmade corn tortilla with shrimp, onion, mushrooms and tomatoes with an avocado sauce. The corn wrapping was thick and delicious with the filling.
The soup had the texture of a really thick tomato soup, but its flavor was much stronger. The spice of the chilies was nicely balanced by the tomato, avocado, cheese and the sour cream that comes on the side. I wanted to eat all the soup, but resisted because I knew I’d have no room for dinner if I did. It tasted great the next day warmed up as a snack.
My husband ordered Filete Gomez de la Sernas ($18.50) and it was fabulous. The entree is a skirt steak with ham, onion, mushrooms and chilies with an avocado and crema Mexicana sauce. The meat was tender and full of flavor and the avocado sauce was rich and creamy.
My Crepas Abuelita ($16.95) were fine, but nothing spectacular. The flavor of the crab filling was overwhelmed by the sauce. The sauce was tasty, but I would have preferred the entree to allow the flavor of the crab to come through more.
When we asked for the dessert menu, our waiter showed up with a dessert tray, showing off the attractive offering of sweets.
I wasn’t sure I was going to order a dessert, but once I saw the tray it was all over. Everything looked good.
Sadly, my first choice, the guava cheesecake, was sold out, but the flan cheesecake ($5.95) was fantastic. It was rich and creamy without being too heavy after such a large meal.
Frida’s is more expensive than the typical Mexican restaurant, but it offers more. If you like tequila, clearly it is the place for you.
It’s also a great place to enjoy a different type of Mexican food. While you could certainly show up at Frida’s for a quick lunch or dinner, I suggest you take some time. Frida’s is a lovely spot to linger, eat slowly, chat with the wait staff and savor a pleasant meal.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
