WEEKLYPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM •JULY 10, 2013 7


Comfort food made from scratch, Mexican style - Guacamole Mex-Grill


By Bob Behr Special the Press/Review


D


uring one of last week’s many down- pours, my friends


and I dashed into Guaca- mole Mex-Grill for an early dinner. Soon, over a shared appetizer of homemade corn chips and a light, al- most fluffy guacamole dip, we forgot Philadelphia’s monsoons.


Guacamole Mex-Grill is part of Woodland Av- enue’s Renaissance, a next- big-thing shared by Four Worlds Bakery and other businesses with energy and vision. With its home-away- from-home feel, Guacamole has already earned a place in many local food-lovers’ hearts. It’s cozy and com- fortable with brightly painted walls, pottery, and paintings. The dining area has street-facing windows on two sides, wooden peasant stools instead of plastic chairs. The friendly, soft-spoken proprietress/ chef (the matriarch of the de Luna family whose ances- try traces back to Mexico) regularly visits the tables to check on customer satisfac- tion.


Only a block and a half


from what many neighbors still call “the pharmacy col- lege,” and a short walk from Clark Park, Guacamole is fast becoming a take-out destination for lots of young customers. Given that, who would expect artful plating? But our first entrée to arrive drew admiring gasps with its perfect ice cream scoop of rice and its patterned mound of refried beans nestled against three steam- ing enchiladas. Next came a lovely platter of tacos and a single behemoth burrito, all filled with marinated pork. Then, a juicy steak tampique- na served with a cheesy mole enchilada, rice, beans, guacamole and creamed peppers. More gasps. Even my taco salad, flecked with steak, was delicately archi- tected. Photo ops abound in this taqueria, many already posted on the proprietors’ Facebook page. It was much more than a visual feast. As we reached across the table to taste each other’s dishes, the commen- tary kept returning to these pillars of good, authentic food: fresh ingredients, generous portions, flavors


that whisper rather than yell. And, as you move from dish to dish: distinctness, not sameness. Clearly, my companions and I were won over. We ate every speck and we lusted over menu items never gotten to, like cochinita pibil, bar- becued meat marinated in chiles, herbs, and seeds and wrapped in banana leaves. Or, pollo mole, the classic Mexican chicken specialty. Or, fajitas served with a tangy lime salsa. Drinks? Our group’s most dedicated aficionado of Mexican food was thrilled to see Jarritos on the menu, a soft-drink brand he has been able to find only at the Supremo at 43rd


and


Chestnut. He drank mango and I had limon. Made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup, these sodas have a retro vibe. Two of our friends sipped a horcha- ta, a sweet milky cold drink that reminded them of the tapioca pudding they ate as children.


None of us had major complaints. One of us felt


she could have handled hotter, spicier tacos. The burrito-eater found himself wishing for more pork and less rice. Perhaps the taco salad could be modernized slightly by adding other let- tuces to the iceberg. But our morning-after tweaks were overridden by the satisfac- tion of being well fed by chefs who pay attention to detail and who respect their cultural roots. Too stuffed to move on to dessert, we postponed the homemade churros (dough- nuts to die for), flan, and bunelos for next time. Yes,


www.lemongrassphila.com


there will be a next time. Guacamole Mex-Grill 4612 Woodland Avenue (at the corner of Markoe Street)


Philadelphia PA 19143 215-307-3162


Facebook.com/Guacamo- leMexGrill


Appetizers $2-$11 Entrees $8-$16


Credit cards accepted Delivery Takeout or eat in BYOB


Open Monday-Saturday 11 am-10 pm Zagat Survey


Destination Award 2003


1001 Spruce Street 215.922.1773 from the birthplace of aphrodite traditional cooking


“One of Philly’s Top 50 Best Restaurants!” -Philadelphia Magazine


kanella greek cypriot kitchen


Come Experience the Taste of Thailand! FREE DELIVERY ($15 min order, 0.5 mile distance)


3626-30 Lancaster Ave., Philadelphia, PA 215-222-8042


Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm | Dinner: Sun-Thu 5pm-9pm· Fri-Sat 5pm-10pm


FREE GIFT or Custom Facial!


with an Introductory


We use Dermologica™ products. By appointment only.


Exp. 7/31/13


3730 SPRUCE STREET Near the 37th & Spruce Sts. Trolley Stop


www.penncampushairsalon.com


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