"Stalking" Ed Levine: Papatzul

I know… how many people can I stalk simultaneously, really?  (Hint: in addition to these two, there’s a certain baseball player whose apartment I can be spotted outside on home game nights… I’m just kidding.  Really!)  To be honest, though, after the excellent food I had following his review on La Nacional, I decided Mr. Levine couldn’t steer me wrong.  So I started making a list; whenever he posted a positive review that sounded like something I’d enjoy, the restaurant went on my list. 

Papatzul is the first I got to, snagging Linguine along for the ride.

Being the extreme dork and fangirl I can be, I printed out his review and ordered accordingly.  First up was the ceviche. 

While the presentation was impressive to behold, it made eating somewhat difficult.  We didn’t have spoons, and using my fork only made the stuff pop out of the glass.  Otherwise, the flavor was deliciously zippy from the lime juice, and there was no lack of fish and shrimp – in fact, I’d have liked it a bit more were there more of the yummy vegetables, which had soaked up the lime and become wonderfully tasty as well. 

Of course, an order of the house-made guacamole was in order.  Now, I make my own guacamole, and don’t find it impresses me too often.  Usually it’s just a big show – they make it in front of you, big whoop (they did no such thing here) – and then it just falls flat.  Not so here!  Chunky but creamy, too, the way I like it, loads of tomatoes, a good spike of garlic and onions, and even some jalapenos in there. 

I didn’t want to stop eating it but I had to, because I was already feeling full before our entrees even peeked their heads out.

Again following the advice of Mr. Levine’s review, I also ordered the salsa tasting. 

They came, all lined up, so pretty.

Which is why I took so many pictures.  The farthest one in the pictures was explained as made with papaya; the nearest one was “the spiciest, very hot, made with habaneros and chilis” – it looks lethal.  It smelled lethal.  It actually looks very much like just chopped very fine hot peppers.

I chickened out.  I thought they went from mild to hottest, and tried the papaya one, which proved to be too much heat for me.  The second one after it, though, was spicy, with a kick, but not unbearably so.  In fact, I am pretty sure that one is what was drizzled over my entree.  The middle green one and the red one after that were also a bit much for me, just tipping a tine of my fork in for a taste, so I completely avoided the last one.

Linguine, however, dove in, despite my warning.  “OMG” and “WTF” may have crossed his mind.  Unbearably hot.  I didn’t see him touch that one again.  So for all you spicy lovers – this is probably a good salsa for you.

Linguine ordered a chicken torta, never having had a torta before and interested in trying one.  I admit it looked damn tasty on his plate – on the side was a big pile of shredded cabbage, dressed lightly with lime.  The torta itself loomed large, looking luscious, and as soon as Linguine bit into it, he knew he’d ordered the right thing.  I believe he said, “Wow,” so when I asked him if it was good, he just nodded.  I had to ask: What made it so good? and his simple response said it all: “There are just a lot of flavors coming together here that work well together.” 

I ordered the fish taco, not knowing what to expect really.  I am pretty sure I’ve only had one fish taco, ever, and that was almost two years ago.  Well, I needn’t have worried.

Though, continuing my “I don’t know how to eat this!” trend, I couldn’t figure out how I was meant to actually pick this taco up and eat it at all even a bit neatly.  There was way too much filling for me to think I could wrap the tortilla on the bottom around it, so I opted instead to eat the pieces of fried fish with the shredded cabbage and spicy dressing, without the tortilla.  And WOW.  The fish was fried to perfection – crispy outside, no batter, inside moist and the delicate white fish intact, flaking beautifully.  The spicy sauce wasn’t overpowering, and in fact, mixed with the shredded cabbage and diced tomatoes made the perfect complement to the fish.  I gobbled up as much as I could.  The rice was nice, too, plump and a good foil to the rest of the dish, but not outstanding.  I really liked my fish taco, actually, and though I wound up unable to finish all of it, I took the rest home for a snack.  And you know – even though it’s fried fish, which you’d think wouldn’t hold up well – it was still yummy the next morning.  The fried fish hadn’t gone completely mushy or soggy; though it wasn’t crispy, it still retained much of its texture.  The shredded cabbage, tomato and dressing came together and all of it was just fantastic. 

Yvo says: Arriving a bit after 2 on a Wednesday, the place had only a few tables of people scattered here and there.  Perhaps it’s the location or I don’t know why it wasn’t packed, but wow, I am definitely going back.  I’m already planning a return trip and will be back within the next few weeks to try more stuff… if I can resist the fish taco.  Either way, I’ll report back if the fish taco is always phenomenal… or if the other dishes are worth a try. 
highly recommended