We media hacks have days like all working stiffs: some are better than others. Yesterday, well, was WAY better than most others because the owners of Wild Rita’s gathered a bunch of us to experience the newly opened restaurant at 455 E. Market.
Like its sister concept, Wild Eggs, it’s a busy and bustling place. Unlike its predecessors at that location, Mozz and Primo, it has an outstanding chance of doing well there with its affordable combination of mod-Mex food, outstanding list of craft cocktails, 69-item tequila list (a cache of agave juice owners want to more than double) and strong operators on the watch.
The owner-operator team of J.D. Rothberg, Shane Hall, Todd Troy (general manager) and Tony Efstratiadis were on hand to ply our group of nine with more tastes of tequila, mezcal and below-the-border food than was healthful. But no one made us eat it. It was too good to pass up.
Just to arouse our appetites, we were served an unusually garlicky white queso, fresh and fiery ceviche and Mexican pizza.
We shared four tastes of mezcal (tequila’s smoky cousin) and a half dozen tastes of tequila, all poured neat and served with painter’s palettes dotted with flavored salts, lime and pineapple wedges. (For me, the garnishes are for lookin’ only. I like good tequilas on their own.)
Whether spooning up spicy, bubbling molcajete, manhandling a mélange of tacos, slicing slow roasted pork shoulder or ganging up on the gargantuan chuleta massiva (shown in the photo above), there’s no shortage of superb and sharable bites.
Enough of reading this! Go get yourself some for dinner!
And start with the barrel-aged margarita. It’s a dandy.
