• Food Quality
• Value
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Casa Oaxaca

2106 18^th Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20009

202.387.2272

Hours:

Sunday – Thursday 5pm – 10:30pm
Friday – Saturday 5pm – 11:30pm
*Closed Monday

The more I eat Mexican cuisine the more I begin to realize two truths: (1) Mexican food is unbelievably diverse & (2) Mexican restaurants are overwhelmingly frustrating.  The intricate simplicity that is at the forefront of home cooked Mexican has been bafflingly missing in my experiences of eating out.  Eating at Casa Oaxaca, these truths were made more self-evident.

Located in Adams Morgan near Jack Rose, Casa Oaxaca strives to bring the flavors and authentic ingredients unique to the Mexican state of Oaxaca.  Oaxaca is located in the Southern region of the Mexico.  Widely varied due to the relative geographic isolation of its inhabitants, Oaxaca’s gastronomy is best known for Mole – a distinct sauce that comes in various flavors and ingredients, with chili peppers as the common factor.

I started with two appetizers: (1) Oaxacan cheese flambéed with Chorizo and (2) Red Snapper ceviche with pineapple.  The Oaxacan cheese dish was very disappointing.  Similar to Monterey Jack with a mozzarella texture, the flambéed Oaxaca was really thick – so much so that it suffocated the chorizo.  In fact, I can’t actually recall what the chorizo tasted like because every bite was literally 95% cheese.  The cheese itself was good but with it being at room temperature, its flavor complexity was non-existent.

I started with two appetizers: (1) Oaxacan cheese flambéed with Chorizo and (2) Red Snapper ceviche with pineapple.  The Oaxacan cheese dish was very disappointing.  Similar to Monterey Jack with a mozzarella texture, the flambéed Oaxaca was really thick – so much so that it suffocated the chorizo.  In fact, I can’t actually recall what the chorizo tasted like because every bite was literally 95% cheese.  The cheese itself was good but with it being at room temperature, its flavor complexity was non-existent.

After the imbalance of the appetizers, I was expecting the Mole to be something different altogether.  And, for the most part it was.  Moving past the beans and the rice (both of which were fine), the chicken doused in the different Moles was slightly overcooked.  Dry and slightly rubbery, the chicken was underwhelming.

The main focus of the dish was the three Moles – each with their own distinct flavor and texture, providing an interesting, newfound experience.  The red Mole was the spiciest of the three.  The mixture of onion, garlic, pasilla and ancho peppers created a smooth heat that grew in character as it spread across the tongue.  The black Mole provided the most body.  The addition of chipotles and Mexican chocolate created a dense smokiness that also had a nutty underbelly.  The green Mole was the lightest.  Less spicy than the others, the green Mole had notes of pumpkin seed, tomatillos, and epazote.  The taste of Cilantro was also present throughout.

The last dish, moist sponge cake soaked in 3 milks infused with rum, was amazing.  A fluffy composition with a thick flavor, the sponge cake was expertly made.

Overall, not counting the appetizers, my experience at Casa Oaxaca was positive.  Having Mole for the first made me question why I waited so long.  But moving past that, everything just seemed too familiar and too by-the-books.  Nothing really made me take notice and most importantly nothing took hold of me.  The diversity represented by the Mole was overwhelmed by the uninspired nature of the entire affair.

–Amendment202

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