Style Magazine April 2020

Kahlúa Cake
Those of us who have
been fans of Rocklin’s
Mezcalito knew it
wouldn’t be long until
the best little Oaxacan
restaurant in our area
expanded. Fortunately
for Folsomites, you’re about to find out what
Placer County residents have been trying
(unsuccessfully) to keep secret.
Last November, owners Ruben and
Francisco opened a second, much larger
location in Folsom. The menu retains many of
the same dishes diners at the Rocklin locale
love, with a few more welcome additions
(including cochinita pibil, pollo a la crema, and
a prawn picante buritto).
I started with chips and fresh salsa and then
fortified my appetizer craving with their queso
fundido. Soft, gooey, melted Monterey Jack
cheese with slices of roasted pasilla pepper,
caramelized onions, and the kicker: chorizo.
My companion commented (and I was already
Chicken Chilli Relleno
sizing it up) how you could put it in a
tortilla, add an egg, and call it breakfast
(with a Michelada, too...maybe?).
Since I’ve previously reviewed
portions of their menu, I strayed from
my go-to items and tested the chicken
chili relleno. I’m not usually a fan of
things fried in egg batter, but this was a
pleasant surprise. Lightly battered mild
pasilla pepper, shredded chicken, and
some surprise additions of raisins and
almonds (Oaxacan-style) in a tomato
broth resulted in a definite upgrade to
the typical chili-cheese rendition and
was good enough to make an egg batter
convert out of me.
I just happened to be craving a
savory bowl of soup when I spotted the
sopa Puerto Escondido heading out
to another diner’s table. In a matter of
minutes, I had my own steaming vessel
of “hidden harbor soup” in front of me
with all its seaworthy mates—tender
cod, mussels, wild prawns, salmon, and
vegetables—in a chipotle-plum, tomatobased
broth. Slightly spicy and hearty but
not too heavy—like it’s French or Italian
cousins can be—it hit the mark.
Finally came the dessert round, and
once again, I eschewed my favorites
(churros and ice cream) and opted for
something I hadn’t tried before, the
Kahlúa cake—a decadent, pyramidshaped
sphere of chocolate ganache
blanketing a velvety treasure of Kahlúainfused
mousse with an espresso dulce de
leche drizzle. “Two forks please,” I said to
my server, “I can’t do this alone!”
Well Folsom, the secret’s out—now go
out and try it for yourself.
“IN A MATTER
OF MINUTES, I
HAD MY OWN
STEAMING
VESSEL OF
‘HIDDEN HARBOR
SOUP’ IN FRONT
OF ME WITH ALL
ITS SEAWORTHY
MATES—TENDER
COD, MUSSELS,
WILD PRAWNS,
SALMON, AND
VEGETABLES—
IN A CHIPOTLE-
PLUM,
TOMATO-BASED
BROTH.”
HOURS: 10:30 a.m.- 7 p.m. (Sunday);
10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. (Monday-
Saturday)
TRY THIS: Queso Fundido,
Enmoladas, Carnitas, Chicken Chili
Relleno, Surf and Turf Molcajete,
Sopa Puerto Escondido, Coastal
Rice, Vegan Rice Bowl, Mezcalito
Salad, Kahlúa Cake
DRINKS: *Beer & wine
TAB: $$
HEADS-UP: Patio; catering
available; vegan and gluten-free
options; kids’ menu; happy hour
Monday-Friday from 2-6 p.m.;
burittos and tacos available upon
request
*At press time; liquor license
coming soon
187 BLUE RAVINE ROAD,
SUITE 160, FOLSOM,
916-351-0900,
MEZCALITOCUISINE.COM
Queso Fundido
APRIL 2020 | stylemg.com 81