Driving south on 16th street from Thomas Road, drivers pass no shortage of Mexican eateries from Barrio Cafe, a classic that will soon close its doors after 20 years, to joints serving tortas stacked high with meat and veggies or carne asada fresh off the grill. Cielo Rojo, an upscale yet casual restaurant specializing in cuisine from central and southern Mexico, is the newest addition to the flavorful corridor.
It's the second concept from the Maldonado family, which opened the popular and colorful Mexican seafood cantina Mariscos Playa Hermosa in 2002. Cielo Rojo debuted in early March down the road from its sister restaurant with a decidedly different vibe.
The interior is muted and sophisticated with wooden tables and floors. A black mural portraying the desert graces a white wall as you enter and the two contrasting colors weave through a dining room punctuated with a couple hints of red. After all, the name of the restaurant translates to "red sky."
The menu, while sprinkled with seafood options like charcoal-grilled Camerones Gigantes, features more land-based cuisine like the Quiero Carne, a 48-ounce porterhouse topped with chimichurri.
On the cocktail list, tequila and mezcal options are abundant. The A la Madre! is a sweet twist on a classic margarita, made with smoky mezcal and tangy passionfruit juice and garnished with a dried lemon slice. The Sabor a Playa Michelada contains a handmade michelada mix and is rimmed with tajin. The Pideme La Luna features Tito's Vodka with fresh lavender and lemon.
During a recent visit, chips and salsa came first, a vibrant array of red, white, green and blue tortillas paired with homemade salsas. The rojo was a smoky and spicy favorite, and the verde packed less punch. Then came the Carne Apache, ground beef tartare with diced cilantro, onions and tomatoes, cooked in lime and served with tostadas. It was different from the tartare you would find elsewhere, a limey concoction speckled with pico de gallo.
The Botana de Pulpo, octopus with grape tomatoes, serrano peppers, fresh thyme and plenty of lime, seemed like a good bet, considering the owners' seafood roots, and it was the best decision we made all night. We stacked the delicate and zesty octopus onto tortilla chips and savored each spicy bite.
There were only a couple of other groups in the middle of the week, and the server gave us her full attention, describing the menu in detail. The En Tortilla category features tacos, flautas and enchiladas with fillings like chicharron, fried pork rinds in red salsa, and rajas con crema, roasted strips of poblano in a creamy cheese sauce, she explained.
The Platos Fuertes are more substantial dishes ranging from Mole Negro, a complex sauce made with garlic, raisins, chocolate and warm spices over chicken, to carne asada served with fixings like grilled nopal, whole beans and tortillas.
The El Chamorro came sans sides, so we paired it with the Ensalada de Nopal and Arroz Naranjado.
Natasha Yee
The pork shank was enticing, but didn't quite fall off the bone, and the small knives at the table weren't equipped to cut through it. Perhaps a slower cook would have done the trick. Still, it combined nicely with the nopal, which lent a tartness, and the pickled onions, which added a sweet brine atop the tortillas. And we couldn't shovel the fluffy rice, made with a rich broth and speckled with carrots and peas, into our mouths fast enough.
As early evening gave way to night, we peered out the window and wished for warmer lighting to lend coziness to the space, rather than the florescent bulbs that hung above. Yet dessert was still ahead, and the Chocoflan came recommended. The dish is a combination of flan over dense chocolate cake, yet the flan had less of a custard texture and was more reminiscent of caramel cheesecake. It was a sweet way to end the night, and one we plan to repeat on the next visit.
Cielo Rojo seems to still be finding its footing in the upscale Mexican dining space, but we're confident the team will take to the land as their first restaurant mastered the sea. And we will surely be back to test our theory.
