Bandolero
Cuisine -
Tex-Mex
What's Nearby
Astrid Riecken
The flavors are bright, even if the room isn’t
By Tom Sietsema
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Make the bar your first stop at Bandolero. Sam Babcock is the new restaurant’s master mixer, and among the many drinks he aces is a cocktail introducing cucumber, lime, cilantro and fiery bitters to smoky mezcal. His Jesus Malverde takes the edge off whatever ails you. The $10 libation also makes you a mite more forgiving of the dining room just behind it, a black hole so dimly lighted by wall sconces that allusions to red-light districts and Luray Caverns come up.
What used to be the fish-friendly Hook, vacant since a fire last June, now plays host to a south-of-the-border concept from Mike Isabella, the “Top Chef” alum behind super-popular Graffiato in Chinatown. In partnership with former Hook owner Jonathan Umbel, Isabella -- actually, chef de cuisine Tony Starr, 29 -- is pumping out dips, taquitos, tacos and other small plates inspired by, but not necessarily tradition-bound by, Mexico. Our server repeats this message several times, as if to tell us not to expect dinner in the style of Diana Kennedy. The mantra is similar to the one employed at Graffiato, where customers are told that the restaurant isn’t so much Italian as informed by the food Isabella ate growing up in New Jersey.
Cemetery fencing and tombstone-like arches distance the two-level Bandolero from the current crop of restaurants. (Some) light at the end of the tunnel comes via the ground-floor kitchen in the rear, which issues some tasty, if barely visible, small plates: a basket of masa chips and airy pork rinds for dipping into creamy guacamole; taquitos of sweet crab and chilies fixed in place on their plate with a dab of pureed purple potato; a little garden of grilled asparagus and beets stacked on a two-bite tortilla. A zap of heat in a taco supporting suckling pig and matchsticks of apple demonstrates the power of habanero. Three to an order is not enough porcine pleasure for this grazer.
My unconquered territory at Bandolero runs to empanadas, enchiladas and larger plates. Of course I’ll trek back -- next time with night-vision goggles.
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This modern Mexican restaurant helmed by Graffiato/Top Chef star Mike Isabella dubs itself a "taco-centric, margarita-laden" eatery, but it would be hard to ignore the myriad refined small plates on the menu, too.
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Not so hot...
Called ahead as I was dining with a friend with a SEVERE gluten intolerance and was told that almost everything on the menu could be made gluten-free. Told the first server about the intolerance. Told the second server about the intolerance. Placed our order based on their recommendations. Food arrives. We ask - was this fried in a separate fryer? (Remember that gluten intolerance?) Call one of the cooks out of the kitchen. Ummm, No, they weren't. Great. We didn't send anything back, but ordered MORE food that WOULD be completely gluten-free, and nothing was that tasty anyway. Hot foods arrived cold, etc. Total bummer. Won't be back. We didn't ask but would have thought they'd have comped us at least a drink. 2 stars for drinks.
Not Like the Usual Isabella
I love Graffiato, so I was very excited to hear about a new venture. Ultimately it was just OK. We started with all of the dips (all enjoyable), then moved onto the Blue Crab Taquito (WAY TOO MUCH SALT), and finished with the skirt steak taco (enjoyable). The blue crab was so bad it really ruined the meal. The folks sitting next to us also complained about the salt in the Lobster Taco. I'll be sticking to Graffiato in the future.
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