Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Margaritapalooza




 

The only thing I like better than a good margarita is a whole day devoted to drinking them! And amigos, that day is this Sunday! In the off chance that you need a suggestion for sipping, we've got you covered:

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland is offering a special Cinco de Mayo menu featuring four different entrées. Pozole rojo is a chile-braised pork and hominy stew garnished with cilantro, cabbage, radish and queso anejo. Chiles rellenos burst open with Oaxaca cheese, roasted tomato salsa, crema and refried black beans. Taquitos de pollo boast shredded chicken and are joined by jalapeño slaw, queso anejo, crema and salsa verde. Their own classic Huachinango a la Veracruzana, a.k.a. snapper Veracruz, tops pan-roasted snapper with tomatoes, olives, capers and jalapeños and comes with saffron rice.

Communitas Hospitality restaurants -- Gilbert's Cafe & Bar,Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern and 10th & Piedmont -- have all gone hook, line and cinco for fish tacos and are wrapping up tilapia, cilantro, red onion, lettuce and chipotle mayo for $3 each. Add a $5 margarita for that Baja feel.

Party in or out at The Original El Taco in Virginia-Highland. The cantina celebrates the "hola!" weekend long with $4 pineapple-infused tequila shots, $12 buckets of Dos Equis, $12 El Jimador margaritas and $7 Dos Equis lager drafts in 22-ounce souvenir cups. For margarita connoisseurs, El Taco mixes up Reales margaritas with Partida Blanco Tequila and O'rangville Grand Fine Orange Liqueur along with house-made sour, fresh lime juice and agave nectar. The La Rosalita starts with El Jimador Reposado and adds fresh grapefruit and lime juices plus sweet agave nectar. Pick up Cinco-To-Go packs for a fiesta at your casa. Each pack feeds eight to 10 hungry gringos, and you'll find mucho more info here.

Ban the basic margarita for the holiday and try out a novel rendition (see more on our Pinterest board). Cactus pear juice tempers the tequila in Bantam + Biddy's cactus pear margarita. For a cinco de-tini celebration, Ecco strains a potion of Herradura Blanco Tequila, lime juice and a squeeze of blood orange juice into a chilled martini glass. Hearth Pizza Tavernoffers two on-the-rocks versions: a spicy jalapeño margarita with Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila and the St. Rita, a nectar of St. Germain and Tequila Blanco. Say "Sensei Ole!" at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown to order their high-power Asian-Tex-Mex-fusion margarita featuring Don Julio 70th Anniversary Tequila, Canton Ginger Liqueur and Cointreau. Margaritas are hot stuff at Seven Lamps where a sous vide margarita mellows a mix of Reposado Tequila, lime zest and juice, agave nectar and cayenne in a sous vide for 48 hours, and "Going Back to Cali" blends jalapeño-infused tequila, Shrub & Co. grapefruit shrub and SweetWater IPA in a sea salt-rimmed glass. Visit Uncle Julio's for the restaurant's signature drink, the Swirl, layering a chilling blend of frozen margarita with homemade frozen sangria.  

Salud!

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