100% Agave Tequila Margarita, Salty Blue Tortilla Chips, Creamy Handmade Guacamole, and a Duo of Energetic Salsas by the patio on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Coral Gables; There is nothing better than that.
After a crazy day of going in and out of various locations in the tri-county area, my partner in crime, whom I hooked up, bribed, and cajoled (with my lovely company, food and drink) to accompany me on my excursion in search of my wish of the sabbath to the holy grail; we finally landed in Talavera in Coral Gables in the middle of the afternoon.
We’d already had lunch about 42 miles from where we were, but we were in the zone (or jones-ing) for a cocktail. And it just so happened that we met on the corner of Ponce de León and Giralda in Coral Gables, home of the highly praised Talavera, Cocina Mexicana.
Just one drink, it was all we needed. Yeah sure, do you ever really have a “drink”? We still had one more stop, we needed to go from here to there; So one drink, that’s all I was going to have a beer but then I read the menu. Margarita Original, with 100% Agave Tequila. About a month ago I had a margarita at a restaurant in Deerfield Beach on the water; It was a 100% sour mix, I returned the drink to him, the waiter staggered to me that I would question his ‘mixologist’ skills. So even with that ‘bitter’ taste in my mouth from a month ago I thought it was time to taste the nectar of the famous agave plant one more time and what better place than a Mexican Cuisine to appear in a restaurant facing the sea. And he was right! I love it when I’m right about food and drink, it’s a great feeling to share good food and drink, it really is what makes the world go round. So if this Talavera can make a real margarita, I can only imagine what the food is like, but OH GOD, we just had lunch! He had to, even if it was just a small teaser. So I did it …
We ordered chips, salsa, and guacamole. Two sauces to be exact, a red and a green, the red is mild, the green is spicy. Super hot! I wasn’t paying attention to the server when he brought the condiments (because he was talking about the great margarita and licking the salt out of my glass) I immediately dipped into the green sauce, because it looked so ‘colorful’. uh, uh … pay attention when someone is speaking !!! Didn’t we learn that at the age of 2? My accomplice who was crawling at this point in our adventure on Saturday, did hear the server and hear him say “the green sauce is hot” he reveled in what was about to be my reaction to consuming what is the equivalent of explosive gas. A pitcher of water and two more 100% agave tequila margaritas made up that episode.
The fries that are served are the new type of blue corn tortilla, very crispy and with enough salt to keep you coming back for one more. I am a salt girl. So even the slightest trace of salt on my fries that invites me to lick them is a winner in my book! The guacamole is made to order and served in a ceramic Talavera molcajete (mortar) bowl. I love avocados, fresh ripe avocados, not green puree in a plastic container or worse, a plastic bag! in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. Talavera = Guacamole. Fresh, creamy, thick, handmade flavor. Well now I am totally caught up in all the wonderful and welcoming experience in Talavera. But this is what closed it, we arrived on a free schedule, possibly the change of shift from lunch to dinner. The Talavera manager came over and took our order. Not once did he judge us or harass us for not ordering “food”. Not once did he bother to order more cocktails. We were welcomed and appreciated for just being there. This concept is lost in so many restaurants. Appreciate your guests for the time you have them because they will return, ignore your guests and they will ignore your restaurant.
I will return to Talavera. If they can make such a fantastic drink and chips and salsa and guacamole, I can only imagine what they can do with real food! And if they welcomed me at 4:30 on a Saturday, they’ll love me for dinner! So yeah, back to Coral Gables, it’s to Talavera Cocina Mexicana for better service and even better food.