Attention all chefs: there needs to be more tastings offered on a regular basis, or as part of the normal menu. Actually, this may already take place and I just haven’t noticed because I usually jump right in with my wine, soup or salad and entrée. And of course I typically manage to save room for dessert or cheese which leaves me feeling way too full and realizing my jeans are a bit more snug now then when I got to the restaurant. Unless it’s Thanksgiving, this is not the way to eat.

Last night my husband and I went to Momocho for their monthly tequila dinner. For $40 per person (although Chef Eric was kind enough to treat us), you sample five courses, each paired with an appropriate tequila. Since we were both recuperating from being a bit under the weather, and the fact that straight tequila still reminds me of a very bad night in college, I barely sipped on the samples.

Each course was the perfect amount of food. We walked out of there feeling just right. Not too stuffed, definitely not hungry, and very satisfied. It’s nice to drive home and not feel like you overate – again.

Typically when we eat at Momocho it’s in the upstairs dining room. Luckily we sat downstairs in the back booth. You really get the best view of the space in that seat. And it’s one of my favorite spaces in town. I always liked the feeling of this old house, even when it was Fulton Bar & Grill. Every time we go, we notice something new. This time the low rider bike hanging above the door and to the right really stood out. My husband thinks that bike is the coolest thing, along with the T-shirts. He always comments that they are very simple shirts but well designed. We also noticed the ornate picture frame on the wall that frames the mural-painted wall itself. It’s a nice compliment to all the vintage crosses. And to top it all off, great music was playing all throughout dinner.

Here’s a breakdown of the menu:

1st course / Kobe rib eye ceviche with red chile-lime marinade and beer battered chives.
This was a unique dish, to me anyways. It’s the first time I’ve tried ceviche that wasn’t seafood. I loved it. A good balance of citrus and spice, but not overpowering. Just enough to leave your lips a little tingly. And the beer battered chives were long and thin, like you might imagine, but really flavorful. I was not expecting this. Really good overall and something I hope finds its way to the regular menu.

2nd course / four onion soup (yellow, red, shallots and leeks) with white cheddar and corn and jalapeño croutons
This creamy soup was the perfect anecdote to the heavy chill in the air outside. For a little soup, it was rather bold and had a powerful aroma. I loved the white cheddar melted on top and wish I had more of it. The croutons were ok. They didn’t do much for me and I enjoyed the soup as is, which the cheese of course.

This was served with corralejo blanco, a young tequila. I didn’t care for it but it was Jamie’s favorite of the night.

3rd course / lobster and crab salad with smoked tomato vinaigrette, avocado mousse and toasted corn
This chilled dish had the best presentation of them all. It had awesome flavor, especially the smokiness of the vinaigrette. And a little spice that creeps up on you. I normally don’t like asparagus, but did in this dish, especially with the red onion. I didn’t taste any lobster but the crab really stood out. This is another dish that should become a staple.

Intermission / muddled mint and cilantro lemonade with a puree jicama float
This might be the best lemonade I have ever had. Forget what I said about tastings being the smart way to go. While the shot glass was cute and all, I wanted a big tumbler filled to the top with this concoction. It was that good. It had a somewhat rather unusual consistency, especially with the float on top, but nonetheless, it worked. It was sweet and tart and left the type of taste in your mouth that makes you hesitant to drink your water because you’ll wash away all the flavors.

4th course / pork and tamale duo. Crispy pork belly with hominy grits and apricot mustard and seared pork tenderloin with pickled cherry mojo and cornmeal churros

This was our least favorite dish of the night. I didn’t care for the grits at all. They just didn’t do anything for me. The pork belly, when paired with the apricot mustard, wasn’t bad. But there wasn’t a lot of this mustard to go around and the pork belly solo was just ok and rather fatty, which I guess is to be expected. But I did love the apricot mustard. Apricot and mustard together – who would have thunk it, as my mom would say. Great combination.

I did enjoy the pork tenderloin, but again, mostly when paired with the cherry mojo. Solo it was just ok. The pork was seared perfectly – very juicy and tender. And I think I tasted a little Coke in the cherry sauce. Either way, this was a good sauce and I bet would be great on ribs. The cornmeal churro, which I think I could taste some apricot in it (which would make sense given the mustard on the other dish) wasn’t bad. Actually, at first bite I wasn’t sure about this. But Jamie said to give it another shot because it’s one of those things that grows on you after a few bites.

5th course / caramelized apple tart in a sopapilla crust with cider-tequila syrup

Wow. This simple dessert was simply delicious. I didn’t taste any tequila, but I didn’t care. I could eat hot, spiced apples prepared exactly like that every night. What a nice treat. And the flour tort, which tasted like an elephant ear from a carnival, was just as good. It was almost like two desserts in one. After you eat the apples, you have the honey and cider soaked crust left. I almost slapped the server’s hand when he took the plate away (I had a small piece of crust left) but realized I needed to be done and he did me a favor.

Actually, the service was great all night. Everyone was very knowledgeable about the meals and why they were paired with that particular tequila. Granted we didn’t fully take advantage of the tequila, but if you did, you’d leave there feeling pretty good.

The next dinner is December 5th. I really recommend going. It’s a fun thing to do during the weak, pretty affordable for everything you get and it’s really good! Chef Eric was telling us that one of his chefs, Nolan, is the guy who really puts the whole menu together, usually the week of. That’s pretty impressive given all the flavors, detail and overall knowledge with each pairing that went into this menu.

On an unrelated though, Chef Matt from Lolita’s stopped over to say hi towards the end of the night along with Chef Eric. They were telling us that many of the local chefs try to get together and play cards on Monday nights. I don’t know why, but I was happy to hear this. I guess it’s nice to know that they all get along (apparently rather well) and work together to see to it that the indie dining scene in Cleveland thrives.