Post Gives Oaxaca Two Stars

Washington Post dining critic Tom Sietsema had mostly good things to say about Adam Morgan’s Casa Oaxaca, a new Mexican restaurant that received two stars in yesterday’s review. The venue piqued Sietsema’s curiosity because it defies clichés. (Instead of chips and salsa at the outset, for example, the restaurant serves jicama sticks dusted with chili powder.) Among other menu items, Sietsema tried the “tres moles” chicken, made with three kinds of mole sauce—black, green, and an unusual yellow—and said, “The moles lend color and nuance wherever they go, sometimes upstaging the featured attraction.” He also sampled one the restaurant’s specialties: fried grasshoppers atop melted cheese. “Cooked in olive oil with lime and garlic, the insect adds flavor as well as texture to the conversation-starting fondue,” he said. Other highlights: the grilled steak dish and the corn on the cob. The review’s biggest grumble was that both the red snapper and the fish tacos were dry; if you want fish, Sietsema advises sticking to the ceviche. The restaurant’s dense flan was his preferred sign-off dish, and the bread pudding should be avoided.