Rosa Mexicano

We felt like Mexican. So we went to Rosa Mexicano on First Avenue based on a friend's recommendation. When we got there around 6:00pm, the place was already packed and a long line waiting. The hostess said the wait was approximately an hour and a half. Luckily we had made a reservation so we were immediately seated.

This is an upscale Mexican restaurant - not your local Taco Bell for sure. We were greeted by friendly staff and they were all attentive and fast. I started off with the pomegranate margarita. It was like any other pomegranate drinks out there these days. Not bad, but it was hard to taste the pomegranate.

As an appetizer, we had the Guacamole en Molcajete. Freshly made by the table side. One of the staff came by with a cart with the ingredients on one side and a pile of avocados on the other. He mixed and grounded chopped onions, hot peppers, and cilantro. Then mixed in chopped tomatoes and a whole avocados. Little bit of salt and we had a bowl of fresh guacamole. It was wonderfully delicious. Chunks of avocados were tasty. It was quite good with flour tortillas made fresh in the restaurants. In fact you can see couple of staff persons making them in the corner of the restaurant.

The main dish did not dissapoint. I had the Enchiladas de Jaiba - or crab meat enchiladas. Two corn tortilla wrapped jumbo lump crab meats topped with creamy tomallio sauce. The best way to describe it is - Mexican crab cake. And a very taste crab cake. The meat was quite big and tasty. Went well with the corn tortillas. The sauce was not over powering.

It was certainly an upscale Mexican. The tab was on a higher side - when comparing to what you typically pay for Mexican food. But it was well worth it and certainly will go back again for good Mexican food.

It is a good idea to call ahead and make a reservation - especially on weekends. Rosa Mexicano is also listed in Open Table.

Rosa Mexicano
1063 First Avenue at 58th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 753-7407