Following our Disney World trip and since I started going back to the office, we are starting to do our Friday date nights again. This restaurant appeared in the local news as a brand new restaurant, so we thought we’d give it a try before the crowds started discovering this and also because we missed NYC food after being in Disney World for a week. The restaurant is a partnership between restauranteur John McDonald of Mercer Street Hospitality with partnership with Chef Justin Bazdarich (Oxomoco). We recalled we had a great time at Oxomoco for their brunch.

Ambiance

This restaurant space took over the previous Burger and Barrel establishment, so there were some parts of the layout that seemed familiar to me. The interior was reasonably dark, making it an excellent place for a date night.

The service was very attentive, and the wait staff did a great job helping us decide on the right amount of food.

Food

The Clara Que No (left - $20) came with sotol, yuzu sake, dry curacao, blanc de blanc, and soda. This had very subtle bubbles and was very refreshing and clear.

The De La Ciudad (right - $17) came with burnt citrus vodka, hibiscus aqua fresca, lime, and orange liqueur. This was very smooth with good aftertastes.

The tuna sashimi ($24) came with avocado, miso shirodashi, radish, puya oil, and a shiso leaf. This pretty much tasted what it sounds like. If you’re a fan of thin cuts of tuna with shiso and some refreshing garnishes, then you’d like this. The tuna was fresh and delicious.

The Manilla Clam Toast ($20) came with a monopolio garlic ancho butter broth. The toast had been sitting in the broth for a short time, so it absorbs it pretty well. They layer a decent amount of clams on top. Combined, everything was pretty good. Note that the flavors of this are pretty intense in many ways. You’re going to get a lot of clam flavors and garlicky butter flavors. They salted this decently as well, so combined, it will feel very punchy in flavors in a good way.

The Chicken Al Pastor ($29) came with grilled pineapple, salsa guajillo, fried rice, cilantro, and corn tortillas. This came out kind of how it was pictured, and surprisingly tasted pretty good. The rice is richly seasoned and quite delicious. The chicken was cooked perfectly to taste, and the tortillas were a great counter balance vessel to enjoy this. Like the clam toast, this will have punchy flavors as the sauces and flavors are very in your face.

The Pulpo Enamorados ($34) came with fried potatoes, hazelnut romesco, and celery salsa verde. The pulpo was charred and crispy with the right amount of chew, and the portion size was pretty generous. The salsa verde sauce that this sat in was very rich, citrusy, salty, and potent. You definitely need to mix everything together because if you tasted the sauce by itself, it’s on a very thin line of too seasoned. I think if they served this with some bread or something to counter balance, it would’ve been very enjoyable. Regardless, the flavors are there, just the seasoning could probably use some toning down for my palette. Regardless, it was still very enjoyable.

Final Verdict

For a good flavorful Mexican Seafood restaurant in the Houston/Soho junction, definitely check Bar Tulix out before the crowds start to find out. Their cocktails and food are pretty good, and if you enjoy punchy Mexican flavors, then you are going to really enjoy this restaurant.

Yelp Jabs

The food is unlike any other Mexican restaurant in nyc!

The food definitely reminds me of the Oxomoco or Casa Enrique approach where it’s a bit of a refined twist on Mexican dishes. It’s definitely very interesting, but not completely far fetch out of this world.

As an fyi the chicken al pastor was technically the main dish of the meal and they didn’t bring it out until we finished our appetizers.

The wait staff told us that the left side of the menu was the apps, and the right side (including the chicken al pastor) were more like main entrees.