Yesterday, I attended the Grand Opening (with ribbon cutting!) of the restaurant Xitomate in Columbia, Maryland. Located behind Victoria's Gastropub, in the same building as the old Donna's, Xitomate is the creation of owner Julio Soto who also brought Azul 17 to Howard County. This newest establishment offers authentic Mexican food made from scratch with the freshest ingredients.
After watching the owner and staff cut the ribbon with the LARGEST pair of shears I have ever seen, we were treated to a sampling of the restaurant's signature appetizers and cocktails. If you have ever met me before, you know that I am a lightweight and a very cheap date, so I opted to only sample the sangria rather than try the tequilla-laden margaritas. The sangria was plenty strong for me! I tasted both the red and the white versions. Both were quite yummy, though I think I would vote for the white if I were to select just one.
As far as the appetizers go, the home-made (right in front of our eyes) guacamole was absolute perfection. Rich with ripe avocado, there was only the barest hint of tomato, lime, and cilantro to offset the richness. The tortilla chips also tasted extremely fresh, as if they had been fried right there in the restaurant. The smoky salsa which accompanied the basket of chips had overtones of chipotle. Mr. Balancing Act and I could have feasted happily on just these three simple offerings.
In addition, we sampled taquitos: rolled up, deep-fried corn tortillas surrounding a delicious, spicy pork filling. The tamales were soft and scrumptious cornmeal cakes, filled with pulled pork and served on a corn husk. The empanadas contained a beefy filling with plenty of heat and a flaky pastry shell. By the end of our festivities, neither one of us needed dinner.
We are very grateful to the owners and staff of Xitomate for welcoming us into their newest restaurant and showing us such a good time. We will definitely join the ranks of happy customers who will surely be pouring through their doors in the days and weeks to come. This restaurant offers Howard County something new and unique: delicious and authentic FRESH Mexican cuisine in a friendly environment. What more could we ask for?
hocofood@@@
After watching the owner and staff cut the ribbon with the LARGEST pair of shears I have ever seen, we were treated to a sampling of the restaurant's signature appetizers and cocktails. If you have ever met me before, you know that I am a lightweight and a very cheap date, so I opted to only sample the sangria rather than try the tequilla-laden margaritas. The sangria was plenty strong for me! I tasted both the red and the white versions. Both were quite yummy, though I think I would vote for the white if I were to select just one.
As far as the appetizers go, the home-made (right in front of our eyes) guacamole was absolute perfection. Rich with ripe avocado, there was only the barest hint of tomato, lime, and cilantro to offset the richness. The tortilla chips also tasted extremely fresh, as if they had been fried right there in the restaurant. The smoky salsa which accompanied the basket of chips had overtones of chipotle. Mr. Balancing Act and I could have feasted happily on just these three simple offerings.
In addition, we sampled taquitos: rolled up, deep-fried corn tortillas surrounding a delicious, spicy pork filling. The tamales were soft and scrumptious cornmeal cakes, filled with pulled pork and served on a corn husk. The empanadas contained a beefy filling with plenty of heat and a flaky pastry shell. By the end of our festivities, neither one of us needed dinner.
We are very grateful to the owners and staff of Xitomate for welcoming us into their newest restaurant and showing us such a good time. We will definitely join the ranks of happy customers who will surely be pouring through their doors in the days and weeks to come. This restaurant offers Howard County something new and unique: delicious and authentic FRESH Mexican cuisine in a friendly environment. What more could we ask for?
hocofood@@@
So glad you and The Mr. could make it out. I'm glad to have met you after reading your blog for so many months (years? ...) now. ~ jessie
ReplyDeleteIt was nice meeting you at Xitomate! Nice write-up!!
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