Feliz Dos Mil Diez, y'all.
We wrapped up 09 with dinner at Dos Perros with S & D. An earlier and less elaborate evening than last year's big tasting menu extravaganza at Jujube but still a fun night out. Highlights included the duck tostada appetizer (which instantly shot to my list of best local dishes I've ever tasted) and the sweet potato margarita. Yes, I said sweet potato margarita. The menu said something like "you're just going to have to trust me on this." And that's correct. Big ups to their mixologist. We all agreed that it's pretty much exactly like a margarita crossed with a sweet potato pie. It started margarita and ended with the warm holiday pie spices. The sweet potato (which I'm not sure how they got it in there since the drink was pretty clear -- maybe they steeped sweet potatoes in the tequila and then strained it) hit somewhere in the middle. The dessert was good enough to be a highlight -- carrot pudding with caramel sauce, toasted pumpkin seeds, and whipped cream (another hit of warm holiday pie spices) -- but we were all so full by that point that we couldn't enjoy it as much. I enjoyed my entree (pollo coloradito -- chicken w/ a milder red mole) and I loved the pinto beans on the side (the rice, not so much). I can't speak for everyone else but my impression is that overall the entrees were not as well received as the apps. It's too bad when the arc of the meal doesn't go up and up. OTOH, we're talking about starting at mind-blowingly awesome and moving to something that's good-but-not-great. Overall, a fine night out.