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“Toloache”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Latin/Mexican	Midtown	Moderate	Good

to the first one and find diced apples, mangoes, and peaches mingling with the ripe chunks of avocado and diced habanero and marvel at how well the textures and flavors play together. You’ll get into the second, and find your eyes may tear up at the wildly hot and smoky blend of chipotle, avocado, red onion and queso fresco, but you’ll double dip with abandon. And then you’ll dig into the last one and find a guacamole that’s just right: a smooth and chunky mix of creamy avocado, with an ample dose of cilantro, Serrano chile, tomato, and red onion.

By the time your guacamole tasting is but a distant memory (I give you about 8 minutes to polish it off) you should have a game plan on what to order. Since the menu is quite large (ceviche, tacos, small plates, dishes from the brick oven, entrees and sides plus a great three course pre-theater menu at $34 per person), allow me to recommend a game plan.

If you’re a group of four, as we were, follow up that guacamole trio with a ceviche tasting (3 for $20). The tuna was a wonderful surprise, a small ruby red dice of tuna in a sweet tart mix of key lime and watermelon juices with a jolt of chile heat and a shower of expertly julienned radish. The shrimp (plump and sweet) was more ordinary, but still quite impressive, resting in a puddle of sour orange and jicama with a litter of chives. The steak—which was sort of like a beef carpaccio Mexican style—was my favorite. Median serves sheer slices of rare seared grass-fed ribeye and smacks the beef with a fierce chipotle mustard and a garnish of cactus salad.

From the brick oven (left over form the former Italian restaurant in this space), Julian offers a cheesy fondue ($10), a farm egg baked with corn tortillas beans, queso fresco and crema ($8), and a selection of quesadillas. We tried the special quesadilla, topped with hamachi and Manchego cheese, but sadly it was the miss of the evening. The quesadilla is open-faced, covered with slices of hamachi and a bubbly quilt of Manchego cheese and it really didn’t work for me. I’m not really a fan of fish and cheese. The textures were not appealing—I found the fish was quite mushy against the hot melted cheese.

There are a dozen tempting taco choices on Medina’s menu, so this is the right place to let out your inner taco freak. They’re the sort of tacos that remind me of something Calvin Trillin wrote in t ... [more, click below]

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Posted: October 1, 2007

Other restaurants in Midtown :
+ Lever House   + Aquavit   + RM   + Joseph's (formerly Citarella The Restaurant)   + Town   + Artisanal   + The Oyster Bar   + Geisha   + David Burke and Donatella Restaurant   + Riingo   + Amma   + Cafe Sabarsky   + The Stone Rose Lounge   + BLT Steak   + V, The Steakhouse-- Closed   + Bar Masa   + Cafe Gray   + The Bar Room at The Modern   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + Bistro du Vent-- Closed   + Shaburi   + Xing   + The Modern   + Bar Americain   + Alto   + Park Blue   + Mainland-- Closed   + Nobu 57   + Quality Meats   + Dona-- CLOSED   + Daisy May's   + 7Square-- CLOSED   + Amalia   + Fireside   + Anthos   + Patroon   + BLT Market   + Toloache   + Mia Dona   + Park Avenue Summer   + Convivio   + The Oak Room by guest reviewer Julie Besonen   + At Vermilion by guest reviewer Elaine Weiner   + Lunching at Inakaya, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Marea, by Guest Reviewer Susan Kane Walkush   + Le Bernardin   + New York Central -- A Reason To Eat at the Grand Hyatt Again   + Pampano Botaneria by Dara Pollak   

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