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Picante, Chantilly Park Shopping Center


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Grabbed an early dinner at Picante, the Real Taco on our way back from DeBaggio Herbs a few days ago, after not having been for nearly a year. This was an infrequent favorite when I worked in Fairfax, and a frequent one when that employer moved out to Ashburn...just a few minutes down to their location at Rts 28 and 50. It's still a good, inexpensive Mexican restaurant, with a menu that avoids the usual chain Tex-Mex favorites in favor of more authentic flavors, particularly a liberal use of fruits in the various sauces.

One thing that characterizes Picante is their adherence to Mexican cheeses, particularly Chihuahua cheese, where the big chains substitute bland jack cheese. The queso fundido con chorizo is a particular favorite of mine, which drips liberally with the spicy red oil of the chorizo when mashed with a fork and spread onto a corn tortilla. It's not a low-cal dish, and I was almost horrified to discover that the portion size has nearly doubled in the past several years. It's now really too much for even two people to eat.

Similarly, the previously generous tacos have grown to ridiculous size...but the meat is better than ever. I had a combination of the taco adobo de puerco with the chicken mole enchilada and the pork now comes in small succulent chunks, whereas before it was sliced into tiny pieces which often came up a bit on the dry side. This is also where I came to love the pineapple and achiote seasoning of tacos al pastor, even if they don't use an autodoner system to roast it. The mole is still my favorite dish here, dark and rich over pieces of chicken breast. My +1 had the chile relleno, which incorporates apples into the sauce and stuffing, bringing a bit of sweetness. Again, the use of Chihuahua cheese was a vast improvement over the jack cheese commonly found in other rellenos.

With the resurgence of good Mexican cuisine elsewhere in the area, it's not surprising that Picante hasn't made the Cheap Eats list in a while, but it's still worth a look if you need a bite near Chantilly (along with Thai Basil, elsewhere in the same strip mall).

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With the resurgence of good Mexican cuisine elsewhere in the area, it's not surprising that Picante hasn't made the Cheap Eats list in a while, but it's still worth a look if you need a bite near Chantilly (along with Thai Basil, elsewhere in the same strip mall).

The +1 and I took in some Picante a few weeks ago... very tasty, if as gigantically portioned as ever. The waitress was very impressed that B ordered the Camarones al Diabla - apparently she can't even manage the dish herself, but he finished it. Admittedly, he didn't go on to consume the soup-bowl's worth of remaining sauce, but finish he did.

I recall the extra-gigantor portions dating back to when the place first opened... did they go through a phase where they'd made their servings smaller?

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Similarly, the previously generous tacos have grown to ridiculous size...but the meat is better than ever. I had a combination of the taco adobo de puerco with the chicken mole enchilada and the pork now comes in small succulent chunks, whereas before it was sliced into tiny pieces which often came up a bit on the dry side. This is also where I came to love the pineapple and achiote seasoning of tacos al pastor, even if they don't use an autodoner system to roast it. The mole is still my favorite dish here, dark and rich over pieces of chicken breast. My +1 had the chile relleno, which incorporates apples into the sauce and stuffing, bringing a bit of sweetness. Again, the use of Chihuahua cheese was a vast improvement over the jack cheese commonly found in other rellenos.

I ordered two dishes last night based on ol_ironstomach's recommendations, and was not disappointed with either.

Adobo de Puerco Tacos ($10.95 for two) were indeed large - chock full of cubes of stringy pork that were long-cooked enough to be enjoyable, and made interesting by the cooking sauce consisting of ancho and costeno peppers, chiles Guajillo, and herbs. The salsas (a red one, and an even-better tomatillo) were better than the norm.

Pollo en Mole ($12.95) is two flat, skinless chicken breasts that somehow retained their moisture, slathered in a complex mole that Picante says is made with 16 ingredients. The rice and refried beans were nothing special, but the saucing is what makes this dish worth ordering.

I would order both of these dishes again, and based on this one visit, I'm every bit as impressed with Picante as I am with Guajillo (another restaurant where interesting sauces come to the rescue of ordinary cuts of meat).

Cheers,

Rocks.

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I ordered two dishes last night based on ol_ironstomach's recommendations, and was not disappointed with either.

Adobo de Puerco Tacos ($10.95 for two) were indeed large - chock full of cubes of stringy pork that were long-cooked enough to be enjoyable, and made interesting by the cooking sauce consisting of ancho and costeno peppers, chiles Guajillo, and herbs. The salsas (a red one, and an even-better tomatillo) were better than the norm.

Pollo en Mole ($12.95) is two flat, skinless chicken breasts that somehow retained their moisture, slathered in a complex mole that Picante says is made with 16 ingredients. The rice and refried beans were nothing special, but the saucing is what makes this dish worth ordering.

I would order both of these dishes again, and based on this one visit, I'm every bit as impressed with Picante as I am with Guajillo (another restaurant where interesting sauces come to the rescue of ordinary cuts of meat).

Cheers,

Rocks.

On your next visit you might want to try the Fish Veracruzana. Again, it's just a big hunk of basic white fish, but the sauce (another of the regional specialties that Picante does so well) covering it is delicious.

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I've been here a few times the last couple months and there's never a crowd. I've been on weeknights and weekends. It's empty. It's been open a while, so their making ends meet somehow. How do they make their money? Weekday lunches? Catering? Or is my small sample size not telling the usual story?

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I've been here a few times the last couple months and there's never a crowd. I've been on weeknights and weekends. It's empty. It's been open a while, so their making ends meet somehow. How do they make their money? Weekday lunches? Catering? Or is my small sample size not telling the usual story?

The lunch crowd during the week is usually pretty good.

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Has anyone been here lately? I'm thinking of giving it a try tomorrow.

We go every once in a while. Still solid. My wife was actually there a couple nights ago. She ordered the chicken mole enchiladas. She order them every time she goes. EVERY. TIME. She reheated some for lunch the next day and was commented on how much she likes that dish.

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It's been a long time since I've reviewed a place, and even longer since I've done "suburban ethnic." I went in fully expecting typical Sysco-subsidized, homogenized mediocrity, but went away pleasantly surprised by the selection and the shockingly well-seasoned and spiced meats. Don't expect super-traditional, but do expect delicious.

Chiles en nogados ($6.95) - Fresh cream and queso fresco are the bullet points on the menu, but the beef and pork that covered these halved jalapeños were seasoned with a spice mixture so aromatic and savory that I forgot who I was for a few minutes.

Torta Cecina de Res ($9.50) - People who think that a taco is the Mexican equivalent of a sandwich have obviously never had a torta. This one on crusty, airy telera bread was, just as the menu advertised, smothered in beans, sour cream, thin sliced beef cured with salt, lime juice and herbs with avocado, onions, tomatoes and queso fresco and garnished with pickled jalapeño. I would not be surprised if the jalapeños had been house-pickled.

Tacas al Pastor (two for $12.50) - This wasn't your typical schwarma-sliced tacos al pastor with the giant wedge of pineapple. However, the pork was, just as with all the other meats we'd enjoyed, seasoned in a way that was laughably exciting. Packed in a doggie bag with onions, lime, and cilantro, our leftovers made amazing second-day picnic eats.

I will say that it took a long time for our food to arrive: what our server described as a "backup in the kitchen." That said, the service was friendly and welcoming.

I ordered a shot of mezcal to start. The server was uncomfortable telling me that there was only one shot left in the bottle, and that I would likely end up with the worm, so he sent the manager over to do it. I said I was fine with the worm (show no weakness!), and poured the little guy down my gullet.

Afterwards, the owner himself (who in my head I've named "Don Picante" - real name: Guillermo Manoatl, which is basically the same thing) came over to meet the man who drank the worm. He gave me the bottle to take home. I guess I didn't realize it was a big deal. It actually turns out that they have something like eighty different types of tequila, and that the owner hosts a $10 tequila class on Thursdays. I'll probably go at some point and report back, but I was made a little wary when he described mezcal as a cheaper, lower form of tequila when it fact it's a completely different drink with its own unique and smokey character.

I'll definitely be back.

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