Muy Caliente!

While in Philly staying at the Downtown Marriott, a group of friends and I wandered down 13th street in order find a fun place for dinner. The bright lights and music drew us in and as we entered El Vez we knew we were in for an experience. The brightly decorated modern Mexican restaurant is a mix of retro sixties diner and modern fun house. Since we had to wait for a table we decided to head to the bar and grab a drink. It was here that I found The Perfect Mojito - A Guava Mojito. The bartender with the dark spiky hair made me one of the BEST mojitos I have ever tasted in my life. Though I had another very good one later in the evening, this first one was so good I am not sure if it could be duplicated. Made with 10 Cane Rum, Bacardi Limon, Pink Guava Puree, Lime and Mint it is exactly as mojito’s should be; light and refreshing! My friends tried the El Vez Margarita (your class Margarita) and the Frozen Blood Orange Margarita. For Margarita fans the Frozen Blood Orange is the better choice as it combines gold tequila, triple sec, and fresh blood orange puree. The final cocktail chosen by our group was the Mexipolitan. A twist on a Cosmopolitan, it combines Jose Cuervo Classico, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and a splash of cranberry in a martini glass.

We were set on drinks and headed to our table. It was a gold shag carpet covered circular booth with more than enough room for 5 adults with hips! Our server Alicia was friendly and outgoing without being overly chatty and shared the specials of the night. El Vez is known for its guacamole and has 9 varieties that they make fresh tableside. Not feeling very adventurous we stuck with classic El Vez Original with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeños and limes. The guacamole, like my Guava mojito, was AMAZING. So far El Vez was setting the bar for Modern Mexican restaurants in my book.  Read more