SolToro Tequila Grill
cuisine: Contemporary Mexican
entrées: $11.95 – $24.95
address: 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville
phone: (860) 862-4800
credit cards: All major
4 Stars… Special
Connecticut’s once-dismal Mexican food scene has made tremendous strides in the new millennium. It may still fall far short of a Mexican restaurant paradise like Chicago, but the improvement has been coming on the high end, the low end and everywhere in between.
On the high end, restaurants like Zavala in New London and Avenida in Greenwich have demonstrated to those who are paying attention that Mexican food can be taken upscale as well as any other cuisine. In the middle, joints like Mezcal in New Haven and Los Cabos in Norwalk have shown there’s a market for regional Mexican food with some sophistication and a proper respect for native ingredients and authentic preparations. On the low end, there has been a proliferation of what I’ll call “Mexican restaurants for Mexicans,” and while most of these, like El Tapatío in New Haven and Los Mariachis in Wallingford, aren’t fancy, they tend to be authentic, flavorful and, in some cases, dirt cheap. And if my numerous forays are any indication, gringos will find these joints plenty welcoming.
Blending the high end and the middle ground is SolToro Tequila Grill, a recent addition to Jump Higher LLC, which oversees all of the Michael Jordan brand restaurants. And I say “blending” because this captivating new hybrid exhibits some of the creativity of contemporary Mexican restaurants and some of the authenticity of regional Mexican restaurants. And pricewise, it’s probably somewhere in between as well, making it one of the more affordable upscale eateries at Mohegan Sun Casino.
SolToro, which opened in August 2007, is situated in Mohegan Sun’s Casino of the Sky next to the convention center entrance. Although the lounge and dining room can hold more than two hundred people, both spaces are warm and comfortable rather than cavernous. Bright colors and striking materials like punched bronze, mosaic tiles and rustic woods artfully combine traditional Mexican craftsmanship with modern accents. Illuminated resin bar fixtures supply striking amber highlights. The atmosphere is so festive and welcoming that passersby are drawn like moths to a flame.
No one, however, is apt to get burnt, as SolToro’s enticing beverage lists and menus offer something for everyone. It took us several minutes to decide what direction we wanted to take with our beverages, because the selection was almost staggering. For instance, by my count there are 144 Tequilas, every single one of which is 100% Blue Agave Tequila. They range from an accessible $6 for Campo Azul to a high-roller price tag of $250 for Dos Lunas Grand Reserve aged ten years in Spanish sherry casks. Seven different Tequila flights ($18-$55) are offered on a variety of themes. It’s not hard to see why SolToro bills itself as a Tequila bar.
A line of signature cocktails ($9-$75) also tempts. One of our foursome ordered SolToro’s signature margarita ($8.75), relishing the combination of Don Julio Blanco, fresh squeezed lime juice and GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur, which she took chilled but without ice.
While I normally prefer beer with Mexican food, and SolToro’s selection (all $5.50) includes nine south-of-the-border brews, the food is upscale enough so that I decided to explore its Spanish-accented wine list ($22-$120). The only two offerings not from Spanish-speaking countries were French bubblies. We greatly enjoyed a lush 2006 Tilia Malbec-Syrah, Mendoza, Argentina ($36). My only quibble was the absence of goblets with large enough bowls to swirl our nice red wine. Despite our charming waitress Sarah’s best efforts to humor us and track down proper red wine glasses, she was unable to turn up anything suitable.
It took us even longer to narrow down our food choices than it had our drinks, because there were so many items we wanted to try. We began our culinary thrill ride with guacamole expertly prepared tableside ($7.95 for two, $13.95 for four) by an endearing young woman named Carol, who hailed originally from Lima, Peru. We enjoyed the spectacle, not to mention the remarkable assurance of quality and hygiene that seeing the handling of every ingredient provided. We requested our mash of avocado, garlic, onion, Serrano chile, cilantro, tomato and fresh lime juice spiced medium. While most guacamole is served mild, there’s precedent in Venezuelan guasacaca sauce for enlivening guacamole-like concoctions (and adding vinegar). Housemade tortilla chips were the perfect foil for our guacamole. Later, we spied Carol, like a tow truck operator at the ready by a freeway bridge during rush hour, stationed with her cart prepared to come to the rescue with the next urgently-needed tableside guacamole.
The next stop in our tour of Mexico was a vibrant shrimp ceviche ($8.95). Served with tortilla chips in a cocktail glass, the snappy shrimp were absolutely delicious in a preparation of tomato juice, ketchup, habanero chili, avocado and cilantro. The ceviche wasn’t fiery but smoldered a little, its slight sweetness providing perfect contrast.
After a brief interlude, we were greeted with a sloppy, gloppy queso fundido ($6.95), a delicious mess of chorizo, Chihuahua cheese, fire-roasted poblano chile, onion and oregano presented in a small iron skillet with a colorful basket of steamed corn tortillas. Mexican chorizo differs from Spanish and Filipino in form, flavoring and firmness. I have always loved its distinctive taste, and used to seek out places like El Amigo Felix in New Haven and Jalapeño Heaven in Branford that made their own.
Chipotle-and-tamarind-glazed ribs ($7.95) were the next stop in our culinary odyssey, the raft of ribs scenically posed over brown and green plate painting flourishes. The brown proved to be the tamarind glaze, while the green was based in avocado. We loved the tart acidity of the glaze, which was perfectly countered by just the right amount of sweetness. The ribs were so addictive that we felt an entrée-sized portion should be added to the menu.
Soups and salads certainly kept our entertaining meal on track. The chicken tortilla soup ($6.95) was quite a spectacle, a large bowl teeming with chicken, roasted tomato, scallion, sour cream, avocado and pasilla chili rings topped with crumbled queso fresco and crispy tortilla strips. Garnished with a little queso fresco, the mixteca salad ($7.95) showcased fresh baby spinach leaves, grape tomatoes, red onion and toasted pumpkin seeds coated with just the right amount of balsamic-chili-habanero-pepper vinaigrette.
Our favorite dish, however, was the taco platter for two ($35), which would be reason enough to make the trip to Mohegan Sun. From SolToro’s five enticing types of tacos, we were allowed to pick three pairs, the six soft tacos accompanied by a bounty of rice, black beans and toppings. The toppings included roasted jalapeño, ranchero sauce, guacamole and sour cream. Although every taco sounded wonderful, we passed on the grilled chicken taco ($13.95 for an individual meal of three tacos, rice, beans and salsa) with chipotle adobo marinade, sweet corn and red pepper relish, pico de gallo and sour cream. Nor did we order the grilled filet mignon taco ($19.95) marinated in a drunken sauce and served with cactus salad, grilled cheese and a roasted tomato-jalapeño salsa.
Was I drunk? Don’t worry—I knew exactly what I was doing. The three tacos I selected were simply irresistible. The crispy duck tacos ($17.95) finished with tomatillo salsa, onion and cilantro were incredibly flavorful. The grilled pork tenderloin taco ($14.95) served with pickled red onion, lime-spiked cabbage and a roasted-jalapeño-tomato salsa was also amazing. Still, if I were picking a last-meal taco before going blindfolded before a firing squad, it would be the beer-battered fish taco ($16.95) with lime-spiked cabbage, pico de gallo and red onion. Even as I write this piece, I’m experiencing an incredible craving to return to Mohegan Sun for it.
While the two other entrées we tried were quite good, they didn’t quite seem to be the equal of SolToro’s appetizers or taco platter. The spice-rubbed rib-eye steak endiablada ($24.95) proved to be quite flavorful and well-cooked once we performed a “chip-ectomy” on it to remove a plethora of crispy tortilla strips and extricated the meat from the (tasty) lake of sauce in which it was submerged. Served with rice and sweet fried plantains, SolToro’s Veracruz-style fish ($18.95) was quite flavorsome cooked with tomato, onion, jalapeño, garlic, Manzanilla olives, capers and fresh herbs, but the fish was cooked a little too long. Certainly, there is pleasure to be had among the entrées, but the exceptional starters make taking a tapas approach to assembling a meal equally tempting.
We headed into dessert with a slight buzz from our drinks and a gentle burn on our lips. The SolToro flan ($7) with homemade caramel sauce was scrumptious, although eggier and firmer than some Spanish versions. The apple empanadas ($8) were even better, the fried pastries coated in cinnamon sugar and served with vanilla ice cream. The chocolate banana burrito ($8) was an ideal combination that was further enhanced by the addition of chocolate sauce, caramelized toasted pumpkin seeds and vanilla ice cream. But our surprise favorite, given that we’re not especially cheesecake lovers, was the passion fruit cheesecake ($8) crusted with graham cracker, sauced with strawberry and topped with fresh mango and papaya.
SolToro is a most worthy addition to Connecticut’s rapidly improving Mexican restaurant scene. Executive chef Edwin Mateo and sous chef A.J. Rogers have worked wonders with the menu, creating the ideal marriage of upscale dining and regional Mexican authenticity. I love SolToro and can only hope that, like other Michael Jordan restaurants, this thrilling concept and menu are destined to be repeated.