I'm finally back home, but here are a few posts from the end of fall quarter.
Sometimes, it's so easy to get caught up in things to do that I forget to get off campus sometimes. There are always student productions, campus soirees, NBN work to do, Rotaract, catching up with friends, and of course academia. There aren't enough hours in the day and by the time there is even one minute to take a step back from what is my hectic life, I barely have the energy to move one muscle.
So when Janise read
the New York Times' review and wanted to take me
award-winning chef-restaurateur Rick Bayless' small Mexican cafe, how could I turn up the offer? After all, it was a little birthday get-together and churros, hot chocolate and tortas are hard to pass up.
Xoco is absolutely adorable. With deep blue walls and toe-tapping Latin music, it's a great place to get together with a small group of four. Big groups would be hard to seat and it's a lot of counter seating, so I would make note of that. The service was fast and the food was delicious. It's tragic that I can't remember the name of the tortas I ordered, but it's the only one on the menu made with beef. My mouth watered just from the smell of it. I also ordered the "Barcelona," which was rich chocolate simply melted and poured into a mug. Thick and rich, the hot chocolate went down like sweet sludge. Janise took the waitress' suggestion and ordered the "Ahodaga," pork carnitas, spicy arbol chile sauce and black bean sandwich dipped in a rich, creamy tomato broth. The tomato was a bit more overpowering that both of us would have liked, but it was still delicious nonetheless. She also ordered a hot chocolate with whole milk (from what I remember), and it was a sweet treat for a cold, windy day.
Unfortunately, we didn't order the churros, which means...well, I guess we just have to go back next quarter!
It was a refreshing breath of fresh air -- getting off campus and eating great food. Next stop? Borders to actually do some studying for exams.
