Viva Mexico! Rosa Mexicano ‘s Desde 1984 Menu

By: Finance Foodie

In 1984, Chef Josefina Howard opened the first Rosa Mexicano in New York City’s Midtown East. Since then, the concept has expanded to 14 restaurants around the world, as demand for authentic and regional flavors of Mexican food has exploded. To celebrate the restaurant’s 30th anniversary, the Desde 1984 menu was created to allow guests to savor the most loved Rosa dishes over the past three decades.

Desde 1984 Menu

In celebration of Mexican Independence Day on September 16th, I decided to check out a few items on the Desde 1984 menu (note: I am not of Mexican descent, but felt like my love of Mexican cuisine was reason enough to celebrate). I started off my meal with the anniversary Margarita Rosa ($13), a pomegranate and prickly pear-infused El Jimador blanco tequila. Sweet and highly potent, it was like a party in my mouths and started the evening on a rather festive note.

Margarita Rosa

For my appetizer, I chose the Empanadas de Jaiba, which consisted of three large crispy corn empanadas filled with jumbo lump crab meat, with a side of avocado and tomatillo salsa. The substantial amount of crab meat alone made this dish delightful, but the real highlight was the avocado salsa- sweet, light and awesomely refreshing when paired with the heavier empanadas.

Empanadas de Jaiba

The entrée I chose was the Filete con Hongos, a pan seared filet mignon covered with a wild mushroom-tequila cream sauce. I was a bit turned off at the mud puddle looking plate at first, but when I took a bite of the meat and mushrooms – what a reversal! The robust chunks of mushroom were heavenly and the meat was nice and tender. With the cream sauce, hearty amount of meat, and big bowls of buttered rice and refried beans that come as sides, be warned - this dish is not for the faint of heart.

Filete con Hongos

The special Desde 1984 menu will be offered through October 12th at Rosa Mexicano restaurants nationwide. Available a la carte or as a two or three course dinner for $30 (excludes the price of dessert at NYC restaurants), the meal is really quite a steal, especially when considering the very generous portions (I was full after my two courses). For more information, go to www.rosamexicano.com.

Rosa Mexicano
Lincoln Center location
61 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023
(212) 977-7700
www.rosamexicano.com
Cuisine: Mexican