Mexican Food Refined and Redefined

Well! Chef Prasad has done it again! This master creator of authentic as well as trendy Indian cuisine has now proved his mastery over Mexican cuisine.

Last year, Chef Prasad had told me about his Mexican restaurant in New Haven. He said that he had spent a lot of time in Mexico to study the intricacies of the cuisine and grew to love it. He always thought that Mexican food in restaurants looks messy when it arrives at the table….everything from the entrée to the sides like rice and beans are all put on the same plate in a sloppy mess. (BTW: I totally agree with him. I always feel confused and overwhelmed when I eat at a Mexican restaurant – for the same reason) Chef Prasad wanted to change things up and present this cuisine in a cleaner, more refined manner thereby giving it the respect it deserves. That is exactly what he achieved at Oaxaca Kitchen in New Haven and now he is doing the same in Westport.

Oaxaca’s cuisine is known for its seven famous moles: Manchamanteles, Chichilo, Amarillo, Rojo, Verde, Coloradito and Negro. These moles are flavored with a variety of chili peppers. Corn and black beans are staple in Oaxaca. Chef Prasad has stayed true to these Oaxaca traditions.

We visited Oaxaca Kitchen in Westport last night, and the first thing that hit me was that it looked like a completely different place from Thali Too. It was hip and trendy…with a great peppy vibe. Our server John was really warm, friendly and funny. We immediately felt that we had made the right choice in going there.

Food was absolutely delicious! After ordering a round of Margaritas and Mojitos, we sampled Barbacoa and Pato Confit Tacos for our appetizers. They were exciting to look at and were delicately flavorful when eaten. For our main course we tried the Bistec ala Parilla and Pato a las Brasas. The main course came to our table looking absolutely beautiful. The side dishes were presented on the side as they should be. The portions were perfect. Plates looked manageable…not daunting, if you know what I mean.

To finish off our evening, we just had to order Tres Leches cake. Delicately delicious, and simply divine! Do I need to tell you that we wiped that plate clean?