If you ever wondered what a long-tailed blue and yellow macaw parrot would look like as a conquering superhero, check out the Miguelitos Taqueria Y Tequilas website. The mascot for this new Tampa Mexican restaurant is pictured in flight, with wings fully spread, bursting through nebula-like suspended droplets of interstellar blue agave tequila. It’s a striking image that announces the arrival of something important.
Owner Miguel Rodriguez, also of Miguel’s Mexican Seafood & Grill just three blocks west, has created a splendidly designed, casual oasis for tacos and spirits.
If you enter from the east, it’s up a few stairs and in a double door, which opens to a spacious walled patio with an awning so huge you almost don’t realize that you’re still “outside.” Inside, through another set of doors, there are comfy booths of black-and-white paisley, and a decorative wall of pounded metal reminiscent of a tin ceiling. Iridescent cloth that rises above the booths is flooded with cobalt blue uplight.
The translucent, illuminated Avonite bars glow from below in a variety of colors. Behind the counter, several stepped shelves filled with bottles are bathed in aqua light in front of a herringbone-patterned mirror. It’s a sleek, sophisticated and welcoming space.
The focus at lunchtime is relaxed — tacos, burritos and tortas on jalapeño cheddar buns. But after 4 p.m., the restaurant breaks out the tapas menu. That’s what we decide to explore, since it makes more sophisticated demands on the kitchen.
Our server’s first pitch is from Miguelitos’ fun tablet with pictures of floating bottles and mixed drinks. The signature margarita beckons from the screen in attractive stemmed glassware with contrasting swirls of dark blue and ever-so-pale lime green. The ice shines as it peeks above the alcoholic mix, and I am defenseless. With salt, please.
The deviled eggs are made with goat cheese and a sun-dried tomato garnish. They’re fine if you crave eggs as a starter, but they won’t make you forget the surprising combos from Z Grille, or other chefs pushing the oeuf boundaries.
Next, the luscious goat cheese balls are rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried. As the melting cheese mixes with marinara sauce enlivened with guajillo chiles, your mouth goes pop. And the drizzle of tart Mexican crema adds a cooling grace note.
When the langosta thermidor arrives, I’m psyched. It’s a lovely dish; in fact, all the tapas are beautifully plated. In this case, succulent chunks of lobster are tossed with spinach and bacon and put back into the tail shell. I don’t see the beurre blanc the menu lists, though. It’s a French “white butter” sauce made from a reduction of vinegar, wine and shallots. Then, cold butter is slowly added to create an ethereal emulsion that’s a smashing match for fish, particularly crab and lobster.
Unfortunately, the dish is out of balance, with the bacon overwhelming the delicate lobster meat. When I lift the greens on which the lobster rests, there appears to be some melted butter, yet it lacks the welcome acidity that a true beurre blanc would add.
The seafood-stuffed avocado half, topped with plenty of baby shrimp and lump crab, fares much better. The creamy avocado proves to be a delicate base, so the shellfish has a chance to shine.
Slow-braised pork belly is a generous chunk sautéed with brown sugar and butter. I’m a total sucker for pork, and the belly in particular. At its best, the belly has an incredible lusciousness. This one is tasty, if a bit one-dimensional.
The colossal lump crab meat cake is featured as being pan-seared; most crab cakes we encounter are lightly breaded and prepared this way. The restaurant’s rendition, which combines plenty of crab with bits of red onion and cilantro, looks like it was baked in a muffin tin. The sides are slightly slanted, there’s no breading and the top is lightly browned. It’s sitting on a spicy-sweet honey Sriracha that packs a punch. My tasters are split on the sauce, but given the Mexican origins of this cuisine, it’s a nice touch.
The hit of the night is the simple arroz con camaron. Poblano rice in a rich, queso fresco cheese sauce topped with sautéed baby shrimp and drizzled with garlic butter is just seductive. It’s soft and creamy with briny goodness from the shrimp and the perfect hint of garlic. Once again, comfort food wins the day.
For dessert, we choose traditional sopapillas and fried ice cream. Although the pillow-shaped fried pastry is puffed and somewhat crisp, there’s not much taste, so the piped whipped cream is welcome. And I could use some extra honey; what’s drizzled on the plate is a bit stingy. The ball of fried ice cream in the middle of the rectangular dish provides a good textural contrast; the soft vanilla and the crisp breadcrumbs unite nicely.
The key lime pie made in-house is a valiant effort. The creamy tart filling sits on a graham cracker crust thick with buttery goodness — with an emphasis on thick. Again, my table is split. While I don’t mind the thick base, I could use some more tartness.
Still, we leave as happy as a soaring macaw blasting through a tequila mist.
Jon Palmer Claridge dines anonymously when reviewing. Check out the explanation of his rating system.
