The menu is mercifully brief: several salads and a handful of plates that work equally well as shared starters or main dishes. An ensalada verde, with currently trendy Brussels sprouts does its job, though the copious ensalada Fierro is the one to order. Two hefty halves of Romaine, lightly grilled, come topped with finely shredded machaca (the dried beef popular in Nuevo León) and an anchovy-rich dressing that nods to Caesar’s origins. Mejillones con chorizo offer a Spanish tapas bar déjà vu, the happy surf-and-turf pairing of mussels and sausage, though here the chorizo is fresh rather than cured as it would be in the old country. Arroz con chicharrón recalls an Iberian arroz meloso, buttery tomato-stained grains meeting delightfully crisp pork skin.
The star of the show, however, and the dish that will draw me back soon, is the seemingly routine carne asada. Expectation: a well-done strip steak with grilled onions and tortillas. Delivery: something entirely different. Ultra-tender, pepper-encrusted slices of filet cooked properly medium-rare, ringed by a moat of ruby-dark reduction, would feel right at home in a very good Paris bistro. Pair this carnivorous pleasure with papas Galeana, little new potatoes crusty outside and plush within.
Those less committed to meat have options too. A whole mojarra (carp) is expertly grilled and served center-table for taco-making. Lightly smoked and grilled chicken is another reliable choice.
