Tequilas Restaurant: Camarones Rellenos, $26.95
By Glen Macnow
Tequilas Restaurant
16th and Locust
I haven't been to a formal function in years where the guests didn't mob the tuxedo-wearing waiter carrying the tray of bacon-wrapped shrimp (well, maybe a kosher bar mitzvah). Who doesn't love the combo of flavors and textures? A simple dish, but a crowd pleaser.
Well, Oscar Serrano, the creative force behind Tequilas – Center City's best Mexican restaurant for more than 25 years – has taken a recipe you've probably had dozens of times and made it even better. The dish is Pacific Ocean jumbo shrimp, stuffed with Chihuahua cheese and wrapped with bacon, and then deep fried.
It's got it all – the sweetness of the shrimp, the soft tanginess of the Mexican cheese, the savory crispness of the bacon. Too often when chefs try this mix, either the bacon comes out soft and blubbery or the over-cooked shrimp dries out. But Tequilas knows how to get it just right.
I am not overstated it to say this is among the dozen best things I've eaten in the past decade. Tequilas gets it just right.
Score: 94/100
