Nido Kitchen & Bar

photo by Jasmine

Nido Kitchen & Bar, Dinner, Waterfront (Oakland)
July 9, 2016

P&J:
TOTOPOS CON GUACAMOLE - guacamole with salsa & tortilla chips
ENSALADA “CESAR” DE COGOLLOS - salad of little gem, avocado, watermelon radish, breadcrumb, cotija de cabra, pepita & queso cotija dressing
TACOS - puerco adobado: braised pork in ancho chocolate sauce, avocado, onion, serrano & cilantro; muslito de pollo asado: chargrilled chicken thigh, chamoy glaze & citrus tomatillo salsa
COCONUT FLAN – strawberry, stone fruit
MARGARITA DE CASA - cimarrón blanco, lime, honey
LA PICOSA - cimarrón blanco, housemade spicy bitters, citrus, honey
AGUA FRESCA - strawberry, jamaica


Notes:
Never tiring of Mexican food, we decided to give this place a try before hitting up a comedy show in Oakland.  We arrived at around 4 pm, thinking we would enjoy a little food and drink from the Happy Hour menu, while killing time until the dinner menu became available at 5.  Instead, we ended up ordering most of what was offered during Happy Hour, and by the end of it I was in love with the place.

We started with a round of house margaritas and the chips, salsa and guacamole.  Everything was delicious and well made, the salsa was deeply flavored, tart and a little spicy.  The portion of chips and such was modest, but I'm one of those people who can just eat chips and salsa forever (at the expense of my comfort, if you know what I mean), so it wasn't a bad thing that I was forced to save room in my belly for something else.  The margaritas were delicious, perfectly balanced; who knew honey would work so well here.  Patrick was pleased with everything, especially the guacamole.

The "Cesar" salad was right up my alley.  Little gem lettuce is my favorite of the lettuces (yes, I have a favorite lettuce), it's super crispy yet delicate, and the mild flavor still comes through in a well-dressed salad.  And well-dressed this was.  Creamy, slightly tangy, dressing coated the little gem lettuce in perfect proportion; thin sliced watermelon radish (which tastes just like a regular radish, except it's prettier) and chunks of avocado throughout.  The salad was garnished with salty grated cheese and large, golden crumbles of bread.

The tacos were marvelous, well-proportioned and tasty.  First off: fresh tortillas.  In one, shredded pork in a roasty-rich slightly sweet sauce; the chicken (my favorite) was nicely charred and the spicy-tart flavor of the chamoy glaze was outstanding.

For dessert, we tried the coconut flan.  It was silky, rich and creamy; a thicker consistency and less eggy than I know flan to be, but no less delicious.  The strawberry and stone fruit garnish was jammy and almost too sweet, though; I didn't much care for it.

I also tried a spicy-type margarita, but I far preferred the house version (only on the Happy Hour menu).  Patrick's jamaica (hibiscus) and strawberry agua fresca was not particularly sweet and very refreshing; the two flavors played well with each other - we should try to make this one at home.


So why did I fall for this place?  Well, for Happy Hour, the food was great, the drinks were great, and the bill was more than reasonable, even after tipping the kitchen 10 bucks (I've seen this on a few different menus now, and I love it).  We would definitely like to go back, though knowing Happy Hour is such a steal, we may not go any other time.