Peachy Picks Mad Dog & Beans Mexican Cantina Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Owner Paul O'Connor and Executive Chef Guiellermo Alarcon
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We have featured very few Mexican restaurants, because it's not easy to find phenomenal ones. Guess what-we found one! On the illustrious Stone Street, haven to deal-making of the Wall Street Elite and probably the closest thing to a central networking spot that New York can come up with in comparison with London's Bank or Canary Wharf areas, Mad Dog & Beans reigns over all of Manhattan with their terrific upscale Mexican cuisine. How do they do it? Run by the Irish brains that also invented Bierhaus (we still would like them to do an upscale Irish venue a la Neven Maguire perhaps since that does not exist anywhere in Manhattan), Mad Dog and Beans is committed to Mexican cuisine, and we do mean committed. Executive Chef Guiellermo Alarcon is straight from Mexico so all of the food is truly authentic-he uses his mom's recipes. The tables and chairs are direct from Mexico, and so are the glasses. But what is a Mad Dog? They told us it's an outlaw wrongly accused of a crime. The only crime would be if you didn't visit this hot spot! Why on earth you would visit any Mexican food franchise, all inferior, is absolutely beyond us. Go here.
Open since January 2008, Mad Dog & Beans is one hopping place. Half of the business is at lunch and the other half at dinner. Mad Dog and Beans has 32 coveted outdoor seats from April to November and 140 inside seats in addition to a spacious event space upstairs. You know we sat inside because this is our first visit, but perhaps we will return for our Manhattan Al Fresco column. (We now have a Washington one as well.) The service is efficient so if you are in a rush this is nice to know.
Owner Paul O'Connor professionally greeted us the minute we walked in and proudly gave us a tour of the venue and answered the million questions you know Peachy had about Mad Dog & Beans on her first visit. We understand Tom Ryan and James Hendrick are also owners, but we have not met them and they were not present during this review so we hope to meet them next time. As you know, our philosophy is to understand the comprehensive vision of the owners if there is more than one, even if they don't work there.
Peachy Deegan is not a margarita person. She is a red wine person and the Malbec from the Dona Paula Estate that they suggested was ripe and lovely. It paired well with each culinary endeavor.
The first thing you'll notice about the food at Mad Dog & Beans is that you absolutely cannot stop eating the guacamole. It is that good. We are not even into guacamole (have you ever seen it mentioned before in our 16,998 posts?) but we are into this guacamole. This is what a great restaurant does-it tricks us into liking the cuisine that we think don't love in the first place, but we love it there. The last time this happened was with Indian cuisine at our friend Ashok's Bombay Club, which negates the need for The White House to even have a kitchen. It's steps away.
Of course fresh chips are made every day to go with it! Guacamole is made to order in a stone molcajeta. Avocados are from Mexico.
Under appetizers we tried both the Chicken Chimichangas, two fried flour tortillas stuffed with grilled chicken, Monterey Jack and Chihuahua cheeses and topped with guacamole, pico de gallo, creme fresca and queso fresco and the Plain Gorditas, corn tortillas filled with Monteray Jack and Chihuahua cheeses, lettuce and crema fresca and served with tomatilla and guajilo sauces. Although they were shaped differently they seemed quite similar to Peachy and she found them respectively delicious!
Inside:
Guillermo graciously brought out his entree creations (we think he resembles Chelsea Handler's pal):
The Carnivore-in-Chief opted for the Tampiquena:
Nicely presented with a becoming color arrangement, the char-grilled skirt steak was served with creamy Poblano rajas and a cheese enchilada in tomatillo sauce with Mexican rice and refried black beans. This was amazing comfort food and as we go into the nasty winter weather here up north, this is definitely a dish that will hit the spot in the colder months to warm you up! Every bite was amazing and the steak was done medium as we asked.
Rice and beans have a party on the side!
If you are a fan of pineapple, you will adore the Grilled Pineapple Avocado Salad, a highly creative venture by Mad Dog & Beans. Grilled pineapple, cherry tomatoes, charred corn, avocado and red onion over a bed of mesculan greens and tossed in a chipotle ancho vinaigrette formed a symphony of nutrition. Salads are a must at every meal!
We eyed a very fun drink near us, so guess who wanted to try it. (Stay tuned for the most fun drink of all to be featured in a book before the end of 2014!)
They say that Guinness is Good For You but we think this drink might be too. Do meet the Super Pinche Margarita-famous Mad Dog Frozen Margarita served in a 1 Liter Goblet accompanied by a Corona!
This is how the beer is able to stand:
We're not going to explain the physics lesson here, but we'd say that discipline plays a role in the innovative contraption.
Even the dessert is awesome. Peachy ordered the Mexican-style sponge cake made with a trio of milks and served with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Simple, straightforward and executed to perfection!
Our esteemed panelist adds:
Join the party at Mad Dog and Beans! Not just another taqueria, and not a formula restaurant…it will change your mind about what Mexican food can be like in Manhattan. The chef’s own Mother provides the recipes for the abundant platters that come out of this kitchen.
There are a few things not usually found, in a typical American/Mexican or chain restaurant. More’s the better, as far as different is concerned. Head out to the Stone Street side and relax with a table full of friends so you can try all the delectable appetizers Mad Dog has to offer. The guacamole is hand made per portion, and offered up in a stone mortar called a “molcajeta”. This is not a small dish with a basket full of nachos on the side. It’s hand cut nachos with a guacamole to beat the band, and the taste is a beautifully balanced and textural experience.
Chimichangas and gorditas here are unlike others we’ve tried. The wrappings are soft and delicious, the interiors flavorful. Mad Dog (or his mythic chef, Beans) makes a mean tomatillo sauce, so include that in one of your choices.
I had the Shrimp Alambre, with the tomatillo, and it’s a blend of flavors that offers a better insight into cooking from South of the Border.
You can choose one of their beers, but while at Mad Dog and Beans, the margarita is a must. With their tequila list alone, you can spend more than one evening sampling. But try the house Margarita (offered with a substitute of gin for non-tequila fanciers) to start. On the rocks, of course. Worry about the extra eye-catching list of Mezcals later. Oh, yes, another trip will happen. The house margarita is not too sweet, and comes with either mango, strawberry, raspberry or even cucumber to help bear the load of the Sauza Silver. If you’re in an adventurous mood, and have a friend with you, go for the Pinche Margarita: big, and by big we mean BIG, in a glass with a side of a coronita. To those that don’t speak bar, a coronita is a bottle of Corona suspended in a holding pattern in/on/over a frozen margarita build for two. So cute, it’s worth a visit on a hot afternoon or evening, just for chips, that amazing guacamole and one of these monster margaritas.
Just a quick word about the pineapple salad here: on the menu, look for “Grilled Pineapple Avocado Salad”. Order it for your lunch, or just as an extra for the table. The pineapple is grilled in large chunks and rested atop a bed of ripe avocado, charred corn and mesclun greens. It’s the perfect balance to end the meal, but if you want dessert, go for it.
The Mad Dog Sundae might not be typical in Mexican cuisine, but it feels right at home here. You’re surrounded by wood imported from Mexico, sitting on tables and chairs made there, sipping water from glasses crafted by hand in Mexico. Atmosphere, pure atmosphere. There’s a room upstairs that serves as dining room and event room, should your group need to reserve a space away from the mayhem. But it’s a warm and inviting restaurant, upstairs or down, with a view of historic New York of old and service that will bring you back again and again. For locals: their lunchtime is crowded beyond belief, so hoof it over there just after the crowds go back to their computers and order something tall to make the afternoon more delightful. Mad Dog and Beans is my new go-to place downtown for anytime. See you over a margarita.
Peachy Picks Mad Dog & Beans!
Mad Dog & Beans is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
