I can be competitive. I’ve been fiercely hated (though only temporarily) at family game nights. Things get ugly at showers once the games begin (I’ve yet to lose at Baby Name Scramble). Fightin’ words are par for the course if I’m trying to win. All in good fun, of course.
The restaurant game is one I like to play, though with my belly flabbier and my wallet flatter with each outing, I’m not sure it’s a game I can win. Still, when I hear about a hot spot – a place with extensive waits and large crowds and a sweet reputation, it’s game on if I’m fortunate enough to sneak out of the suburbs and away from mommy duties for some grown up grub. This was the case for my night out at Gabbi’s, the “it” place for Mexican in Orange.
First off, though only a competition in my mind, I was in the lead with my first bite of Gabbi’s chips and salsa. I could eat chips and salsa on the daily, and I’ve had enough to know a good chip from a so-so one (because is there really a bad chip?). But THESE chips… THIS salsa is the best of the duo I’ve had. Both pushed flavor boundaries like none before them. The chips were just salty, just crispy, just greasy enough. And I prefer a sweeter salsa. If Gabbi’s salsa got any sweeter, it would be sugary. Cloying. Desserty. Too decadent for a salsa. But here is where Gabbi’s succeeded. This salsa rolled up to sweet, slamming on the brakes and screeching to a halt just before too much sweet. And when matched to the saltiness of the chips… Winning!
Another great find here was in their jalapeño pepino margarita, a finely soothed blend that intrigued and delighted. Fear not, spice-phobes – this drink does not set your mouth on fire. Rather, it highlights the depth of the jalapeño, showing its ability to play nicely with its friends – in this case, the cucumber, a bit of lime, agave, salt, and the Corralejo Blanco. I had two of them. And if it had been a weekend (and a payday), I’d have had four.
Typically when things are going so well for me, I get let down with my entrée. It’s more the case that I fall madly in love with appetizers, with cocktails, with sides, only to have my main course fail me. You can guess where this story’s going. Gabbi’s proved an exception. While I played familiar, ordering my go-to Mexican plate of enchiladas suizas, I came out on top with this choice – the chicken well seasoned and fresh, the blend of crema and tomatillo sauce rich and tangy. Two splendid little bundles of zesty goodness. With beans. And rice. I don’t even like rice and I ate all the rice.
My compadres for the evening were equally satisfied with their dishes – plantain empanandas for an appetizer, the pescado a la Veracruzana, and the chile en nogada, a stuffed chile pasilla with a nutty pomegranate sauce that proved new, intriguing, and exhilarating.
The night would be incomplete without dessert so a round of churros was in order. If there’d been a prize for the gal at the table who sucked down the most churros despite already being stuffed, I’d have gotten the gold – even breaking an OC record. Someone should give me a trophy.
But the props go to Gabbi’s which brought it with its fun cuisine and lively venue. I enjoyed a lovely getaway with my peeps, coming out on top without anyone getting hurt. Definitely one for the books.
Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen
141 S. Glassell Street in Orange