Every meal’s a fiesta

Fresco's Cocina Mexicana

If you haven’t stopped into a place called Fresco’s lately, you’ve missed a rockin’ time. It’s a great place if you’re a fan of Uncle Julio’s in Fort Worth or one of the many Mi Cocina locations. If you prefer your dinners on the sedate side, you’ll want to run, run away from this joint.

No longer the fast-casual concept it was upon opening three years ago, Fresco’s has found its groove as a full-service Mexican dining room and bar with plenty of grilled options, newfangled versions of combination plates and two or three different tequila drinks for each day of the week.

Always a willing recipient of the tableside guacamole offering, I persuaded my foursome to go along with the elaborate appetizer production ($7.99). Our server was an amiable, chatty young woman who did an admirable job of mashing fresh avocados, minced garlic, chopped onion, chopped tomato, jalapenos and lime in the molcajete — a stone mortar and pestle — although I was nervous that she would lose a finger with her slippery knife skills.

Dipping warm, thin tortilla crisps into the lush guacamole, we added a few dabs of Fresco’s four specialty salsas. The most interesting was the fiery, brick-red chile arbol version, which hit the back of the throat in a delayed burn but was still a good foil for the tart avocado blend. A mesquite-grilled jalapeno-habanero salsa, coarse and sweet-smoky, was considerably mellowed with honey.

Skipping the simpler enchilada-taco combos, I was drawn instead to the Oaxacan tamales ($8.99). Each the size of a typical burrito, these two giant tamales were steamed inside huge banana leaves in the tradition found deep in Central Mexico and the Yucatan. The masa is rendered soft and plump, which kept the interior chicken downright juicy. A perky tomatillo sauce came alongside for dipping.

Giant shrimp, bound tightly with jack cheese and a fresh jalapeno slice in strips of smoky bacon, were grilled over a searing mesquite fire. Called Acapulco fajitas ($16.99), these came with a full-bodied chipotle sauce for dipping, but the rich flavors needed no enhancement.

A Fresco’s signature dish, the Caesar fajita tacos ($8.99), were just interesting enough to be good. Heavily marinated beef and chicken, cut thickly after grilling over the wood fire, were piled into hot, downy flour tortillas with roasted corn, tart pico de gallo, shredded Parmesan and chopped romaine leaves slick with Caesar salad dressing. These were nice on a hot summer night with one of the new mango margaritas, which can go down dangerously quickly.

Hmmm, maybe that explains the party crowd, inside and on the patio.

This review originally appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Friday, July 21, 2006.