Puerto Cocina, the newest Mexican restaurant to open in Dallas, is a love letter to Baja Mexico that landed in the Dallas Design District mailbox, and we are the lucky recipients. From the creative minds behind award-winning restaurants Xaman Café and Ayuhuasca Cantina in Oak Cliff, Mauricio Gallegos and Gerardo Berrera, Puerto Cocina serves food unique to Baja, Mexico in a setting that is dreamy and elegant, like a chic Cabo resort.
Chef Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, Victor E. Rojas and Carlos Marquez, the powerhouse trio formerly of José and now operating Oh Hi! Hospitality collaborated with esteemed hospitality veterans to make their vision for Puerto Cocina come to life.
One of seven regional cuisines of Mexican food, Baja cuisine focuses on fresh seafood at Puerto Cocina embraces and elevates Baja’s seafood with its raw bar feature chocolate clams, oysters, and crudo. Chef Quiñones-Pittman is well-respected for her stunning applications of fresh seafood, at Puerto Cocina’s menu shines with her influences.
The Hiramasa Tiradito is a visual stunner but the flavor is even better. Slabs of hiramasa swim in a sauce of basil oil and aji amarillo that’s punctuated with candied kumquats, pomegranate arils, and smoked salmon roe and pops of sweet, sour, crunch, and saltiness.
Chocolate clams have finally arrived in Dallas. They are scarcely seen outside of their native habitat in the Sea of Cortez but Chef AQ was determined to get them on the menu and she did. Known for their brown shells, not because they contain cacao, chocolate clams are sweet, briny and her version is served in a sauce that includes Clamato and lime,
On the non-seafood side, two items I tried were simply brilliant. The panela salad has firm, grilled panela cheese with a light vinaigrette clinging to it with olives, marinated grapes, avocado and a slightly spicy lettuce called mustard frills. The Crema de Champiñones is the mushroom soup you’ve longed for since The Grape closed and a great mushroom soup was tough to find in Dallas. Puerto Cocina’s mushroom soup is savory and bright with braised mushrooms, chochoyotes (little dumpling-like balls of masa), Mexican crema, pistachio salsa macha, and pea tendrils.
Oh, and don’t miss dessert! The diminutive Pot de Creme was robust in flavor and texture with chocolate, cherry, and cinnamon combining for a delightful dessert.
With so much to love about the food, it might be easy to pass over the creativity and complexity of the cocktail program created by Diego Monsalve, the creative brain behind Ayahuasca Cantina. You won’t find your TexMex margarita here, rather Puerto Cocina’s slick take uses Espolon Reposado, matcha, and yuzu for an earthy, bright, low-acid flavor. It’s served in an Old Fashioned glass with one giant ice cube. The Spritz contains Alma Finca, an orange liquor, an herbal tea, and bubbles. So refreshing.
The wine list was curated by Victor Rojas, whose wine acumen produced a thoughtful list of wines from Baja, the Americas’ hottest new wine region. Though rosé is considered a summer wine, the Monte Xanic Rose is delicious and pairs beautifully with the tiradito. So, break the rules; drink rose while wearing white jeans all winter long.
Puerto Cocina is visually pleasing, as elegant and calm as the food is exciting and complex. Located in a still not fully developed part of the Design District, Puerto Cocina is among the first of several business to occupy 155 River Edge.
Mauricio and Gerardo have plans to expand Puerto Cocina’s offerings to include a coffee bar, breakfast, lunch, and grab and go items. In the meantime, book your dinner reservations now on Resy and follow them on Instagram @puertococina_.
All photos courtesy of Puerto Cocina& Bar/Jhair Guzmán