So my wonderful mother turned 50 this year! (and I am sure she is thrilled I am telling the blog-o-sphere her actual age) but because this was such a momentous occasion, I decided to return home from University and grace her with my presence, (as a poor college student, its the best present I can give). To celebrate this we decided on a family trip into NYC for an amazing dinner at Bobby Flay's first restaurant, the MESA GRILL.
We went on a Saturday night, and let me tell you, if you were to only walk into this restaurant you would have no idea there is a double dip recession going on right now! Every table was packed, and there were multiple couples eating at the bar! Also, even with our reservation we still had to wait a half an hour! It was a local hot spot. Since we did have to wait, I decided to try a Mesa Grill speciality cocktail. I went with the only non-margarita on the menu, and it was quite forgettable (case in point I cant even remember what it was called) It was a cocktail of lime juice, grapefruit juice and tequila and it was also too strong for me. My first reaction was too make sure I had indeed ordered a mixed drink and not a tequila on the rocks, and then I had to ask the bartender to put more juice in the drink to make it even drinkable for me, even the best tequila still packs a punch! However,everyone in the bar area had these gorgeous pink cactus pear margaritas, and if I ever go back, that is definitely what I am ordering. Also, for those waiting patiently for their table there were bread sticks that really had a kick. From the first small nibble it tasted like an ordinary herbed breadstick, however with a larger bite, the fire really hit my mouth. I don't know where it came from or how he hid it so well, but those breadsticks were like a drug, even with such a spicy twist, I couldn't put them down and kept going back for more! 
So we finally get to our table, and I powered through that tequila, and our server was quite energetic, maybe even a tad frantic. He was hard to find when we needed him most, and some things we had to remind him about. He did tell me that my cocktail choice was not the favorite on the menu, so for dinner I selected a lovely prosecco (which is my current obsession). For appetizers I choose the Blue Corn Pancake with bbq duck & habanero chile-star anise sauce but also stole some of the Crispy Squash Blossoms with ricotta, corn, basil and Hot & Sweet Yellow Pepper Sauce. For dinner I went with the waiters favorite, Grilled Lamb Porter House Chops (photo) and we ordered the roasted corn with chipotle aioli, lime + cotija side dish for the table (even after being told that there would be a wait because they had already ran out of the ingredients for the evening)! And for dessert I got the churro's. The lamb really did pale in comparison to both the duck and the corn, the duck was moist and had such a unique flavor. The lamb here was cooked perfectly, and the tamale was awesome, and not something I usually eat. Overall, I'm not sure this is a dish I would order again.
Its really hard to decided what was my favorite dish I had all evening, it really is a tie between what little corn I was allowed to eat, and the Blue Corn Pancake with duck. My sister will tell you it was the corn, because even after making fun of my mother for ordering a side of corn, she basically ate the whole thing, and wanted to get another. The corn just had the amazing and interesting taste to it, the combination of flavors was so unique, and it was just the right creamy texture. It was not your normal cream corn, and it is an absolutely must have.
This restaurant is located in one of my favorite parts of the city, right by union square! There is always something going on in this part of the city, and if you are there during the day you should definitely check out the Green Market great local produce that can get you excited for your season appropriate meal at Mesa Grill. Additionally, there is just some hands down great shopping in this neighborhood, for both men and women.
So to recap: Check out Union Square, grab a Cactus Pear Marg and get the Blue Corn Pancake with Duck and Dont Forget the Cream Corn! (But in all honesty you cant go wrong with anything at the menu)!
-Adventure On!
Amanda
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