Frida

The Americana at Brand is the shopping center circulating all sorts of buzz in the valley. Half shopping center--half amusement village, this place brings crowds from all over the land to see a place where you can not only shop, dine and stay, but also view water shows that rival the hotels of Vegas, ride a trolley from end to end and play on a fun-looking climbing wall playground.

There are a variety of restaurants in this entertainment-filled shopping mall, and last night we decided to check out Frida--the Mexican choice. Frida looks fancy from the street, but it didn't seem like we were out of place in our day clothes. We went fairly early to dinner, around 6:30 or 7pm and the outdoor patio that looks out onto the mall was completely packed. The inside of the restaurant, however, was open. I was worried we would have to wait after seeing the patio, but actually we were seated immediately.

Our drinks were served immediately--but if you do not order water, you do not get it automatically. The waiter also came around with a basket of warm tortilla chips and two gravy boats of salsa. The red salsa had a slightly smoky flavor and was supposed to be spicy, but it wasn't too bad. The green salsa seemed to have small chunks of avocado in it and was very refreshing. The waiter, trying to earn some points with his spicy-craving crowd brought out some hot sauce for us to add to our salsas. I didn't think it did much, but I enjoyed the green salsa as it was.

The menu had a variety of choices all different from a typical sit-down Mexican restaurant. What most caught my eye was the ceviche and then the full page of different tacos. I really didn't spend much time looking at the entrees, I was going to get the tacos.

I decided on the Tacos de Cochinita Pibil which is slow cooked pork in an annatto sauce served with a habenero relish. On the menu it says "an excellent choice" which to me is like saying "house specialty" so when the waiter warned me that it is the spiciest thing on the menu, I was rather surprised. Generally a house specialty is something for all tastes I thought. I went for it anyway. My dining companions got the Tacos Campechanos which is steak and chorizo and the other got Filet a la Tapienquena which is a steak served with mole and an enchilada.

Although it didn't say on the menu, the tacos were street style except with only one tortilla. Unlike the typical flooding of beans and rice all over the plate, the tacos were served with a small cup of rice and some beans. The actual tacos were not that spicy--but one tiny piece of the habenero relish and my lips and mouth were on fire. The other diners liked their dinners too (although the chorizo addition was a little unusual) and everyone agreed that we would be back.





Frida
750 American Way
Glendale, CA 91210
Map