Summer In Jalisco

What qualifies a "Summer In Jalisco"? How would I know I've never been there, but I can say I've had a taste - putting ourselves momentarily outside of McAllen. That's the aim for this summer's menu at Toloa. Thank you for the invitation - not only for the cuisine, but what you're bringing forward in terms of vision with the menu in collaboration with Lalo's tequila.

I will say - I had my rough past with tequila in my college years that even the smell or a sight of a tequila bottle opening ever so slightly makes me uneasy. We will be sharing our thoughts as we came face to face with the bottle of Lalo's Tequila that Antonio brought forward - here is our review of the menu with my dear friend and assistant that evening - Krista

We will be sharing our thoughts as they were served to us.

Birria Taco and Margarita

Birria style shortrib, coleslaw, salsa, avocado -

LALO Blanco, orange liqueur, agave, lime juice

Ram: Birria taco - it's my first time having birria - yeah SHOCKER lol but I questioned myself to where the consume is….well with that first bite - it's INFUSED - straight into it!

I wish I kept the salsa to use for the upcoming bites

Antonio came by our table and I recall telling him that I'm so used to seeing photographs/videos of birria tacos with the consume bowl for one to dunk their tacos, but this feels like it saves you the trouble by simply infusing it!.

Krista: The birria taco came in a corn tortilla, smells delicious! came with salsa roja and a lime. topped with coleslaw and an avocado.  The corn tortilla tastes homemade. The birria reminded me of chorizo and it tasted so good. The slaw gave a nice crunch, loved the texture. Including the salsa roja made it mildly spicy, very mild. on the savory side. very tomato-y. Adding lime juice and salsa roja gave the taco something to elevate it to a different level. i can taste the consome that the birria was cooked in. 

Overall wonderfully indulgent and not messy at all. This is a food you can eat while out at toloa and not have to worry about staining your clothes or dirtying your hands very much! 

Ram: I'm not your typical margarita enjoyer but from previous experiences it's either really sour, sugary, watered down and straight forward but here's the kicker it's TEQUILA and I'm not a fan of tequila but man it's so smooth - I feared something would overpower the other such as the tequila or the lime for example but it's mixed so well I can taste it all.

Krista: That’s how i like my margaritas! perfect amount of strength, not too sweet or salty. Nice and smooth in a perfectly-sized glass adorned with a dehydrated lime and a salted rim. Liqueur shines through so smoothly and just right. Fresh lime juice makes ALL the difference! Nothing like other margaritas that taste like lime juice mix and sugar. Nice and neat in presentation and lots of personality in the flavor! 

This combination of birria and margarita was especially nice due to the margarita having citrus in it (lime and orange) and the taco having lime in it. The combined food and beverage have something in common yet the taco brings forth a savoriness that makes you want to keep eating and keep drinking. So delicious and harmonious. 

Ram: This combo - a very citrus oriented meal 

Tuna Tostada and the Mexican 75

Crispy tostada with classic tuna ceviche, mixed with pico de gallo and lime -

LALO Blanco, agave, lime juice, bubbles

Ram: I understand the presentation, but taking into consideration the avocado—where do I bite? How to begin?

By the sight itself - It looks fresh. Juices are through the cracks of the tuna settling on the surface of the tostada. Presented with lime, pico de gallo and tuna. The tuna has soaked up the lime. Onion gives it a sweetness. Avocado—bringing forward a creamy texture.

I was thinking to myself how this would have tasted if I kept the red salsa from earlier - I'll just have to come again to find out.

Krista: The tuna tostada came looking VERY fresh and served generously. The presentation is beautiful on this tostada, though i found myself making decisions about how to bite it due to the avocado being a slice on one side as opposed to layered around the entire surface area. The size of the chopped tuna and onion was just right for biting and not making a mess. very limey, just as a ceviche should be. the tostada did not fall apart which is always an issue of mine when eating tostadas. the onion added a sweetness, cilantro made the flavor bloom, the tuna was delicious. I feel like when i bit into it it was missing something slight i couldn’t quite put my finger on. Maybe a tiny pinch of salt or a sauce? Still very fresh and delicious. I loved that the pico brought a slight spice to the dish, giving it a kick. while i continued eating it, i found that saltiness i wanted, so perhaps there was more blending that was needing in the seasoning. Overall a dish i would order. I love ceviche! 

Ram: The French uses Gin 

Mexican 75 well TEQUILA - YO! I love a French 75 but this just takes it for me - the surge of bubbles and lime

How refreshing 

What I enjoyed from this combo overall was the surge of like lime from both

What a pair!

Krista: Oh my god give me 14 of these. The carbonation of the champagne is so satisfying and perfectly refreshing when paired with such a rich and fresh dish as this tuna ceviche tostada. 

Pancita Taco and the Mexican Martini

Pork belly + chicharron in flour tortilla, cucumber, cilantro, habanero -

LALO Blanco, orange liqueur, fresh lime, olive brine, agave

Ram: Pancita taco - I fucked up 

I bit the habanero first and got the hiccups

I didn't want Antonio or Krista to think I was choking - I was holding in the coughs as Antonio was telling us about their decision to make the pork belly cubed - yet crunchy.  

Even then just thinking about the pork belly

It sneaked up on me...

The pork belly is unlike how I've had it before - chopped up 

With a nice crunchy flour tortilla 

The freshness of the veggies 

You expect to see carrots and cucumbers on a pork belly bao bun but this a different realm!

Whenever I eat pork belly - I always fear I'd be biting into fat or I'd have to strip off some unnecessary fat, but that wasn't the case here actually.

I'd say definitely a palette cleaner due to the heat 

It woke me up

Hell, it sobered me up

Krista: I decided to just go in and add the lime and salsa roja for the first bite. Something told me this is how this taco is meant to be eaten and truly savored. 

Oh my god this pork belly & chicharron combo is just what i would want after a couple of drinks when i get snacky. I absolutely LOVE the texture of the crunch and the habanero gave us a REAL spice that i have been waiting for! Order this taco if you are in it for the spice and are willing to add some adventurous vibes to your night. I made sure to take the habanero slice in my fingers and tear it into bits that I could taste across the whole taco, so that I wouldn't bite into an entire slice and feel an uncomfortable burn the whole time.

I think the saltiness of the martini paired with this taco is such a great combination. The carrot and cucumber on top of this taco are a wise choice in my opinion due to the way that raw veggies like them are good palate cleansers and tongue coolers when eating something spicy like habanero pepper. I appreciate the way they’re sliced so thinly; I'm able to enjoy this savory and indulgent dish without feeling like I am gnawing on tough raw vegetables.

Ram: A mexican martini, martinis and the idea of an olive - the sight of an olive  

I'm not a martini drinker 

I'm sorry 

I'm not an olive enjoyer either but HOW is THIS so GOOD?! Olive brine - olive brine 

I'll need to look you up 

I've never eaten an olive but for the experience as Krista expressed I MUST 

That texture with a sip of the martini 

Now I understand 

I feel like frank “I get it now”

I am no longer afraid by the mere olive, I now welcome it, I now love martinis.

Krista: Super cute little glass! Served with a lime and big olive (delicious, loved that it was big and fresh and salty!) The drink itself was quite strong but packed a good punch that didn’t discourage me from drinking it any more. After squeezing the juice of the quarter lime it was served with, I found the drink to have a wonderful balance of strength and flavor. That olive brine definitely gave it the touch every drink needs. harmonious mix!

Shrimp Telela and the Paloma

Blue corn masa filled with shrimp, sitting on pistachio mole & pepitas -

LALO Blanco, peychaud's aperitivo, grapefruit, lime, ginger, salt foam

Ram: The last time I had a telela was with neighborhood molino 

Seeing this 

Smelling this

Tasting this

A surprise from the mole because I only read mole not PISTACHIO with the pepitas

Flavors and texture combination is indescribable without trying it yourself -I've been craving this for so long

Just know it's fresh

The herbs

The sauce is so WARM 

No way

Just eating the tip of the telela the flavor 

I haven't even had the SHRIMP FILLING YET

SHREDDED SHRIMP WITHIN

What can I say

This filled a void that I've been looking for ever since neighborhood molino back in 2019-2020

Man

Krista: The presentation is much different than all other dishes! This fish smells divine right off the bat. My first time trying a tetela. I love the colors and the mole looks very promising. I am a fan of the pepitas. I tried the mole first; the pepper and fresh herbs were loud and I was not complaining. absolutely loooved this mole sauce. The pepitas gave it the fun texture every dish needs! And then I dug into the tetela itself… that blue corn masa stuffed with shrimp… this tasted more fresh and flavorful than I thought it would! Usually bar food is disappointing and one shouldn’t expect much from food from a bar, but toloa is different. This fish was fresher than ever and was extremely gratifying to eat. the texture, the warmth, the flavor, the culture just begging to be tasted. I felt one with this dish. Eating this made me so proud to be of Mexican descent. I felt like I was going back in time while still being in the present. It felt like a gift, or rather, an offering from toloa. “toloa” I learned, from Antonio, means to indulge in nahuatl. I am absolutely indulging in this any chance I get! This is a plate you’re gonna wanna lick clean, trust me! 

Both this drink and this dish together are an absolute MUST HAVE at toloa. You gotta be able to say you’ve tried this dish and drink. Both are elevated in their own forms and rights. 

Ram: Paloma, this is a paloma? Maybe it's the grapefruit garnish throwing me off, maybe the lack of salt on the rim or I'm used to seeing palomas in a different type of glass - its MOST likely the salt foam throwing me off - but i love a foam (not in coffee tho)

Again, salt foam? I'm used to an egg white foam used for my gin cocktails but salt foam???

Hmm

I even saw them make the salt foam that I didn't think that would be OUR drink

I didn't take a sip first - I instinctively went for the grapefruit slice first -

OKAY DIP THE GRAPEFRUIT SLICE IN THE DRINK

get the salt foam all over the grapefruit slice

Is salt foam a new thing?

I am NOW salt foam supremacy 

MAMA SOME SALT FOAM BEHIND U!

Don't let its looks deceive you the way it did to me.

Krista: The salt foam was unexpected but it makes the drink look so high-end and really classy. I especially appreciate the grapefruit slice as someone who loved paloma’s and grapefruit and citrus overall. I love a drink I can also munch on! what you wanna do is dip the grapefruit slice directly into the salt foam before eating it… best thing i’ve had in a drink! let’s normalize salt foam instead of salted rims because being able to blend the salt into the drink is SUCH a game changer for me!! Salt foam supremacy! my favorite drink of them all!! This was the most elevated paloma I've ever had. 

Thank you Toloa for the opportunity to try this menu - as Krista said "It felt like a gift, or rather, an offering from toloa. “toloa” I learned, from Antonio, means to indulge in nahuatl." Being able to indulge - to taste - to learn especially from someone as Antonio who spoke us and shared with us that evening. - Thank you.

Now some words from Toloa -

• Summer in Jalisco Happy Hour — Tues–Thurs, 6–8PM

  $4 bites + $8 LALO Tequila cocktails

  Running through August 31

  
  

•  LALO Tequila Launch Party — Tuesday, August 5

  Featuring LALO González, founder of the brand

You can find tickets for this event via the Toloa linktree on their instagram!