When thinking of Mexican cuisine, white linen table cloths and decorative candles on the table do not always come to mind. Mexican restaurants are typically more austere with a focus on intense flavors and making the most of expensive ingredients like beef or pork. Traditional Mexican dishes like menudo and barbacoa exemplify this approach of using every bit of what’s available to create a spicy and delicious meal. For Chris and I, eating well prepared flank steak or rich and hearty beans is as much of a treat as a fancy dining experience.
For our dinner tonight, however, we are visiting the Iron Cactus in Downtown Dallas. This restaurant serves upscale Mexican cuisine, which is a departure for our normal dining experience. Within walking distance from the Dallas Museum of Art and other attractions downtown, the Iron Cactus makes for a great dinner to accompany a night out at the museum or theater performance. The restaurant is decidedly well appointed without being stuffy. It is apparently a favorite of locals who recommend it highly. On our visit, the rooftop bar was filled with locals enjoying the beginning of autumn with a cocktail and a fabulous Mexican inspired meal.
To start dinner, Chris and I enjoyed the ceviche. Made with sashimi grade tuna, onion, avocado, fresh tomatoes, and cilantro marinated in citrus this appetizer was dazzling. It combined the freshness of the tomato and cilantro with the silky smooth tuna and creamy avocado. Eating the ceviche was a textural symphony, each bite well orchestrated into a harmonious blend of crunchy onion against creamy avocado and silky tuna. We ate every last bit of this appetizer and would do so again in a heartbeat.
Our main courses consisted of a roasted pork tenderloin and vegetable fajitas. In Mexico slow roasting of meat is a fine art. When I used to travel to Reynosa or Monterrey, you would see racks of cabrito, whole hog, or whole chickens roasting over an open fire in the windows of restaurants throughout town. This process of slow cooking ensured the meat was extra tender and flavorful from the cooking process. The pork tenderloin served this evening was a strong reminder of the patiently prepared meals I used to enjoy visting Mexico. The pork was tender and moist, served with a rich demi-glace and covered in sweet red onions. The savory pork and sweet onions blended perfectly. Cheesy mashed potatoes accompanied the pork along with roasted broccoli. I’ve never been much of a fan of broccoli, but I certainly enjoyed the preparation of these green florettes.
Chris ate the veggie fajitas with roasted zucchini, squash, bell peppers, onions and portabello mushrooms. The star of the vegetable mix, however, was the smoky and delicious poblano peppers. They combined with the other vegtables to bring a hint of spiciness to the dish without overpowering the other vegetables. It was nice that the vegetables retained some of their crispness in the cooking process or overwhelmed with some sort of spicy salsa or sauce. The use of portabello mushrooms gave the fajitas body and made the dish hearty. Served alongside amazingly creamy refried beans, this dish earned great accolades.
We finished the evening with tres leches cake. This sweet creation was a prefect end to the elegant evening. The freshly prepared cake was light and had just the right amount of sweetness from condensed milk and strawberries.
The Iron Cactus earns 4 tacos out of 5. It is an elegant Mexican dining experience that brings the flavors of Mexican cuisine into an elegant setting. Meals are a bit more expensive than traditional Mexican dining but well worth it for a splurge. We hope you’ll stop by when you visit Dallas.
