My wife and I are slowly working our way through all the restaurants in our new neighborhood of Hyde Park. Two Sundays ago we stopped in at Poco a Poco for dinner. We arrived around 6pm and found the restaurant mostly deserted except for a couple of tables outside on the front sidewalk. We also choose to sit outside to enjoy the wonderful fall weather. The same employee who sat us at our table was also our server for the evening.

Sangria

After looking through the rather extensive drink menu, my wife and I decided on a couple of drinks. She had the sangria while I went with the sazerac. Both were fairly typical drinks, though I was shocked to see mine served in a martini glass. I had only had it served in an old-fashioned glass before. Also interesting was the color of the sangria was white and not red, like usual. Next time I think I’ll just go with a beer, as the drinks were rather pricey and nothing outstanding.

Sazerac

Prior to our visit I was told that this was a tapas style restaurant, however when I glanced at the menu that was not the vibe I got at all. I saw a fairly typical layout of appetizers, entrées , with a special section highlighting tacos. There is also a large selection of sides available. I guess you could order a couple different plates of tacos and some sides and then split it, but this is not what I think of when I hear tapas.

Rancheros

After going over the menu a couple of times I decided on the Rancheros ($16). This features 18 hour slow roasted pork stewed in tomatoes & smokey chipotles, served with refried beans & Latin rice. Not pictured above are the three tortillas that were served on the side, basically so you could make your own tacos. The price is higher than the other tacos on the menu, but this dish includes the beans and rice side, which I could have easily skipped. However the rancheros were delicious! The menu doesn’t  mention the soft cheese that was served on top of the mixed stew, but I really enjoyed it’s presence. If I could order these without the sides I would definitely get them again.

Vegetales Tacos

My wife ordered the Vegetales tacos with grilled summer squash sauteed with red & green bell peppers, dressed with sour cream vinaigrette, fried avocados & pickled jalapenos ($9). She really enjoyed these and after just a couple of bites I could taste why. The fried avocado was unique and definitely one of the standout ingredients. Also the sour cream vinaigrette that they used was very tasty. I would not hesitate to order this dish again.

After our first visit to Poco a Poco I would suggest skipping the pricey cocktails. The taco plates could easily be shared between guests, but that’s as far as the tapas concept goes. I look forward to future visits so I can sample more of the taco varieties and also some of the sides that are offered. There are also a couple of other entrées that look good, but those get much more pricey than the tacos.