Paxia Alta Cocina Mexicana

Great Mexican food can be found in Orlando, and Paxia provides it! It was several months ago that I first heard about Paxia Alta Cocina Mexicana and put them on my wish list, but only last night that I finally went there. I'm glad I did! 

First, the bad: their web site basically says "coming soon" but they've been open nearly a year. I think it's time they got with the program and got a web site up and running, complete with menus. But, that's it for the bad! All else was good.

We were promptly greeted and led to our seats. It was not busy at all, but was early on a Sunday evening. Still, our waitress was attentive and we did not lack for anything.

Our drink orders (Iced tea and Dos Equis) were promptly taken and we were served with some delicious chips and salsa--the salsa was not the wimpy stuff you get at most so-called "tex-mex" restaurants--this salsa had a bit of heat. Not too hot, but enough to let you know it was there. It was very, very good!

We started with two appetizers. The first was Emanadas De Res--Two corn emanadas filled with sirloin and potato. It was served with what was billed as a jalapeno-infused dipping sauce. The sauce was very hot. It seemed much hotter than the heat of jalapenos. I was thinking "scotch bonnet" but whatever, it was good, but only in small portions. My friend stayed away from it--too hot for him!  The other appetizer was the Napolitos--a mixture of prickly pear cactus, tomatoes, onions, and queso blanco with some cilantro and extra virgin olive oil. I'd never had cactus before. It was very good. It had an interesting flavor, very savory. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it was good both with chips and just alone, one forkfull at a time. Yumm!

For dinner my friend ordered the Fajitas De Pollo. Wow, were they good. Tender grilled chicken with peppers and onions, they were cooked and seasoned very well. They were accompanied by an excellent guacamole and sour cream. Yellow rice and refried beans were served as go-withs. All were very good.

For my dinner, I had the Camarones a la Tequila--six large tiger shrimp wrapped in bacon, stuffed with queso blanco and sauteed with tequila marinated mushrooms with a touch of pico de gallo and on a bed of shredded lettuce. They were excellent. The shrimp were well cooked without being overdone--that takes skill and I was impressed. The mushrooms/pico added a very nice depth of flavor that was complemented by the crispy bed of lettuce. Truly, each bite was an exquisite experience. For go-withs I had yellow rice and black beans. Teh black beans were just a tad bland, but when I added just a touch of the empanadas' jalapeno-infused sauce, they came alive! It was all very good.

We had an excellent meal here. I am no Mexican food expert, but it seemed authentic and was very, very, good. I would eat here again and would recommend it. With tax but without tip, and including two draft beers, our total was about $50. Not cheap, but certainly worth it. A gem of a place in College Park. I hope they do well.