Maybe it’s the credit crunch, or the generally sorry state of our flagging economy. Perhaps it has something to do with the weak dollar against what sometimes seems like every other currency on the planet. Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: $30 is a lot of money to pay for a pitcher of margaritas, unless it’s filled with Patron Silver or some other such precious agave-derivative. Or, at the very least, hand-poured down my gullet by bejeweled, serenading lasses.
Alas, it wasn’t. And while both the mango and white peach varieties of what Trebek might call a potable muy potente were both tasty and refreshing, I couldn’t help but think that it was all a bit pricy.
Of course, the M.O. of Cantina Dos Segundos, it seems to me, is to facilitate drinking. And to that end, it does its job admirably: There’s enough of a range of South of the Border cocktail options to keep even the liveriest visitor happy. (Though one unholy spicy-tequila concoction might be called a weapon of taste bud, stomach-lining destruction.) And the atmosphere—dark but lively, big windows open to the airy NoLib curb, service attentive enough to make sure your glass is never empty—plays into that drinky theme, too.
But as a restaurant—as a place for giving a segundo glance to the food before you—it has a way to go, though there are some highlights.
One of them is the sopes sencillos, which, while nothing novel, did carry out its duty—to line the belly and set the tongue gently tingling—with vigor. Crisp corn cakes were layered with a nicely balanced combination of red and green salsa, refried beans, cheese, shredded lettuce and crema. Like wings or other similarly group-friendly appetizers, these worked well as a communal starting point of sorts, and helped to attenuate some of the more deleterious effects of booze-by-the-pitcher consumption.
Tostadas were elevated by surprisingly tender and well-seasoned blue fin tuna. These, in fact, with their cumin aromatics and gentle chipotle heat, were the most interesting items I tasted, and paired beautifully with the margaritas.
Entrees, however, were far less successful. Burrito cabrito, despite all the fun you’ll likely have slurring it over and over again—burrito cabrito burrito cabrito burrito cabrito!—was a letdown, a monolithically goat-o-centric affair that would have been far better with some sort of sweet element to counter the oddly heady and almost oppressively aggressive hegemony of the meat.Carne asada, on the other hand, reminded me of a dish I’ve made at home a million times before. Indeed, aside from the bright, piquant side of pickled cactus and oil-rich fried plantains, the dish itself was rather boring and, again, relatively one-dimensional.
But maybe the point of the food at Dos Segundos isn’t to play the starring role, or to be looked at as some sort of artistically rendered focal point, but, rather, as a mostly pleasant if generally forgettable background to the more serious business of emptying what’s in your glass. Personally, that’s the mindset I’ll have next time I visit. Plus, $30 margarita pitchers are a lot more affordable when you’re not eating all that much.
AroundPhilly Staff
