Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

Seattle’s offerings in Mexican cuisine are usually pretty pedestrian, but if you look off the main tracks and take a chance, sometimes you can find something fresh and interesting.

La Casa Azul is a small but clean little restaurant right up along the northern Seattle city limit. The decor and ambience are intentionally reminiscent of Frida Kahlo’s home, covered with deep blues and bright yellows, and the walls are filled with examples of Frida’s artwork, and photos of her and her beloved Diego.

The menu casts a wide net, leaving behind the standard fare of chimichangas, tostadas, and fajitas, and offering instead some more unusual items, such as tlayudas, lomito puerco ala parilla, and alambres.

The service was exceptional. Our server (the only guy working the floor) switched flawlessly from English to Spanish, provided quick and friendly attention to our desires, was helpful with the menu without condescension, and worked prepping juices and such behind the counter in his free moments.

The sauces were excellent. The mole Coloradito on my wife’s enchiladas was especially good: a stunning melange that hits the palate with the syrupy sweetness of a plum wine, moves smoothly to the charred base and fruity flavor of chiles, and then backs you up against the wall with the threat of biting heat (but not too much). The cream sauce on the gorditas was a pleasant addition, and the salsa (though thin) was flavorful, tart, and zesty.

The presentation of the dishes was top-notch. In short, the entrees were beautiful to the eye and well-proportioned. We left sated but not stuffed. The tortillas and gorditas are made fresh, daily, and the quality shows there, as well.

On the not-so-good side…

The fillings need work. The chicken in my wife’s enchiladas was dry and bland, while the pork filling in my gorditas was both sparse and flavorless.

The sides also need work. The rice was starchy and bland (though that worked out well on my wife’s dish, as a contrast to the mole Coloradito). And the black-bean refritos, though excellent in flavor, needed a bit more body as they were more suited to eating with a spoon (which we didn’t have) than with a fork.

Overall, I would have given La Casa Azul four stars, had the fillings been better, but we’ll definitely go back and give it another try, just to try some of the remarkable items on the menu.

k