I headed over to Caliente Cab Co. with a friend whose machatunim AKA inlaws own it.

First, of course, were their fresh chips and guac ($18 for two) plus a Serrano Margie. That drink is made with Cazadores tequila blanco, agave and muddled serrano peppers ($14) with a salt and chili pepper rim. I forgot how good their housemade chips were; I first tried them at their other restaurant Tortaria.

The friendly owners wanted me to sample all the highlights of their menu. The food just kept coming. We sampled the Tower of Ceviche ($17) with shrimp, squid and octopus marinated in lime juice with diced tomatoes, chilies and avocadoes. We also tried two of their tacos. The carne asada ($14 for 2) tacos contained marinated skirt steak with crunchy onion straws and tomatillo salsa on soft housemade corn tortillas. My favorite was the unusual panko-breaded cauliflower ($12) tacos filled with that veggie, cheddar Jack cheese, pico de gallo, jalapeños and cilantro drizzled with chipotle crema and served with tomatillo salsa.

They also have salads like their avocado bowl ($17) with avocado, tomato, red onion, baby spinach and red quinoa, topped with queso fresco and crunchy tortilla strips with lemon vinaigrette and blackened shrimp (+$3). Also good is their sizzling fajita platter of skirt steak and chicken ($28) served with corn flour tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, refried beans and Mexican rice. Our version had added peppers & Monterey jack cheese (+$2.50).

Their Mexican paella comes packed with chicken and lots of seafood (shrimp, calamari, mussels, clams and crabmeat) with their rice simmered in a red enchilada sauce ($28). Our final tasting was the  Mexican street corn on a skewer ($4.95 each).

Caliente Cab Co. also serves desserts but as you can imagine we didn’t have room to sample those! Will need to return.

Caliente Cab Co.
West Village
61 7th Ave S,
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-8517
calientecabco.com