Barrio on Seventh Avenue, as you may have noticed, went through some changes. It closed for one month and reopened as Mix, a small plates restaurant that focuses on well-cured meats, fresh fish, chicken, pasta and cocktails.
As Barrio used to cater to kids and parties, Mix has a different agenda. Jose Ventura, the owner, said they want Mix to be for couples and adults trying to let loose and eat good food.
“We got bored of Barrio, we decided to change it up. Most people thought of it as a kids place, but that’s different now,” Ventura said, who lives in an apartment above the restaurant, between Second and Third streets. “We made it sexy."
And sexy it is. The cuisine, made by executive chef, Martell Fonville and chef de cuisine Matt D’Ambrosio, is delicious and made with care. The presentation is classy and honestly, after ordering six different plates, you can’t go wrong with any of them.
But, of course, there were favorites.
The number one was the mango BBQ short ribs with sweet coconut rice, $17. The beef short ribs is first cured for 24 hours with salt, coriander, lemon peel and spicy, sweet mango barbeque sauce (that’s all the chef would reveal), then it is braised for 8 hours.
The short rib was tender, juicy and had a melody of sweet and savory flavor. The rice was sweet and fruity and complimented the meat nicely.
Another notable item was the pan seared chicken with house made Spaetzle, carawa roasted carrots and jus, $12. The chicken’s skin was crispy and the meat was juicy.
And if you go, make sure to save room for the inside-out bombolones with chocolate, apple sauce and lemon tart curd dipping sauces, $8. The doughy spheres are tossed in sugar and Moraccan spice and vanilla bean stalk shavings.
