This restaurant bills itself as “authentic, not traditional*” and while I couldn’t vouch for their accuracy, it’s definitely delicious.

Espita Mezcaleria
1250 9th St NW
https://espitadc.com/

Cost: $150 for two

Espita Mezcaleria specializes in “elevated” Oaxacan cuisine, by which I mean expensive and made by white people. Fortunately for me, my mom was in town and it was her treat. (I picked up Julia’s Empanadas the previous night so clearly this was an even exchange.)

Drinks

Their focus is mezcal, and they carry a rotating selection of about a hundred different kinds. I’m not much for sipping it straight though, so I got two of their specialty mezcal cocktails. One was a margarita, with a chili-salt rim. The smoke of the mezcal was delightful next to the heat of the chili and neither was overwhelming. The second was fancier – or maybe just more complicated – combining various citrus with peach liquor for a delightful glass of summer. Mom stuck to the classic tequila margarita, which sadly didn’t come with the chili salt.

Food

The plates here are intended for sharing and come in a range of sizes and prices. You could easily make a light meal out of one salsa and one small plate.

We started with guacamole, which was fine but probably not worth $10, and the astounding salsa de marañón, made of cashews, charred onions, and pasilla peppers blended smooth. At only $3.50 it stole the whole show.

Next we got two small plates – the “fairytale” tacos with eggplant, corn salsa, and pepita crema. These were surprisingly good, considering I don’t usually like eggplant. I probably wouldn’t repeat them but I wasn’t displeased to be eating them. The second plate  – huaraches de carne apache – was one of my favorites. However, please note it was fully raw beef. I loved it but my mom was not a fan. Credit to our excellent waiter – though the menu made it clear the dish was raw he also brought that to our attention. It was not a surprise, my mom just prefers her beef rare over tartare.

Finally we got one of the larger dishes, the tlayuda de arrachera. A very crisp, blue corn tortilla with salsa, cheese, and some type of slaw, topped with a perfectly seared sirloin. This was generously portioned for two to share.

While I didn’t expect it to be quite as expensive as it was – nor did I realize that literally none of the dishes applauded by the Post’s Tom Sietsema would still be available – I have no regrets. And it’s past time that DC had some high end Mexican food – one NOT run by José Andreas. Espita Mezcaleria’s rapidly changing but flawlessly executed menu does the trick.

*This definitely means “some white people went to Oaxaca and now they think they’re experts but don’t @ them when they do something weird.”