Tuesday, Feb 18th, 2025
with Caleb Hicks, Mohan Selvamoorthy, Rachel Berry
Another lovely evening to have dinner with great friends over hopefully a tasty and noteworthy meal. It’s time for another chapter of our Food Conversation!
Tonight’s location of choice is Anejo Cocina Mexicana, a local franchise that is situated in a presentable shopping complex at 170 Fountains Way, St Augustine.
The restaurant had an unassuming appeal from the corner. The lights were out on one of the words and the outside couldn’t hope to express all the personality I would come to find inside.
We reserved our tables and took in our first impressions of the interior of the establishment.
First Impressions
I enjoyed the large murals of various Mexican figures. These were well painted and pleasing to the eye. I also enjoyed the hanging wicker lights, despite my usual apprehension to wicker furnishings. My guests enjoyed these lights as well.
The music was a selection of salsa tunes that were very fitting for the mood. The bar was also nicely done with drinks adorning an overhead display.
Large TV screens were sprinkled about overhead showing a variety of sports and entertainment channels. My party got lost in these a few times.
The restrooms were not particularly notable. Clean facilities, grey color palette. A damask wallpaper adorned the walls. No foul odors or sights
The decor and ambiance was well done here. The group got a chance to really take in the vibe of the place. Despite returning a dish, we felt that this place was worth a revisit. The music and atmosphere is complimented with great service and flavorful food.
The Menu
The menu here has a simple large printout with a green color palette. Almost no pictures to speak of. A notable feature is how the sections are titled in Spanish while the ingredients and specific dish names are in English. The names were enticing and the prices weren’t outrageous. Of course, the drink prices were a little high on the margarita menu.
The server who attended our table was helpful in helping us to understand the menu better.
I would say that there were lots of options, perhaps too many options! The selection for margaritas for example, was massive. This fondness for tequila was reflected in the art adorning the dining walls as well.
It is worth noting that the menu states they do not offer refunds for food or drink. They also will charge for chips and salsa after the second bowl. Despite this, we didn’t encounter any issues as the staff was more than willing to accommodate us regardless.
First Course - Appetizers
Guacamole Dip
This dip was thick and creamy with a hint of vinegar alongside lemon and lime. Tomato and onion are also present in this delectable dip. This was a table favorite and went quickly as dips and sauces often do.
Loaded Avocado
Shrimp, street corn, queso fresco and pico de gallo.
This appetizer felt very meaty on the palate. There were large chunks of steamed shrimp adorning the cooked avocado halves. The meat pairs well with the creamy avocado. However the biggest complaint with this one was how it was not very filling.
– Caleb – The skin included is a little bit of an annoyance but the flavor of the fruit is worth the effort of managing it.
– Mohan – Skip the skin and the rest of it is straight up delightful.
– Rachel – The fruit inside is creamy. Not very filling despite the large presentation.
Mexican Street Corn
Char-grilled corn, mayo, cotija cheese, tajin, lime and salt cilantro.
This dish was presented with a lovely lime display. This corn has been prepared and served in a bowl. To me it was sweet and cheesy. This has a hint of chipotle but it did not make it terribly spicy.
This flavor really came alive when the lime was squeezed into it. I couldn’t put my fork down with this one. Piquant and zesty.
Second Course - Entrees
The menu was simply loaded with choices, so it took us some time to make our final decisions for the meal. We actually had an issue with one our of dishes but the server was very quick to solve the problem for us and got us a new dish right away. Despite the warning on the menu, if you’re polite about problems you’re having you can usually get it sorted out. Just be sure to thank the staff and consider tipping well too!
Anejo Burrito Loco (Rachel)
Big burrito filled with Mexican rice, black beans, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, jack cheese, lettuce, queso and salsa roja with ground beef.
Rachel found this to be much more flavorful than the first item she ordered.
This was notably a huge burrito! However, everything within it blended together nicely. This dish was presented with toppings along the center of the burrito. There was a lot of rice filling in the burrito but there was a good compliment of meat, vegetables, and sauce to go along with it. A satisfying dish overall.
Fajita Burrito (Chicken Guajillo) (Mohan)
Burrito filled with grilled onions and bell peppers, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, quso, mexican rice, and guajillo citrus chicken.
This dish had just the right amount of spice and just the right amount of fajita. Everything went really well together, Mohan started quickly on his dish and practically a second later he looked down again and it was gone!
The vegetables blended seamlessly with the meat. Little bit of capsaicin. This was complimented with nice juicy onions and peppers.
The rice and beans that were served with the dish were a nice addition as well, helping to round out any lack of fullness to be had.
Enchiladas Chicken and Spinach (Caleb)
Grilled chicken, spinach sauce, queso, salsa poblano, red onions, cilantro, Mexican rice, and refried beans.
This was a truly wonderful dish. Caleb was happy that the spinach in the title wasn’t overwhelming,
and it blended well with the cacophony of other spices mixed throughout. Chicken was excellently cooked with a nice char. The queso rice and beans were a nice compliment to the dish.
Anejo Grilled Octopus
Grilled octopus marinated and cooked with chimichurri served with a side of potatoes and vegetables.
This dish was surprisingly, really good. Not chewy like you would expect from octopus, and one could even say that it was perfectly cooked. The tentacles have a really good flavor and it’s a lot more filling than you would expect.
Octopus is chewy no matter how you cook it. However this one was notably not very chewy at all. That being said, we had to request a steak knife to eat this one comfortably!
Chile Rellenos Chicken (Michael)
Battered roasted poblano peppers, oaxaca cheese, salsa ranchera, sour cream, green onions, Mexican rice, refried beans, and chicken.
I was excited to try this dish, I had heard of peppers rellenos before and I usually enjoy stuffed peppers as a dish.
Spicy and flavorful without being overpowering. This was a very saucy dish and quite filling. Large portion filled the plate to the brim. Smells delicious and the chickken and pepper paired so well with the rice and beans. Food was served fresh but not overly hot so i could eat it almost right away.
The peppes were filled with
Third Course - Desserts
We were feeling like we could spare a bit of space after our meal, so we decided to get the full spread of dessert options they had! You only live once, right? Everyone got to have a little of everything… and then some!
Flan
This flan was almost cake like. I found this a bit surprising but perhaps I wasn’t used to traditional flan. I mean that this was the consistency of bread pudding. This was very thick and rich while the syrup was exceptionally thin. I appreciated the small presentation efforts in the strawberry.
Chocolate Flan
Mohan, ever the sweet tooth, decided to order this one. This was a flan on top of a layer of chocolate cake. The chocolate was rich, and perhaps a bit too sugary for my taste. The flan had all the good qualities of the plain flan with chocolate overtones as one would expect.
Sopapilla
This dessert was very thin and crunchy. I wasn’t particularly blown away by these but the presentation was good. Tasted kind of like cinnamon toast crunch breakfast cereal. I’d pass on this one if I were to have to choose fewer desserts.
Fried Ice Cream
Presented in a fried tortilla shell. The titular fried ice cream is contained within. There was a cinnamon sugar dusted over the dish which was well appreciated. The shell itself has a waffle cone like taste.
The batter was a bit chewy with the ice cream seeping into it. The ice cream was very rich and creamy.
I honestly found this one supremely delightful. Would certainly get this one if I had to choose one.
Cheesecake
This had a fried shell and plantain slices along with a drizzle of caramel and an orchid flower for presentation.
Super rich. The caramel and cream filling bonded with the fried shell and made for a chewy experience that was hard to cut apart. This was very good, but might be a little on the sweet side for some people. Some people included me.
Final Thoughts
This was a lovely night out with friends. Everyone left the restaurant feeling full and satisfied. I think that the visual presentations made here at Anejo Cocina Mexicana serve to elevate the dining experience and the dishes themselves are worth a try. I would say this restaurant makes for a pleasant night out, all things considered. Brings friends, family, or a date along and see what I mean!
I hope you’ll join us at our table next time. Have a good one !
