El Vez
121 S. 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA
El Vez is kitschy, loud and fun, the perfect place for a fun dinner out with a friend. So, when my friend Kun decided on dinner there for our night out in Philly, I was excited. The food is decidedly Nuevo Latino, and in true Steven Starr style, the dining room is tricked out with all sorts of over-the-top touches like a sequined low rider and photo-and-memento-covered walls.
We ordered a molcajete of ‘El Vez’ Guacamole, with tomato, onions, jalapeno, cilantro and lime ($12). The guac was the favorite part of the meal (if a little overpriced), and came with a basket of bottomless freshly-fried corn tortilla chips. Since my camera is kaput, I have included this lovely molcajete picture on the right from Flickr user Texas to Mexico, which approximates the one we had at El Vez. For mains we both had mole dishes, at Kun’s recommendation. The Red Chile and Chicken Enchiladas with cotija cheese ($9) and chicken mole dinner entree with refried beans and tortillas ($14) were completely made by the rich, smoky mole sauce.
All in all, El vez was a little on the pricey side, but worth it for the kitschy ambiance and pretty good (if not entirely authentic food). I mean, check out the lo-rider bike from the Website…
Eating The World 