Palenque Serves Oaxacan Dishes

Palenque in Costa Mesa sets itself apart with supercool Tulum-inspired design, including upside-down plants on the ceiling and agave motifs on the walls, and soul-warming Oaxacan dishes by chef Gabriela Gomez. Gomez’s résumé includes Michelin-starred venues Taco María across town, Jungsik in New York, and most recently Electric City Butcher in Santa Ana. Starring starters include camarones al ajillo—whole prawns prepared with guajillo-chile garlic butter and served with a bolillo—and the masa-crusted potato-chorizo street treat molotes. A recent seasonal salad memorably mixed farro, goat cheese, English peas, pea tendrils, Meyer lemon, and cilantro. Birria tatemada finds an American wagyu beef shank braised in aromatic Mexicola avocado leaves and presented with traditional accoutrements for sprinkling. Gomez’s elevated pastry training at Jungsik is evident in a filled churro suggesting a Paris-Brest noisette: baked, not fried; a base dough of choux; and inside, horchata cream, pecan praline, and candied pralines. Among cocktail highlights are the refreshing tequila-based Guava-Mente (a take on the paloma by beverage director Julian Flores) and Oaxacan Lover (like a mezcal egg-white sour).

1749 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa, 949-402-9951, palenquekitchen.com