El Rey of Sun

As a way to celebrate the 67 degree February Friday, a friend and I ventured down Chestnut Street to Stephen Starr's Mexican restaurant, El Rey.  Like all of Starr's restaurants, El Rey has a distinct personality.  When I walked through El Rey's threshold, I instantly felt like I left Philadelphia and entered a Mexican bar.  Upon entering El Rey, one stands at the end of a very long hallway.  Booths line both sides of the eatery and tables-for-four divide the room into two runways.  To the right are rounded windows with orange lamps that sit on their ledges.  The general lighting in the restaurant is dim -- which was a shame, since the sun outside was powerful and bright -- so the windows function more as decorations than as a mechanism to light the room.  Opposite the windows, Mexican movie posters plastered to the walls, create a reflection of the dome shape of the windows.  Many brightly colored lamps hang from the ceiling, giving off a disco-ball effect.  El Rey feels lively and energetic, while maintaing an intimate feeling as well.

After browsing the menu and lunch special -- two courses for $9.95! -- we decided that in honor of the sun, we shouldn't skimp.  We started off our meal with guacamole and tortilla chips and were pleasantly surprised when the waitress brought out a huge bowl of guac and another of chips.  The guacamole's consistency was up to par with my Starr expectations: the perfect balance of creaminess and chunkiness.  The actual taste was very good, but not over the top as I like my guacamole to come with many flavors (lime, cayenne pepper, salt, etc...) and this guacamole was more of a simple rendition.  What set these avocados apart from any other guacamole that I have ever tasted was the cotija cheese that was sprinkled on top of our dish.  Cotija cheese, as I later found out, is a hard cow's milk cheese that originates in Mexico.  Cotija has the consistency of parmesan, but it tastes more like feta.  It wasn't overly bold, but it did add a little something extra that made El Rey's guacamole special.

The tortilla chips are a whole other story.  These chips were nothing like the Tostitos that I'm used to eating with guacamole and salsa; they had the consistency of Chinese crispy noodles and were thick and crunchy.  They were also subtly salted and proved to be the perfect complement to the otherwise blandish guacamole.

Guacamole and Tortilla Chips

Next it was time for our entrees.  I ordered the fish tacos, which were served on three small soft tortillas, on top of which were slices of halibut, onions, and a cilantro mayonnaise.  The tacos were delicious; the fish fried to perfection and the flavors creating the perfect balance of salty and savory.  The fish also had a sweet aftertaste to it, which added a third dimension to the dish.

Fish Tacos

Our lunch was quite hearty and I was actually unable to finish my fish.  The best part of the meal though, was learning that El Rey has a delightful happy hour with $1 tacos and $4 margaritas Monday - Friday from 5:00-6:30.  I'll see you there. 

Visit at El Rey: 

(215) 563-3330
www.elreyrestaurant.com