Roseangel- restaurant review

The last time I was out in the Gordon Square neighborhood, I ate at this great restaurant called La Boca across from Happy Dog. So, then I passed by a week later and it was gone. Pffff! But tonight my happiness was restored when I ate at the restaurant that took its place called Roseangel.

I had read in Cleveland magazine that Roseangel was a casual and "modern taqueria". So, I was confused when I walked in the door to an upscale appearing restaurant. I was also surprised at how quickly the owner(Marlin Kaplin of Luxe) was able to create such a beautifully done space so quickly after the closing of the previous restaurant. My favorite room was magenta red with white and black polka dots on the tables. I sort of felt like I was on the cover of a Whitestripes album. I had my heart set on eating on the patio, but, it was hard to leave the Whitestripes room.

Out on the patio, my sister and I started our meal with some salsa, chips and drinks. Our server, cute guy with the glasses, (sorry, didn't get your name) was helpful and obviously a big fan of the foods he was serving. There were 9 salsas to choose from! This restaurant reminds me a bit of Momocho in Ohio City(except much more reasonable). We did the 2 salsas for $4.50 deal. Pictured below is the salsa verde and salsa del dia(salsa of the day) which was a corn, tomato, and garlic combination. Delicious! They also had some more exotic varieties such as the pomegranate mole salsa. I'll be back for that!

I'll also be back for the drinks which are all prepared using fresh fruit juice. We had the house margarita called The Rose and some Sangria which were both exceptionally good. However, there were so many great looking drinks. There was also a cantaloupe and basil infused margarita which sounded interesting. FYI- they have happy hour before 7:00 which is a 2 drinks for 1 special. These include mixed drinks, beer, and wine.

Onto the best part... The tacos! They were gorgeous! True works of art as you can see below. There were 15 varieties of tacos. Holy mole, bat man! Again, we had good guidance from our server. We decided to try a platter deal which was 4 pairs of tacos for $30.00. The 4 we chose, as seen below, are the grilled pork with bacon and potatoes, the walleye taco with cilantro pesto, the duck confit, and the tres queso with chorizo. Obviously, they were awesome. However, I though the walleye taco was missing something tangy or spicy(perhaps lime or jalapeno?). Overall, we had a great time and meal. My only warning.... if you don't like tacos, pick another place because there is not much else on the menu. But, with 15 tacos to choose from its hard not to find something you love.

Happy Birthday to my sister and fellow foodie, Judy!!! Love ya.