Pleasant Ridge Taco Impressions: Casa Figueroa

Pleasant Ridge has enjoyed the rise of several new eateries and watering holes in recent years, including Nine Giant, Grand Central Deli, Overlook Lodge and Revolution Rotisserie. Just last year, Pleasant Ridge resident Shayne Byer and her sister, Heather opened Casa Figueroa, a Southern California and Latin American-inspired restaurant they hope will inject new life into the neighborhood.

The bones of Casa Figueroa are clearly that of a former private home, a 100-year-old brick house resting next to an abandoned Burger King on Montgomery Road. Lots of work went into transforming the multi-floored space into an impressively bright, vibrant and energizing venue. Each floor sports a unique take on quirky Mexican kitschiness, with mismatched tables and chairs, wall murals, 40s posters depicting cartoonishly ample-bosomed Mexican Revolution soldaderas and plenty of Day of the Dead and lucha libre paraphernalia.

Wall decor

Mexican kitsch

We parked in the available lot abutting the opposite side of the abandoned Burger King. As we approached, we noted the restaurant's large front patio area for lounging outdoors as we stepped inside and made a beeline for the second floor.

Casa Figueroa's menu focuses primarily on its eleven taco variations ranging in price from $5-10 per taco. All come served on a choice of hard/soft corn tortillas or flour tortillas. Virtually every major protein is covered here, including three seafood options, pork, steak, chicken and several vegetarian options. Salads and a pazole soup are also featured, as well as a couple higher-priced entrees that hover around the $30 range. A very expansive craft cocktail menu along with plenty of beer and wine options are also available.

We started off with some tortilla chips and guacamole ($6). The guac is chunky and simply prepared, with bits of red onion and strong lime notes. It was quite good, coupled with the thin, salty chips, and because most higher-end Mexican venues are generally stingy with their guacamole portions, we greedily sopped up every remaining morsel.

Chips and guacamole

My girlfriend and I each opted for two tacos (We probably could have eaten three a piece, but that would have turned a $45 dinner into a $60 one, including tip). She chose the chicken fajita taco ($7), with green mole, roasted poblano, red bell pepper, pepitas and cotija cheese. Her second selection was the seasonal roasted veggie ($6), topped with golden raisins, coconut curry crema and pepitas.

I chose the Nova Scotia lobster taco ($10), with sweet corn, epazote crema and fried onions, as well as the cochinita pibil ($6), a Yucatan-style barbecue pork with verde sauce and orange-cured onions.

When our plates arrived, I could immediately smell a slight fishiness to my lobster taco. Of course, this was concerning, because fresh seafood shouldn't generally smell very fishy. Still, I soldiered on and was pleased to find that it didn't taste off. The pleasing combo of the crunchy fried onions and corn were a great paring with the soft consistency of the lobster meat. It may have been the first time I'd tried epazote, an herb that lent the taco some subtle oregano and mint notes.

Lobster and cochinita pibil tacos

Chicken fajita and vegetarian tacos

My cochinita pibil was a little on the bland side. Instead of their pulled pork being marinated and braised in the traditional, fiery-colored achiote paste and heavily infused with spices, this variant seemed to only be a mildly-seasoned pulled pork. The verde sauce and especially the orange-cured onions offered some flavor, but overall it was underwhelming. I was hoping for more acid and heat here.

My girlfriend found the heat I'd been lacking in her chicken fajita taco. Though the menu indicated it only contained roasted poblano peppers, her taco offered a surprising lip-tingling punch --likely coming from the green mole.

Our favorite taco of the night was surprisingly the vegetarian variant, with pleasingly roasted squash, onions, peppers and carrot elevated by the great sweet-savory interplay with the golden raisins.

Casa Figueroa satisfied, though patrons will have to carefully consider their taco selections. Thankfully, there are nearly a dozen options to choose from. It's disappointing that Casa Figueroa isn't open for lunch, and their tacos are definitely among the highest-priced in the city, ensuring only a specific class of people can afford to be regulars. But if you have the means and are looking for a great Mexican-themed ambiance or an evening outdoors sipping cocktails in another of Cincinnati's "up-and-coming" neighborhoods, Casa Figueroa fits the bill.