Azul Histórico is found through a walkway off the street that opens to many small restaurants, shops and a lovely large patio open to the sky and filled with trees. The trees completely keep the sun off you and in the chance of inclement weather an awning appears ready to be stretched across the opening. The chairs have comfortable cushions and soft blankets on the back in case of cooler temperatures. Many tables showed signs of reservations and indeed we didn’t have one but had stopped by a few days prior and was told by the front person that they hold many tables for walk-ins, just get there early to avoid a wait.
Service was nice but a tad disjointed, possibly because of communication issues but the waitstaff seemed to vary which helped to confuse. Regardless they were all friendly and welcoming. On one end is a lady constantly making fresh tortillas for the diners and next to it is a bar. A second level surrounds the patio and was filled with stores and businesses. The menu is large and we were there while they were having a stuffed chiles festival, which are not a regular on the menu.
They started with a small amuse while we looked over the menu and made our choices, with the advice of the helpful waiter. The amuse was a crispy tortilla topped with guacamole and cheese. They also put a sauce studded with chunks of avocado on the table that was pretty mild. After ordering they brought a basket of doughy rolls with lightly crisped exteriors. One roll included nuts and olives the other was plain. They also brought a green habanero sauce that was a good bit spicier.
We tried their Panuchos, which were pork tacos garnished with pickled onion and sitting over beans and hard cooked egg. They were amazing and with the addition of the spicy sauce they really came alive. The layers were a fun touch and gave it good textural contrast as well as multiple flavors that blended well together.
The relleno with Pasilla chile is a red pepper filled with smokey pork, raisins and nuts. It had been lightly fried and then topped with cheese and surrounded with a mild tomato sauce. The pepper was very tender and filling was a combination of various flavors and textures. All were enhanced by the sauce. It was a really good dish.
The Chile Poblano relleno was also filled with a picadillo, but this one was beef based. This pepper was more al dente and I think I would have preferred it had been cooked another minute. It was not battered or fried but filled with potatoes, nuts, raisins, and banana and seasoned with cinnamon. The filling was really tasty and the tomato sauce here was the better of the two.
For dessert we tried their version of Tres Leches and it was wonderful. It was a small square but plenty for two, it was that rich. A nice moist cake was covered with whipped cream and then doused with creamy eggnog. Yum x3!
