Restaurant Review: La Patrona

LA PATRONA 2 Athabascan Avenue ~ lapatrona.rocks Instagram: @lapatronayeg ~ Twitter: @LaPatronaYeg Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

What started out as a popular food truck (Casa12Doce) became an actual restaurant in 2017, helmed by a chef who was born and raised in Mexico City. Sherwood Park's La Patrona is another great example of the vibrant Latin community that the Edmonton area is fortunate enough to boast. Voted #1 Worth the Trip: Sherwood Park 2018 in VUE Weekly, I was really looking forward to making the (short) trip myself. The restaurant is located in a particularly nice and rustic-looking shopping area where a lot of beautiful wood is used on the façade and as beams. The inside is alive with colours while also maintaining a very cool exposed-concrete-and-tin kind of industrial look. There are nods to Mexico everywhere, from the beautiful Día de Muertos skulls to the amazing music playing through the speakers. I loved the hanging string lights and the overall lively atmosphere. The staff was incredibly warm and friendly and made us feel right at home. The vibe of the restaurant demanded a Traditional Margarita ($9.00)! They have a bunch of great cocktails on the menu and of course plenty of cerveza, but it had to be the margarita for me. They offer it in four different flavours (classic lime being the original) and they also rotate a special flavour of the day. On my visit they were doing a spicy mango one and I had to give that a try.

El Jimador, Triple Sec, fresh lime shaken over ice then strained.

If you ever see a margarita made in one of those slush machines - just know that that isn't the way that a real margarita is made. At first sip this drink was like a punch to the face! It was both boozy and spicy and didn't shy away from being packed full of huge flavours. I loved the spicy rim and the actual pieces of jalapeno floating within the drink. The juicy mango flavour worked really well to create that coveted spicy/sweet combination. Not for the faint of heart, this margarita is the real deal. They also serve horchata, one of my favourite non-alcoholic drinks. I look forward to trying their version in the future. The food menu was full of lots of things that I wanted to eat and I began with the Para Empezar section to get started. They've got a tortilla soup, which I always love (must try next time!), but I had to select the Queso Fundido ($21.00) which literally translates to "melted cheese." You know that you want that.

Melted cheese in a piping hot skillet served with wheat tortillas for dipping and fresh salsa Mexicana.

It comes in one of those sizzling cast iron skillets that will definitely burn you. But I can think of nothing better than a bubbling pan of hot melty cheese with golden brown crispy edges. I absolutely loved the ultra-fresh and soft tortillas, which are very clearly housemade and have a beautiful light flavour. The molten, oozing cheese was surprisingly herbaceous and I was caught off guard by all of the delicious seasoning that goes into this dish. The bright salsa was a wonderful way to bring in a fresh component. Each bite was a delight. If you're a cheese lover (who isn't?!) this is most certainly the dish of your dreams. La Patrona is well stocked with many types of tacos and tortas to choose from. They've got eleven different tacos and eight different tortas, each one sounding delicious in its own way. Most people probably select from this part of the menu and I'm sure that it's a solid choice every time. However, I was interested in the De Mi Casa section of the menu which seems to be where the true authentic offerings are found, straight from the chef's home and heritage. The chile relleno sounded absolutely incredible and it's what I will be ordering on my next visit. This time I went with the Enchiladas de Pollo ($24.00) since I loves me an enchilada.

Corn tortillas stuffed with seasoned chicken topped with your choice of Salsa Tomate (mild), Salsa Verde (medium) or Roja (spicy) sauce. Baked with cheese and served with onion, tomato, avocado and cilantro.

A classic Mexican dish, I always enjoy this saucy, cheesy, savoury mixture of hot and fresh flavours. I had mine with the medium salsa verde, which added a beautiful green hue to the entire plate. The corn tortillas had a nice bite to them, enveloping the shredded chicken within. I enjoyed the heat and freshness from the salsa verde very much and made sure to cover each bite with plenty of it. The melty, gooey cheese was one of the best parts and the tomato and avocado did a nice job of balancing out the dish. The portion is large and the flavours feel quite authentic. The dessert menu at La Patrona is awesome because they've got all of the hits! Churros? Yup. Tres leches cake? My favourite! But the most unique item is their Chocolate Jalapeno Cake ($11.00), something that I'd never tried before.

House made chocolate cake layered with jalapeno jelly, chocolate ganache and a coffee crumble. Served with a tequila truffle ball.

This cake seemed pretty special. Deep and rich, it wasn't too sweet and really played into the robust flavours of dark chocolate and coffee. The heat from the jalapeno played well and added another bold element. The tequila truffle on the side was a nice touch. But my favourite part was the decorative tuile-like addition on stop that tasted like burnt caramel. La Patrona is a great spot for truly authentic flavours in a great atmosphere. I look forward to visiting again so that I can try even more of the items on the menu. Edmonton is incredibly fortunate to have several really wonderful choices when it comes to Latin cuisine and La Patrona is certainly one of them.