I like Mexican? Who knew?

I don't really think of myself as a fan of Mexican food. Burritos pretty much disgust me; enchiladas underwhelm me. Sure, I like a good homemade guacamole as much as the next girl, but you won't catch me ducking into a Mexican joint when there's Thai (or Italian, or Japanese...) to be had instead.

Then I went to Oyamel.

Now, I'm not trying to say Oyamel's cuisine is in a different league than any other Mexican cuisine on the planet. But it is a restaurant that proves Mexican food doesn't have to be about large globs of refried beans, or overly cheesy but ultimiamtely bland concoctions.

The Crystal City restaurant, founded by José Andrés of Zatinya, Café Atlantico and Jaleo, draws its inspiration from the small plates craze, this time in the form of antojitos. The friendly, patient and knowledgable wait staff recommends 2-3 antojitos per person. My companion and I each got two, contenting ourselves to fill up on the compilmentary chips with two types of salsa (including a creamier-than-usual salsa verde) - and saving room for dessert in the process.

We started our meal with a refreshing beverage, horchata, a rice-almond mixture with a sweet, slightly chalky taste that didn't bother me, but might turn off others. A hearts of palm salad complimented by grapefruit, avocado and a light tamarind dressing continued the fresh start. In honor of an annual squash blossom festival, half a dozen dishes featured the flower, including the cheese-stuffed blossoms we ordered. The bitter cream cheese was more assertive than we were expecting, though the flowers themselves were tasty.

Our meal became significantly heartier with the addition of Albóndigas enchipotladas, crumbly beef and pork meatballs served in a chipotle cream cheese sauce. We weren't sure which was better, the meatballs or the braised rabbit, served in a mushroomy corn sauce and cooked until tender. Homemade tortillas accompanied the meal.

Desserts aren't usually my thing, but we decided to branch out and sample the Goat milk Cajeta, served with crumbled shortbread and passion fruit ice cream. I'm glad we did - the thick, caramel-y substance was balanced perfectly by the neutral shortbread and tart syrup. It was a great way to end the meal - until I stood up and discovered I could hardly move, I was so stuffed. The entire meal cost us $56, with tip.

Oyamel also has an extensive taco bar, and a prettty impresive happy hour featuring, among other things, $4 margaritas, though my companion and I didn't get a chance to sample either. Next time.

Oyamel
2250 Crystal City Drive
Arlington, VA 22202