There comes a time in almost every band’s history when a prominent member, often the lead singer or guitarist, decides to go solo, sometimes temporarily and at other times for good. In a few bands like Kiss and BTS, all members have released solo albums either simultaneously or within a short timespan. At the Crescent Ballroom, a club devoted to live music in downtown Phoenix, the venue’s long standing restaurant, Cocina 10, has recently embarked on its own solo career with a move to its own location a few blocks away and a brand new name: Condesa.
Condesa, based on the Spanish word for “countess,” is located on Central Avenue halfway between the Downtown Phoenix Hub and the B Line platforms at Van Buren. An attractive patio faces the street and invites customers into a shoebox space that extends far back from the street. A long bar lines one side of the restaurant with hanging plants overhead. Tables are set along the opposite wall with shelves full of books, decorative objects, and more plants in back. A mural captures the biological diversity of the Sonoron desert, including cacti, butterflies, and birds.
Like the Sonoran Desert, Condesa’s menu spans the boundary between the United States and Mexico. The emphasis at Cocina 10 was the foods of the Interstate 10 corridor in the American Southwest. That theme has been retained at Condesa, but a little more sophistication and depth has been added to the Mexican aspect of the menu, beginning with a trio of salsas presented with complimentary chips. Chili de arbol is medium-hot and the most fiery of the three. Salsa fresca is roasted and chunky with a slight burn, and the green tomatillo salsa is tangy and mild.
Aside from the chips and salsa, several appetizers offer a way to start the meal or function on their own as meals. The molletes fall somewhere between an open-faced torta and a french bread pizza with a split roll topped with refried beans, cheese, and salsa. They can be taken to the next level with the addition of barbacoa, which is perhaps the most tender meat on the Condesa menu. Roasted corn is labeled as elote but presented more as equites, or off-the-cob. It also finds its way into a lively salad with the varied herbal tastes of cilantro, basil, and mint.
Larger format salads include the Cocina 10 Ensalada, one of many items that made the move from the Crescent Ballroom to the new restaurant. With a bed of.romaine lettuce topped with cabbage, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, sliced radishes, black beans, roasted corn, tortilla strips, cotija cheese, and avocado under a a cilantro lime vinaigrette dressing, the result is vibrant, big, and hearty bowl that can be enriched with any of the restaurant’s meats.The Sonoran Caesar is slightly more streamlined in terms of its ingredients but still satisfying.
Tacos are offered a la carte in eight varieties. Al pastor, carne asada, pollo asado, barbacoa, and shrimp are all standard choices executed consistently well. Two meatless options are vegetable tacos with a combination filling of squash, corn, and potatoes and jackfruit al pastor, a tropical fruit which approximates pork with its tender texture. The Apson tacos, attributed to Tucson, the city a hundred miles down the road along Interstate 10, feature a filling of beef, chicken, or vegetables inside tortillas with melted cheese and sauteed onions and jalapeños.
The taco fillings can also form the basis of burritos wrapped in a tight tortilla. In each case, the meat or vegetables chosen are combined with other ingredients chosen to accompany them. The chicken burrito, for example, mixes poultry with a jalapeño crema slaw. A worthwhile upgrade is to ask for enchilada style with red or green sauce, or a Christmas mix that makes for a dramatic presentation with drizzled crema and sliced radishes over everything. The burritos can also be converted to bowls in which the flour tortilla is replaced with rice and black beans.
For the heartiest of appetites, there are also a few plated entrees. Enchiladas verdes de pollo are filled with roast chicken, tomatillo sauce, and white cheese with sides of black beans and rice. An asada plate is offered with a choice of steak or shrimp, rice, beans, tortillas, and grilled vegetables, and a hamburguesa de la casa is two thin beef patties, described as “smashed” but not quite that flat, with toppings of jalapeño crema, banana peppers, sauteed onions, tomato, lettuce, and cheddar cheese. A side of scallop-shaped fries are a natural accompaniment.
Condesa is unusually strong in the desert department. The miniature donuts and churros that were popular at Cocina 10 have made the short trip to the new space, but there are several new additions. Plantains foster is a reworked version of a classic dessert with green plantains in place of the usual yellow Cavendish bananas. A bread pudding is made with the type of concha roll that can be found in countless Mexican panaderias and coffee shops in Phoenix. A fruit cart bowl offers a lighter touch with fresh mango, melon, and jicama dusted with a bit of chili spice.
The restaurant offers a full bar with an emphasis on cocktails made primarily with tequila and mezcal, draft beer, and wine by the glass. A cucumber mint agua fresca is a refreshing choice without alcohol. When singers and musicians leave bands to start solo careers, the result isn’t always a total departure. Likewise, Condesa hasn’t left the Crescent Ballroom completely behind. A subset of the menu is offered at the club, as well as at Valley Bar, the smaller venue in the basement below Condesa, and the food works equally well in those settings or as a solo act.
PHX Rail Food 