Polanco, a new Mexican restaurant perched on the second floor of The Tower downtown, is about to make me do something I swore I’d never do again: eat broccoli.
I feel about broccoli the same way that you, chances are, feel about broccoli — I loathe it. Even with cheese poured on top, I can’t stand it. It’s one of the few foods that, after tasting it when I was a kid, I told myself I’d never have again.
But Polanco manager Ricardo Alcala brought me a small portion of it to try. It’s one of the most popular appetizers on his menu, he says. “You’ll like it, I promise,” he says before dashing off, possibly knowing I detest it so much, I might end up tossing it at him. Or tossing something else, rather. Like my lunch.
A bite of it, however, revealed to me not a suppressed passion for broccoli but rather a newfound love for this restaurant’s unique approach to it. Cut into bite-size pieces, drizzled with a piquant Roma dressing, and dusted with grated Parmesan and toasted pistachios, this was broccoli transformed; I doubt I’ll ever eat broccoli again, unless it comes from Polanco.
In the same way Polanco challenged my tolerance for broccoli, it’ll challenge all of us in what we think of and consider to be Mexican food. Beautifully cooked scallops are served in a pool of ajillo sauce. There’s a New York strip with fried kale and chambray onions. Enchiladas are stuffed with octopus, and tacos come filled with salmon.
But Polanco doesn’t just feel like a high-end take on a beloved cuisine; it’s also the next logical step in Fort Worth’s Mexican dining scene. Restaurants like Lanny Lancarte’s edgy — and much-missed — Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana, Meso Maya, and, of course, Don Artemio have already elevated us beyond standard Tex-Mex, focusing on interior Mexican dishes with both flavor and style. Polanco builds on that foundation, pushing the boundaries even further.
“So much of what we do here is new for Fort Worth,” Alcala says.
The restaurant, too, doesn’t resemble most of the Mexican restaurants in Fort Worth. Rather, Polanco is part of a wave of new restaurants here, like The Chumley House, Emilia’s, and The Mont, designed to take us away, not remind us of where we are.
That experience begins the moment you walk in when you’re escorted up to the second floor, via a long, wide staircase to a romantic dining room, its tables set with glistening stemware that catches the twinkling lights of the city below; floor-to-ceiling windows offer killer views.
Service is on the same level as the city’s most high-end spots, with servers brushing away crumbs and refolding napkins when you leave the table for a bit. Servers prepare or embellish many of the dishes tableside, adding another level of ooh and aah.
Flanking the dining room are two posh private dining rooms — both of which were full on my visit — and a happening bar with comfy, colorful seats and designer drinks.
To say it’s unlike anything else in Fort Worth would be repeating myself — I believe I said the same thing about The Chumley House and, I bet, I’ll write something similar in my story about The Mont, which also appears in the issue.
But not-the-norm is the new norm here. We have new people moving to Fort Worth every day, people from California, people with money to burn, people who are used to seeing restaurants like this. In a way, Polanco is the end-result of our city trying to keep up with the culinary demand of newcomers.
Those familiar with Mexico City, whose cuisine inspires many of the dishes here, will know there’s truth in the restaurant’s name. Polanco is a ritzy community in Mexico City, lined with mansions and high-end stores. To reflect that vibe, the restaurant employs a business casual dress code, so no shorts or T-shirts.
But I swear, the broccoli alone is worth it.
Polanco, 570 Throckmorton St., polancodfw.com