Favorite Food Friday – Frontera Cocina Oaxaca Menu
Our Favorite Food This Week: Frontera Cocina – Oaxaca Menu
Location: Frontera Cocina – Disney Springs
Price: $ Varies
Welcome to Favorite Food Friday where we share our favorite foods. This week we headed to Frontera Cocina in Disney Springs to sample some of their new menu items.
As you walk into Frontera Cocina, the scent of fresh flavors greets you, and you can’t help but be excited for the experience ahead. The unique thing about Frontera Cocina is that they have a special menu that changes every 3 to 4 months, so there is always something new to try. Currently, celebrity Chef Rick Bayless is introducing authentic Mexican flavors with his new Oaxaca (wuh-HAH-kuh) inspired menu.
The meal started on an interesting note when Chef Bayless introduced us to one of the favorite snacks of the area. Nope, not a Mickey Bar or even a Mickey Pretzel… grasshoppers. Yes, you read that correctly…grasshoppers. Before you turn your nose up at the idea, people living in Oaxaca have been snacking on fried grasshoppers forever, and they’re actually pretty nutritious. So we dove right in, trying the guacamole topped with fried grasshoppers. I have to say I have never had grasshopper guacamole, but it wasn’t bad. The grasshoppers had the flavor of a sunflower seed, adding flavor and texture to the guacamole. If you’re bold enough to try this authentic experience, give it a shot!
The rest of the meal might not have been quite as adventurous, but it was absolutely delicious. Chef Bayless did what he does best…offered a unique menu full of fresh flavors and only the best ingredients. I sampled the Harvest Salad, Beef Short Ribs, Oaxacan Mole Chicken, and the Grilled Swordfish. All of them were amazing, but if I had to pick favorites, it would be the Short Ribs and the Swordfish.
The short ribs are slow roasted for 12 hours making the meat so tender, it falls apart on your fork and melts in your mouth. The ribs are served with roasted peanut mole, Cotija mashed potatoes, sautéed Swiss chard, crispy onions and toasted peanuts. Just talking about this makes me want to head back to experience this dish again.
The swordfish was another favorite. It is grilled to perfection, with a slightly crisp outside and a flaky moist center. Its complemented by plantain rice, roasted tomatillo serrano aioli, and sautéed Swiss chard. Seafood lovers can’t go wrong with this dish.
Frontera Cocina not only introduces you to the food of Oaxaca, but also to some drinks in a limited-time menu. If you enjoy drinks of the adult persuasion try the Mexcalita (pictured in the upper right corner at the top of the page). As I sampled this drink, I was told the story behind one of the ingredients: the banhez mezcal. Banhez Mezcal is the product of Oaxaca farming families working together to produce this handmade, organic, 100% agave mezcal. It’s has an amazing light, fresh taste and was my favorite of the night.
We finished the meal with a couple amazing desserts. For those of you wanting to stay within the Oaxaca inspired dishes, you will love the Bunuelitos. Buñuelos are large fried sweet dough, served sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. It can be found in Oaxaca during the holiday season. Frontera Cocina puts a little bit of a spin on this tradition by adding cajeta-carmel mousse, red wine drizzle with raw sugar and Mexican cinnamon, dark chocolate shavings, mezcal-infused cranberries and roasted almonds. Oh so good! They also offer a fall favorite pumpkin cream tart.
The experience at Frontera Cocina is second to none and it’s always a favorite stop. The staff takes their time to explain everything on the menu, as well as information about the culture. I can’t complement Frontera Cocina and this new Oaxaca inspired menu enough. You have to experience it! The restaurant continues to be one of our favorites in Disney Springs and I look forward to returning again. The full limited menu is available below. Enjoy!
