Hill Top: Castro's Mexican

by Keith Pandolfi

Al fresco dining at Castro'sFIRST, there's the burrito. That's what Castro's Mexican Restaurant is famous for. The two-pound, slightly browned coconut-sized sack of chicken, beef or, if you prefer, flounder is a go-to delivery option for many a famished Brooklynite who gets home too late to do anything useful with those leeks and onions acquired at the Fort Greene Farmers Market. But at this authentic and affordable Myrtle Avenue eatery, the burrito is nothing more to a gateway drug that can easily lead to more addictive fare, from the tried-and-true huevos rancheros, to the exotic beef tongue in chipotle sauce. No matter how deep you get, quitting won't be easy. Take, for example, the mole poblano. A staple of the Puebla cuisine in which Castro's specializes, it includes three or four chicken pieces submerged in an Aztec-chocolaty mole sauce made even more intoxicating when you mash everything together with the accompanying rice and black beans. This might very well be the best and most filling $10 dinner you're likely to find in these here parts. There's also the chilaquiles, warm tortilla chips smothered in green chile sauce or spicy red sauce, served plain, or with chicken or beef. Oh, and the tacos. Good Lord, the tacos! The spicy chorizo taco packed with fresh cilantro and chopped onion hits the spot so mightily it might just bring tears to your eyes. The tacos also present an opportunity to sample some of Castro's more exotic meats, meats you might not have tried before, such as goat, or carnitas (deep fried pork skin). And if you are ever have a hankering for something salty, nothing will gratify your appetite better than the posole, a soup overflowing with tender shredded pork mixed with plump hominy in a savory broth, a meal in itself especially since it comes with a tostada on the side. One more thing: If you're looking for a protein-packed breakfast hearty enough to keep a farmer fueled up for a day in the fields, never mind a graphic designer for a day in his Manhattan office, check out Castro's breakfast menu, which includes several varieties of cheesy huevos rancheros, as well as chilaquiles served with fried eggs.

At first, Castro's menu might make one suspicious. After all, most restaurants that have over 40 items seldom do few, if any, of them well. But this one might be an exception to the rule. Plus, with so many options, Castro's never gets old, as long as you remain bound and determined to expand your south-of-the-border horizons. If your only interaction with Castro's so far is paying the delivery guy at your door, it's time to give the place a visit. Up until a few years ago, the restaurant wasn't exactly inviting. Its grungy facade made it look more like a rough and tumble saloon than a place you'd want to sit down and eat a quesadilla. Still, behind the door was always an inviting little spot, where patrons ranging native Brooklynites to Pratt students were often found chatting it up over heaping plates of Mexican comfort food.

In 2004, the place got an extreme makeover. While the old Castro's was decidedly understated, the newer version, with its attention-grabbing illuminated signage and heavy-handed Mexican decor is almost boastful. Castro's has a large back room and a cheerful courtyard seating area that'll make you feel like you're on a sangria-soaked Mexican vacation, but it's best to sit up front, where all the action is. Here you can see why The Slow Food Guide to New York City listed Castro's as one of only two places in the neighborhood that fulfills the Slow Food movement's credo of providing "taste education" (the other being the celebrated Locanda Vini & Olii in Clinton Hill). Here you can watch all that food you've been ordering in for so long being prepared for you diner-style, on a hot grill fronted with display cases containing enticing stacks of fresh tamales and a rainbow of clear plastic containers filled with the restaurant's mouth-watering sauces. No, this isn't the best, or the freshest food in town; some of the veggies in that aforementioned burrito are no doubt frozen, and anyone who's ever lived in Mexican food mainstays such as Southern California or anywhere in Texas might not be as easily impressed, but if you're looking for a reliable place that'll excite your palate for years to come, Castro's is the neighborhood joint you've been looking for.

Castro's Mexican
511 Myrtle Avenue between Ryerson & Grand
718-398-1459
Sun-Fri, 6:30am-11pm
Sat, 8am-12am
Cash

--Keith Pandolfi lives in Fort Greene.