Bokobá’s take on ‘modern Mexican’ cuisine at its best when it sticks close to tradition

The notion of “modern Mexican” cuisine might strike terror in the hearts of those who fear the profaning of their traditional enchiladas and guisados with tony touches such as airy foams and artfully tweezered microgreen garnishes.

To be sure, foam makes a menu appearance at Bokobá, the newly opened restaurant and bar that took over the former Chela’s location on North St. Mary’s Street and jettisoned pretty much everything but the layout.

But fear not. Management hasn’t altogether ignored the tried and true. Feeling that one must walk before one runs, it seemed right to start with a classic: chile relleno from the utterly unscary lunch menu. An assortment of tacos and plates such as enchiladas Michoacanas were among the other possibilities.

Turns out the kitchen can walk.

Cheese filling might be the most traditional chile relleno filling, but the menu offers beef as well. Finely ground and simply seasoned, the filling passes the test with no need of add-ins such as potato. The poblano chile is coated in the usual egg batter — more chewy than airy, but not unpleasantly so. And the ranchera sauce has a welcome bite. Not to mention a healthy dose of salt. Refried beans? Check, and they’re of the sturdy and savory sort. Rice? Exactly what we expect on this side of the border.

Returning for dinner it was time to plunge into the mod-Mex menu. And also to note that the brightly lit open kitchen becomes a distraction at night, when the restaurant is presumably seeking a more elevated tone.

As it happens, the plunge isn’t as death-defying as anticipated. Some of the most audacious items on an earlier menu had already been purged by the time I dined at Bokobá — a beef carpaccio tlayuda with edamame and pistachio guacamole, for example, and duck carnitas with foie gras for example.

But a trio of mini crispy taquitos does remain — all served with a jalapeño-lime “air froth.” We sampled two out of the three, eschewing lobster as an unnecessary luxury. The shells themselves are refrigerator cold, a little off-putting at first but their satisfying crunch served the fillings well: the snapper ceviche was brilliantly tart; the spicy tuna more earthy and subtly spiced. If air foam had ever darkened the duo it had long since deflated.

It’s worth noting that most entrée-sized plates come without any accompaniments, so you may want to take a look at the sides column. The risotto with huitlacoche and black truffle wasn’t as fungus-forward as I hoped, but was nevertheless a prime example of professional execution: both creamy and yet with a detectable bite.

Pyrotechnics in the form of an ignited ladle of Licor 43 accompanied the osso buco al pibil. The Spanish liqueur has notes of citrus and vanilla, and though it flames like a champ, I’m not convinced that the sweetness it adds to the pork’s rustic achiote, citrus and chile braise does the meat any favors. For its part, though, the pork falls freely from the bone, and house-made corn tortillas were another indication of a kitchen competent in the basics.

The thick tortillas that swaddled an order of Thai mole enchiladas may have been too much of a good thing, however, and any hint of Thai fusion was unapparent. The fried basil garnish perhaps? Fortunately the mole was deep and rich and the chicken filling abundant. But the why-Thai mystery remains.

No inter-ethnic expectations marred the camarones zarandeados. In its simplest form, zarandeado can mean fish or shrimp simply seasoned and grilled. Bokobá takes a more baroque approach involving mustard, fried garlic and slivered, dried chiles, and it works beautifully. The shell-on shrimp are small enough to consume shell and all — a good thing since removal makes a real mess.

Bokobá also bills itself as a lounge, and the reasonably priced bar list is long enough to give the claim credence. You will have to ask your accommodating waiter for explanations of most non-classic offerings. An Old Fashioned with Mexican corn whiskey and Ancho Reyes poblano liqueur arrived with a smoldering cinnamon stick that left a smoky impression. The tequila-based Mexican Martini was suitably bracing. And the entirely orthodox Daiquiri was just that.

And then there was dessert. We vacillated between Kahllúa flan and pan de elote. Caveat emptor: the texture of this flan like that of bread pudding rather than the quivery custard most of us would expect. Yet Kahlúa did appear in a dulce de leche sauce enlivened with pecans, and the odd-sounding chiffonade of basil worked beautifully.

Bokobá may still be getting up to running speed. In the meantime, whether the restaurant will find both a distinctive culinary identity and an audience remains to be seen.

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This article appears in Jan 22 – Feb 4, 2025.