The sun is going down on a delightful, cloudless summer evening. Even though it’s a weekday, crowds fill the outside tables at the casual eatery TTT (Tacos, Tortas & Tequila), one of three discrete dining concepts housed in the 8,000-square-foot building at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Fillmore Street. Formerly occupied by La Tasca restaurant, the mega-space is now called La Esquina (The Corner) de Clarendon. In addition to TTT, it includes an upscale second-floor restaurant, Buena Vida (Good Life), and a breathtaking rooftop bar called Buena Vida Social Club.
From the TTT host stand, my husband and I are graciously escorted on the elevator ride up to Buena Vida (the focus of this review), which opened in March. Buena Vida Clarendon is, in fact, the second iteration of a concept brought to life by restaurateur Ivan Iricanin, founder and CEO of Street Guys Hospitality, which also owns the Balkan restaurants Ambar and Baba across the street, as well as Ambar in Washington, D.C., and several restaurants in Serbia. But the two Buena Vidas are not the same. The menu at Buena Vida Silver Spring is small-plate oriented and includes the option of unlimited plates for $49. Buena Vida Clarendon eschews that format, instead offering a more traditional selection of appetizers, entrées and desserts, with no all-you-can-eat deals. [Editor’s Note: Since this review was first published, Buena Vida Clarendon revised its format and now offers and unlimited small plates option during dinner ($35 per person) and brunch ($34 per person.]
Arriving upstairs, we step into an airy, golden-hued space with large picture windows. The décor may be best described as beachy rustic chic, with wooden tables, birch floors, wicker-basket ceiling pendants and rattan-backed chairs. A few accent walls are playfully adorned with Keith Haring-like squiggles. I admire the striped cotton napkins and succulents on the tables and fall in love with the ceiling’s soundproofing panels—seeming relics of yesteryear, back when diners could hold conversations over dinner without shouting.
The owners attribute Buena Vida Clarendon’s culinary repertoire to chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo, whose family has owned the acclaimed Restaurante Nicos in Mexico City’s Azcapotzalco neighborhood since 1957. As a consultant, Lugo helped develop the menu and recipes. He also trained 33-year-old Nikola Stefanovic, Buena Vida’s actual chef, who made two trips to Mexico for said tutelage. Prior to this post, Stefanovic worked for Street Guys Hospitality in Serbia.
Moments after we’re seated, an affable server eagerly suggests libations, while delivering a bowl of house-made tortilla chips with two salsas—one made with roasted tomatoes and hints of chipotle pepper; the other featuring tomatillo and lime.
I’m not normally a sangria fan, but Buena Vida’s version, which is strawberry forward and enlivened with mint and lime, wins me over. So does La Mexicana, a blend of rum, soursop (a tropical fruit) syrup, lemon and pomegranate. Various staff members offer to bring more drinks throughout the meal, walking a fine line between good service and overselling.
Buena Vida’s guacamole is a Nicos recipe, made with olive oil and without lime juice. It’s nicely chunky and packed with onions and tomatoes, but in my opinion it needs acid to cut the richness. Of course, that doesn’t keep me from eating all of it.
From the raw bar, slices of raw shrimp resting in an electrifying green marinade of cilantro, serrano peppers and lime juice are prettily topped with micro cilantro and a tangle of red onion slivers. The acid in the aguachile (literally “chili water”) is supposed to “cook” the shrimp, but mine could definitely use more time in the bath. I love the bold, refreshing flavor of the marinade and lap it up, but can’t abide the shrimp’s abject rawness. (Perhaps if the slices were thinner they would have denatured more readily.)
An order of fried shrimp, coated with amaranth seeds and served with a zesty habañero mayo, brings to mind coconut shrimp of yore. If you’re a fan of that dish you will enjoy this offering—although in my mind, its accompanying salad of pineapple, jicama and watermelon, with bits of onion and heat, steals the crustaceans’ thunder and is the real winner here.
Buena Vida touts its house-made corn tortillas as a specialty. Unfortunately, the ones I encounter in the mushroom quesadillas are dry and rubbery. Instead I scarf down a heavenly “dry soup” of toasted vermicelli noodles, simmered in chicken stock with three kinds of dried peppers, epazote (an aromatic herb) and tomatoes, then topped with salty cotija cheese, avocado and olive oil.
Moving to the entrées, I fall hard for the roasted ancho chili stuffed with picadillo (ground beef, onions, almonds, raisins and tomatoes) and slathered in black bean sauce and crema. It’s a tour de force of texture and complex flavors. Braised rabbit in a dark, lush clove-and-cumin spiked pasilla pepper sauce—and served with a delicate spinach tamale—also earns my seal of approval.
A seared, then roasted salmon fillet gets upgraded to first class by its tangy tamarind-pumpkin-seed sauce (clemole) and a summer’s bounty medley of fava beans, cherry tomatoes and pattypan squash.
The lamb ribs—slow-cooked to tenderness in red wine with pasilla peppers—are fine, but there’s no flavor pop. The chickpea stew they rest upon is downright bland.
I visited TTT one day to try some tacos (you won’t find those on the Buena Vida menu). They come three to an order and you can mix and match, choosing among 14 options such as carne asada, pork al pastor, grilled fish and mushroom. It should be noted that here, the tortillas, which are doubled up on each taco, were tender and flavorful. I particularly enjoyed the generously portioned steak and cheese taco with pico de gallo and morita pepper sauce.
If you’re up for dessert at Buena Vida, take a pass on the bunuelos—cold, unpleasant balls of fried dough stuffed with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce. A superior option is the Mexican chocolate ganache tart with an amaranth flour crust and dollops of caramel.
Even better yet is the mango-chili soft-serve ice cream from TTT downstairs. But sadly you cannot order items from one Esquina concept while dining in another—the three kitchens are separate.
To live your best life at Buena Vida, skip dessert entirely and head up to the rooftop after dinner. The view and the vibe alone are worth it. Have a peach spritzer and a mango mojito and pat yourself on the back for ending your meal with fruit.
What To Drink
Margaritas, of course, such as a “modern” one topped with tequila lime foam. The bar also mixes a good selection of signature cocktails, mostly tequila or mezcal-based, such as a riff on an old-fashioned called Mr. Fancy, made with mezcal reposado, sweet vermouth, orange liqueur and a maraschino cherry.
The wine list features 16 Mexican bottles ($28 to $140), most of which are also available by the glass ($9 to $14).
Check out the list of 48 tequilas ($11 to $37 a pour) and 14 mezcals ($12 to $40).
Buena Vida Clarendon
2900 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
703-888-1259
buenavidaclarendon.com
HOURS
Dinner:
Sunday-Thursday: 5 to 10:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 5 to 11:30 p.m.
Brunch:
Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
PARKING
Street parking exists, but good luck with that. There’s a Colonial parking garage across the street at 1303 N. Fillmore St.
PRICES
Appetizers: $9 to $16
Entrées: $21 to $33
Desserts: $6 to $9