In an expired location at The Shops at Legacy, a south of the border spot has breathed new life. Enter Mexican Sugar. As the latest restaurant from the Front Burner, the creators of Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar and Velvet Taco, Mexican Sugar is making it’s mark on an evolving culinary hot spot in Plano. The name stemmed from a round table conversation and was finalized by the good folks over at Fork It Over Restaurants. It’s meaning and translation are unknown but what I tasted last night was nothing short of sweet satisfaction. Mix the genius of bar man Sean Conner and Eric Justice, Managing Chef Partner and the outcome is a symphony of beverage and food that has added a new flavor to the neighborhood.
Heading in on their second night open, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Unfortunately, there were a few menu items that we unavailable at the time of this review but what we did order made up for the missing. The space is HUGE. I mean, when they took over the failed Coast restaurant space, walls came down and the space opened up perfectly. An open kitchen puts the chefs on display and a long bar showcases the craftsmanship that Conner has put into play. Conner prided himself on speaking to the 16 cocktails on tap that Mexican Sugar has at the ready and for the northern suburbs of Dallas, I’d like to think thats a first for cocktails. Comfy booths and wooden 2-tops are scattered throughout and the lighting is the right amount of dim and sexy you’d expect of a modern Mexican joint.
Cut to the cocktails. The Machete (Serrano infused Cabeza blanco tequila, salted watermelon, simple syrup and lime) plays sweet and sour with a touch of spicy from the Serrano and provides a nice profile to balance everything out. Of course, I had to try the traditional margarita and it didn’t disappoint either. My favorite cocktail of the evening however was the Chicha Sour (homemade Chicha morada ice cubes, pisco porton, lime, simple syrup). Drawing from a South American classic spirit Pisco Porton, Mexican Sugar has created a pour over cocktail that relies on the melting chicha morada ice cubes to even out the drink, genius if you ask me.
The food is an excellent mix of small plates, elevated salads and soups, taco selections, items from ‘La Plancha’ (grill) and torta sandwiches.
We began with the Arepas (griddled corn cakes, ropa vieja, slaw and cilantro crema). The charred corn cake was the perfect match for fork tender ropa vieja, crunchy slaw and creamy crema. An order of 4 was filling enough for a meal, but still had me wanting more.
Next came the Pollo Torta which comes with your choice of side: brussels sprout shred, papas fritas (their take on fries) or a tiny glass of Dos XX. I kid you not, you can get beer as a side here. In fact we were informed by our waiter that the Dos XX option is soon to be exclusively offered during lunch which struck me a bit odd but oh well! Being a good boy, I opted for the shred which ended up being a cabbage slaw that when paired with the roast chicken, chipotle spread, queso chihuahua and salsa duo was a great.
My dining partner went went with one of the higher priced items, the Skirt Steak ($21) which came with pickled red onion, avocado, queso fresco, roasted tomatillo salsa, heirloom borracho beans and corn tortillas. Their plancha items were explained as similar to a fajita option but don’t call it a fajita because it’s not.
Last but not least, dessert. We attempted to order the Pumpkin Flan after hearing it talked up by our server but once requested, we were told it wasn’t quite set yet. Our second choice was the Avocado Chocolate cake (ancho spiced chocolate cake, cinnamon meringue, chocolate avocado mousse and ganache). The crunch from the meringue mixed with the creamy avocado and chocolate mix provided a fantastic combination of textures and flavors to finish the meal.
Mexican Sugar is one of the gems that combines comfortable and professional, upscale and familiar to create an environment where conversation thrives, spirits pour and you leave craving another bite even though you can’t fit another in you. They are only open for dinner this week, but beginning next week you can join them for lunch.
Mexican Sugar
7501 Lone Star Drive
214-732-5132
