Friday Night at Frontera Cocina Mexicana by Rick Bayless Disney Springs.
Disney Springs on a Friday night is vibrant, entertaining and diverse, over the past few years Disney has been adding quality food operations and dining options from the amazing seafood and steaks at The Boathouse and STK to Morimoto Pan-Asian fare, a touch of the Irish at Raglan Road & Cooke’s to the most recent addition Jaleo by Jose Andres, authentic Spanish Tapas and Paella, to name but a few.
So with family in town we joined the crowds and headed off to the “Springs”. Mexican was the almost unanimous vote of everyone so Frontera Cocina Mexicana here we come.
Chef Rick Bayless, the eight-time winner of the James Beard Foundation Award opened Frontera Cocina Mexicana to specialize in traditional Mexican cuisine with a modern interpretation gathering influences from many parts of the Mexican regions from Oaxaca and Ciudad de Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula and beyond creating a menu with skill and passion using local ingredients, truly authentic items and the best of produce available. With house made tortillas using specially imported Mexican masa flour and made from scratch salsas and sauces, this is the real deal.
As you would expect there is a Disney back story of being an old foundry turned into a restaurant, the light and airy casual space, featuring an open kitchen and a family friendly, lively atmosphere is perfect for diners to either catch a bite before continuing shopping or staying longer and just relaxing with a Margarita or a Pacifico beer. The wraparound patio gives a perfect view of the springs and is great to just people watch.
We had a table full of food but for me this deceptively simple salad dish touched all the right points:
Esquites Ensalada with Mojo Garlic Grilled Shrimp –Arcadian lettuce, char-grilled sweet corn, poblano rajas, creamy roasted garlic-lime dressing, spicy Cotija cheese, cilantro and crunchy Tortilla strips, topped with Mojo garlic shrimp. Great blend and balance of flavors, the shrimp were perfectly cooked and seasoned.
The team at Frontera Cocina Mexicana treat the quality ingredients with respect and serve them with passion, so whether you are an Orlando local or visiting Florida, make sure you head on over to Disney Springs and please get to know the delights of authentic Mexican food at Frontera Cocina Mexicana.
