La Calaca Feliz (which translates to “The Happy Skeleton”), 2321 Fairmount Ave. , is the new (and more importantly, closer) sister restaurant to the amazing — but far-flung from downtown — Mexican eatery Cantina Feliz.
La Calaca Feliz aims to impress from the start with a gorgeous interior and a modern, authentic atmosphere. It looks modest enough from the front but, once you are whisked past the bar and the kitchen, the place opens up into a spacious and picturesque dining area. And once the excellent and generously portioned guacamole ($9.95) and margaritas hit the table, it’s pretty much a lock : They own you.
The appetizers showed a flair for flavor and presentation. The kampachi ceviche ($11.95) was a feast for the eyes and had a welcome diversion in texture, thanks to the refreshing addition of lime sorbet. On the other side of the spectrum was the albondigas skewers ($10.95), spicy and tender meatballs stuffed with cheese and dressed with a tangy barbecue sauce. The watermelon-infused gazpacho was an interesting and worthwhile tangent to the standard chilled soup.
Like at Cantina Feliz, the holy grail at La Calaca Feliz is the Baja fish taco ($13.95). If there is a better fish taco in town, we haven’t had it. The generous slab of tilapia is perfectly panko-crusted, fried and served up with cabbage, avocado and two different sauces to choose from. The elotes loco (Mexican corn, $3.95) was another addictive winner. The enchilada con mariscos ($14.95) is a nice comfort dish, warm and overflowing with seafood, but it took a lighter hand with the spices than the other dishes we tried. We’re guessing the chef wanted the seafood to shine, but we were hoping for some spicy sensory overload.
Desserts at La Calaca Feliz can get pretty decadent. The chocolate y bananas ($7), flourless chocolate cake with caramelized bananas and vanilla ice cream, almost didn’t need the cake—but we’re not mad at them for including it. The domingo sundae ($7), a brownie topped with churro ice cream, was heavenly as well.
We topped everything off with a Café Feliz ($7), coffee spiked with Patròn XO (or was it Patròn XO spiked with coffee? Good Lord, it was strong!), caramel and whipped cream. Halfway through it, we realized we might not sober up or sleep for a while if we finished, so we had to abandon the seductive and piping-hot beverage.
La Calaca Feliz will surely make diners happy but—you won’t be anywhere near skeletal when they are done with you.