Acitron Mexican Bistro in Arlington

Last week, Z and I decided to use our Eversave coupon for Acitron Mexican Bistro, one of the latest culinary additions to Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington. I had been hearing quite a bit of buzz around this new Mexican eatery, so I was eager to give it a try (for half price, of course).

Our meal started with fresh, chunky salsa and salty tortilla chips.

Clearly, the chips and salsa were good...

Then, we ordered a round of drinks: Acitron Margaritas ($8 each), made with Acitron's homemade margarita mix. 

These margaritas reminded me of Skinny Girl Margaritas - meaning, not weighed down with a sugary sour mix. They were crisp, light, refreshing and perfectly strong (we both ended up ordering one more with our dinners). 

For an appetizer, we split the Aguacate Frito ($7.95), which consisted of avocado slices dipped in a chipotle beer batter and lightly friend. The fried avocado was served with a cilantro-jalapeno sour cream.

While I could have easily drank the cilantro-jalapeno sour cream, the fried avocado left much to be desired. There was nothing really outstanding about it, and it lacked flavor. It was nothing more than just fried avocado. 

For our entrees, I went with the Tortitas de Zucchini Con Nopales ($15.95), which was two zucchini patties topped with grilled nopales, grilled red onions, and tomato with salsa verde...

....which came with my choice of two sides. I went with the grilled vegetable medley (but got "elote," or corn on the cob, instead) as well as the black beans, which were the beans of the day.

For his entree, Z ordered the Crepas de Rajas Poblanas ($15.95), homemade crepes stuffed with grilled poblano strips, corn, yellow squash, zucchini, and sour cream.

Although my zucchini patties don't look that pretty, they were pretty darn awesome. Packed with flavor and well seasoned, these discs of deliciousness were also surprisingly filling. I ended up eating one, and taking the second home for lunch the next day. Z's crepe was also very tasty - and rich - and the zesty sauce his crepe was smothered in really made the dish. 

Overall, our dinner at Acitron Mexican Bistro was a successful one, but it didn't blow us away. If we didn't have an Eversave coupon with us, this meal would have been really expensive, for our budgets. The margaritas were tasty, though, so I'd go back just to have another one of those.

Have you tried Acitron Mexican Bistro yet? If so, what's your review?

Tommy Doyle's and Eversave Giveaway

I’m part Irish, so I grew up eating a lot of corned beef, boiled cabbage and (once I turned 21) Irish coffees. Through food, my parents made us proud of our Irish heritage, although I will be happy to never eat corned beef again. Sorry, Mom.

Because of my Irish pride – and my love for my day job at Eversave.com – I instantly said yes when Colleen asked if I wanted to giveaway a Tommy Doyle’s Save on my blog. Eversave in Boston is running a deal today for $30 worth of food and non-alcoholic drinks at Tommy Doyle’s in Kendall Square, Harvard Square or Hyannis – but it only costs the customer $15. Today, EE readers have a chance to win a FREE Tommy Doyle’s Save! Here’s how to enter:

1.) Leave a comment on this blog post about your heritage and why you’re proud of it.

For additional entries:

2.) Tweet: "I want to win a free Save to Tommy Doyle’s from @MichellePC and @EversaveBOS!"

3.) “Like” Eversave Boston on Facebook and comment below saying you did so

4.) Follow @EversaveBOS on Twitter and comment below saying you did so

The giveaway will end tonight at midnight EST. I’ll announce the winner tomorrow morning. Good luck!

Brunch at The Elephant Walk

Over Labor Day weekend, Z and I took advantage of a late morning (and one of our GroupOns) by having brunch al fresco at The Elephant Walk in Cambridge. I never even knew this Cambodian/French eatery served brunch, but after perusing their menu online, I knew we were in for a fancy treat.

To start, we both ordered a Cambodian Bloody Mary ($7.95), made with Hangar One Kaffir lime vodka, tomato juice, chilies, and a touch of soy sauce. 

You could order the bloody marys mild, spicy or extra spicy - I went with spicy, while Z braved it with the extra spicy. Both of our drinks had a wonderful kick to them, and there was the perfect ratio of tomato juice to citrus to spice, which made for a refreshing morning cocktail.

Before our meals came out, Z and I also split the Fresh Fruit Plate appetizer ($5), which came with fresh kiwi, strawberries, pear and apple slices, and chunks of pineapple.

The fresh fruit was an ideal way to begin our meals. Every single piece of fruit on this plate was incredibly fresh and juicy, and it was the perfect portion size for two people to share before having a meal.

For our entrees, I ordered the Crepes Gourmandes Aux Champignons ($8.95), which consisted of French crepes filled with wild mushrooms, creme fraiche and scallions.

Z ordered the Omelette Gourmande A l'Avocat ($8.95), a French omelette filled with avocado, plum tomato and button mushrooms.

Z and I actually had a hard time picking our meals because the choices were so tempting (I couldn't decide on the crepes or French toast served with a cinnamon cider maple syrup), so we split both of our entrees. My crepe was beautifully crisp, light and airy, and the wild mushrooms provided juicy, welcomed bites of wonderful flavor. Z's omelette was also light and cooked to fluffy perfection, and I love the combination of avocado and eggs, so I was impressed even before I took my first bite. Z's omelette came with bacon, which I ate for him, and the bacon was also cooked beautifully - very crispy, without being burnt.

I also really liked how both the crepes and the omelette were served with a side salad of lightly dressed mesclun greens. This side dish, in lieu of potatoes or toast, made our dishes feel that much healthier, and forced me not to leave the restaurant overly stuffed and useless for the rest of the day.

In all honesty, The Elephant Walk's brunch menu is a little too pricey for me, but we had a GroupOn for the eatery, which ended up making our bill $0. I definitely think their brunch is worth the extra splurge, though, even if you don't have a GroupOn.

What's your favorite place for brunch in the Boston area?

Side note: Eversave is having a great deal today for Savino's Grill in Belmont. The Save is that you pay $20 for $40 worth of food and drink, and 10 percent of the proceeds go to the Foundation for Belmont Education. Savino's is an Italian/Mediterranean restaurant, with a great wine selection and a menu chocked full of fresh, local ingredients.