Description
What would happen if a food-loving couple fell in love on the bustling streets of Mexico City? Jason Marcus and Heather Heuser (who also own the playfully-named Traif) wondered just that as theycreated the Mexican-inflected menu at their latest restaurant in Williamsburg. An ideal meal at Xixa (pronounced “shiksa” -- like the old Yiddish word for non-Jewish girls) will be composed of a handful of small plates, like a dressed-up version of leeks and romesco made with spring onions, potatoes, and anchovies, or a wobbly corn flan topped with parcels of blue crab, garlic-poblano cream, and herbs. One of the finest dishes on the menu is a pair of warm, tender gorditas ($7) fried to an even golden color, filled with aioli-dressed shrimp, and topped with a crispy black tangle of puffed rice, sesame, and seaweed. Apart from the awful name, diners might wonder why this idiosyncratic little restaurant with a unique, personal point of view doesn't get more attention outside of its neighborhood. It deserves it. --Tejal Rao
